A little help for home practice · England
Year 3 spelling words
In England, Years 3 and 4 share one statutory spelling list. Schools choose their sequence across the two years. Start with your school's current words and use this optional 20-word sample to notice spellings together.
A ten-word round selects from the wider Year 3 practice pool; it is not guaranteed to use these printed 20. Basic practice needs no child name, account or payment. Custom school lists and saved progress are optional Family Pass features.
Published and updated .
One 20-word starter observation sheet
This is Spellito's optional illustrative sample, not a statutory Year 3 subset, national teaching sequence, diagnosis or prediction of homework or tests. Choose a few words that fit your school's current learning. Read them in sentences, cover the target and focus columns, try from memory, check together and revisit after a gap. There is no score or weekly quota.
Use your browser's Print or Save as PDF command. The sheet is designed for one A4 page; check the preview with your printer settings. Write only on paper: no name, account or payment is needed, and observations are not stored. Focus the table and use the arrow keys to scroll through its rows and columns.
Source: Department for Education, English Appendix 1: Spelling, page 16. The 100 entries expand to 109 individual forms in our full Years 3 and 4 list.
| Target | Feature to notice | Attempt | Revisit |
|---|---|---|---|
| accident | Double c | ||
| accidentally | Word family and the written ending -ally | ||
| actual | Base form for actually | ||
| actually | Actual plus -ly keeps both l letters | ||
| appear | Double p | ||
| disappear | Dis- plus appear | ||
| believe | The letter sequence ie | ||
| breath | Noun form ending th | ||
| breathe | Related verb with a final e | ||
| busy | The unusual u and final y | ||
| business | Related to busy; notice the spelling and pronunciation | ||
| eight | The letter sequence eigh | ||
| eighth | Eight becomes eighth, with only one t | ||
| island | Silent s | ||
| knowledge | Silent k | ||
| occasion | Double c and the written ending sion | ||
| occasionally | Related word family and the written ending -ally | ||
| possess | Both pairs of s letters | ||
| possession | Possess plus -ion | ||
| thought | The letter sequence ough |
Choose one word and use it in your own sentence. Check its spelling together.
Talk about the spelling and meaning
Compare accident → accidental → accidentally and occasion → occasional → occasionally. The adverbs add -ly to the related adjectives; the table's written -ally ending is a word-family observation. Actually adds -ly to actual, keeping the l in actual and the l in -ly.
Eighth has only one t: compare the written forms eight and eighth carefully. Use breath as a noun and breathe as a verb in spoken sentences; listen for the changed vowel and ending sounds. Compare busy and business in spoken sentences, then notice the change from y to i and the ending -ness.
For the school-led first fortnight, see the Year 3 Autumn 1 guide. For the words sent home, use the weekly homework template and guidance on choosing a manageable set.
Year 3 spelling questions
Is there a separate statutory Year 3 spelling list?
England's national curriculum gives Years 3 and 4 one shared statutory word list. Schools choose their sequence across the two years. The appendix does not prescribe which words to teach first.
Are these 20 words an official Year 3 starter set?
This is Spellito's optional illustrative sample from the shared list, not a statutory Year 3 subset or national teaching sequence. It is an observation aid, not a diagnosis or prediction of homework or tests. Follow your school's chosen words.
Will free practice use exactly these printed words?
A free ten-word round selects from the wider Year 3 practice pool, so it is not guaranteed to use the printed 20. No child name, account or payment is needed for basic practice. Custom school lists and saved progress are optional Family Pass features: £9 per family for 12 months, with no automatic renewal.
How can we use the starter checklist?
Choose a few words that fit the school's current learning. Read each word in a sentence, notice its spelling, cover the target and focus columns, then try it from memory on paper. Check together and revisit after a gap. Use a chosen word in a sentence; there is no score or weekly quota.
Clear annual pricing
Start free. Pay only when the family extras help.
A child can practise ten built-in words without entering their name, making an account or paying. Family Pass is the optional complete home product.
Basic practice
FREE
No child name or account needed
- Ten-word curriculum practice
- Hear each word in a sentence
- Clear correction and another try
Complete home tools
£9
per family per year
- Up to five child profiles
- Buddies, hints and private progress
- School lists, SATs papers and cross-device sync
- Paper spelling tests and family duels
12 months. No automatic renewal.
