England national curriculum
Year 5 spelling words: the complete statutory list
There is no separate statutory Year 5 list. England's national curriculum gives schools one 100-word spelling list for Years 5 and 6, alongside spelling patterns that children learn across upper Key Stage 2. The complete official list is below.
Free built-in practice. No account needed.
The important Year 5 fact
- Official entries
- 100
- Shared by
- Y5 + Y6
- Separate Y5 list
- No
Schools choose when to teach each word across the two years. Children also learn the spelling rules and word relationships behind them.
Full official word list
The 100 statutory spelling entries for Years 5 and 6
These are the entries printed in the Department for Education's English spelling appendix. The list is statutory for Years 5 and 6 in maintained schools in England.
- accommodate
- accompany
- according
- achieve
- aggressive
- amateur
- ancient
- apparent
- appreciate
- attached
- available
- average
- awkward
- bargain
- bruise
- category
- cemetery
- committee
- communicate
- community
- competition
- conscience
- conscious
- controversy
- convenience
- correspond
- criticise
- curiosity
- definite
- desperate
- determined
- develop
- dictionary
- disastrous
- embarrass
- environment
- equip
- especially
- exaggerate
- excellent
- existence
- explanation
- familiar
- foreign
- forty
- frequently
- government
- guarantee
- harass
- hindrance
- identity
- immediate(ly)
- individual
- interfere
- interrupt
- language
- leisure
- lightning
- marvellous
- mischievous
- muscle
- necessary
- neighbour
- nuisance
- occupy
- occur
- opportunity
- parliament
- persuade
- physical
- prejudice
- privilege
- profession
- programme
- pronunciation
- queue
- recognise
- recommend
- relevant
- restaurant
- rhyme
- rhythm
- sacrifice
- secretary
- shoulder
- signature
- sincere(ly)
- soldier
- stomach
- sufficient
- suggest
- symbol
- system
- temperature
- thorough
- twelfth
- variety
- vegetable
- vehicle
- yacht
More than a word list
The patterns Year 5 children learn
The 100-word list is only one part of upper Key Stage 2 spelling. The national curriculum also asks children to understand patterns, word parts and relationships between words.
Learn the reason, not only the answer
Roots, prefixes and suffixes help one spelling lesson unlock a whole family of words.
-cious and -tious
vicious, precious, ambitious, cautious
Listen for the ending, then connect it to related words where possible.
-cial and -tial
official, special, partial, essential
The sound is similar, so children need to notice the word family.
-able and -ible
adorable, considerable, possible, visible
Look for a complete root word and learn the common exceptions.
-ant, -ance, -ent and -ence
observant, tolerance, innocent, confidence
Use related verbs and nouns to make the ending easier to remember.
ough
ought, bought, rough, through, thorough
The same letter group can make several sounds, so context matters.
Silent letters
doubt, island, lamb, knight, solemn
Say the word, reveal the spelling and mark the letter that cannot be heard.
Prefixes, suffixes and hyphens
co-operate, re-enter, over-react, dishonest
Break longer words into meaningful parts before spelling the whole word.
Homophones and confused words
advice and advise, device and devise
Use a sentence to connect each spelling with its meaning.
A short practice routine
Help the spelling stick
Short, focused practice works best when children retrieve the spelling, receive clear feedback and return to the words they found difficult.
1. Hear the word in a sentence
Meaning helps a child choose the right spelling, especially for homophones.
2. Spell it from memory
Cover the answer and retrieve it instead of copying it from the page.
3. Check the exact difference
Compare the attempt with the answer and notice the letters that changed.
4. Return to tricky words
Practise missed words again later rather than repeating the whole list.
Official curriculum source
The word list and pattern guidance come from the Department for Education's statutory English Appendix 1: Spelling.
Read English Appendix 1Teaching and practice
The Ofsted English research review describes explicit spelling teaching, word relationships, focused tasks, feedback and deliberate practice.
Read the English research reviewLast reviewed 19 July 2026.
Questions from parents
Year 5 spelling questions
Is there a separate statutory Year 5 spelling list?
No. England's national curriculum publishes one statutory word list for Years 5 and 6. Schools decide how to sequence those words across upper Key Stage 2.
How many statutory spelling words are there for Years 5 and 6?
The official Years 5 and 6 spelling list contains 100 entries. Some entries group related forms, including immediate with immediately and sincere with sincerely.
Must children know every word by the end of Year 5?
There is no separate Year 5 deadline for the shared list. Schools organise teaching across Years 5 and 6, alongside the spelling patterns in the national curriculum.
Is the 100-word list the whole Year 5 spelling curriculum?
No. Children also study spelling patterns, roots, prefixes, suffixes, silent letters, homophones and relationships between words.
Is Year 5 spelling practice the same as Year 6 SATs practice?
No. Year 5 builds the knowledge and habits used throughout upper Key Stage 2. The formal spelling paper is taken in Year 6 as part of the English grammar, punctuation and spelling tests.
Can I add this week's spelling words from school?
Yes. A parent can add the exact weekly list to a child profile, check the practice sentences and hand the prepared list over for School Words practice.
Does free Year 5 practice require an account?
No. Built-in Year 5 spelling practice starts without an account. A parent account is only needed for family profiles, saved progress and custom weekly school lists.
Ready to practise?
Start with 10 Year 5 spelling words
Hear each word in a sentence, spell it from memory and see exactly what to revisit.