Grade 5
List 1
Multi-syllable words: Final le words
List 2
Multi-syllable words: Single
consonant words
1. The words on this list all contain the
letter combination –le.
2. The final -le letter combination
usually attaches itself to the
preceding consonant. It forms a
separate syllable.
1. The words on this list all have
more than one syllable.
2. When a single consonant is placed
between two vowels, the
consonant usually joins the syllable
to the right.
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
turtle
bundle
pickle
vehicle
topple
spindle
speckle
triple
article
shuffle
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
noun
power
able
pair
can't
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
mathematical
numeric
rectangle
expanded
notation
enemy
basis
eleven
honest
humor
ocean
define
private
fanatic
second
matter
center
farmers
picked
cause
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
hypothesis
experiment
teamwork
sound
vibration
Grade 5
List 3
Multi-syllable words: Double
consonant words
1. The words on this list all have more
than one syllable.
2. When two consonants are placed
between two vowels, the word is
usually divided between the two
consonants.
List 4
Plural nouns
1. The words on this list are all plural
nouns.
2. If a noun ends in consonant –o,
add –es to make it plural.
**Some words ending in o may
be made plural by adding s or
es.
3. The spelling of some nouns is
changed when making them plural.
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
tissue
kennel
summary
journey
wisdom
pretzel
chimney
excellent
terrific
success
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
written
length
reason
interest
beside
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
wavelength
observation
conclusion
direction
instrument
heroes
tomatoes
echoes
potatoes
vetoes
buffaloes
children
oxen
geese
women
million
ready
anything
divided
general
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
geography
latitude
longitude
equator
meridian
Grade 5
List 5
List 6
Prefixes: ex- and pre-
Mixed List
1. The words on this list all contain
prefixes.
2. A prefix is placed before a root word to
change its meaning.
3. The spelling of the root word is not
changed when adding a prefix.
4. The prefix ex- means “from” or “out of.”
5. The prefix pre- means “before” or “in
advance.”
This spelling list combines words from
the last five lists and their rules.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
example
excuse
exercise
express
extend
prescribe
preorder
preseason
prepaid
preheat
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
energy
subject
Europe
region
return
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
addition
subtraction
multiplication
division
measurement
noun
cause
interest
divided
Europe
Content Words
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
article
vehicle
ocean
humor
summary
success
tomatoes
women
exercise
prescribe
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
division
equator
mathematical
hypothesis
observation
Grade 5
List 7
List 8
/ōl/ sound as in also and tall
Suffix -ous
1. The words on this list all contain the
letter combination –al or –all.
2. The letters al are usually used to spell
the /ōl/ sound right before a
consonant. (Usually at the beginning
or in the middle of a word).
3. Usually the letters -all- are used to
spell the /ōl/ sound at the end of a
word or root word.
1. The words on this list all contain
the suffix –ous.
2. A suffix is a group of letters added
at the end of a word to change its
meaning.
3. The suffix –ous means “full of” or
“possessing the qualities of”.
4. In most cases, the spelling of a
root word is not changed when
adding a suffix if it begins with a
consonant.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
squall
waterfall
nightfall
almost
almighty
almanac
almond
scald
waltz
alternate
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
believe
dance
members
wish
drop
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
comprehension
relationship
newspaper
photographer
dictionary
developed
window
difference
distance
heart
Content Words
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
famous
humorous
marvelous
nervous
delicious
poisonous
adventurous
courageous
hazardous
hilarious
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
government
exploration
economic
discovery
country
Grade 5
List 9
List 10
Words ending in –el, -il, and –al
Silent consonants
1. The words on this spelling list all end in
1.
the consonant –l. This consonant
follows a vowel.
2. The words on this spelling list all have
two or more syllables.
3. The syllable that contains the ending –l
is not accented.
4. The vowel in unaccented syllables
often makes the schwa sound (short u)
regardless of the vowel‟s letter: -a, –e,
or –i.
2.
The words on this list all contain
silent letters.
Many words contain letters that
are silent.
kn says /n/
wr says /r/
mb says /m/
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
cancel
channel
quarrel
fossil
civil
council
chemical
original
actual
annual
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
sum
summer
wall
forest
probably
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
native
American
culture
glacier
environment
knead
knuckle
knowledge
knight
wreckage
written
wrinkling
tomb
crumbling
numb
race
present
beautiful
store
edge
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
software
electronic
desktop
spreadsheet
function
Grade 5
List 11
List 12
I before e rule
Mixed List
1. The words on this list all contain the
This spelling list combines words from
the last five lists and their rules.
vowel combination ei.
2. The spelling rule: “I before e except
after c, or when sounded like <a> as in
neighbor or weigh.” Helps us spell
some of these kinds of words correctly.
The rule does not always work.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
relief
shield
fierce
ceiling
receipt
receive
deceive
freight
neighbor
sleigh
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
past
sign
record
finished
discovered
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
organism
telescope
weather
magnetic
chemical
almost
alternate
poisonous
adventurous
channel
chemical
knowledge
written
receipt
receive
believe
difference
probably
edge
discovered
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
comprehension
economic
environment
electronic
organism
Grade 5
List 13
Homophones
1. The words on this list are all
homophones.
2. Homophones are word pairs that
are pronounced identically, but are
spelled differently and have
different meanings.
3. The –ie and –ei vowel combination
appears in many of the words on
this list.
List 14
Compound Words
1. The words on this list all have more
than one syllable.
2. This list also contains only
compound words.
3. A compound word is a word made
by putting two words together.
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
eight
ate
weigh
way
tier
tear
pier
peer
piece
peace
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
understand
system
language
material
minutes
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
business
dollar
quarter
services
resource
checkerboard
bodyguard
handwriting
coastline
cheeseburger
courthouse
lighthouse
earthquake
mainland
mountainside
scientists
though
became
machine
special
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
atmosphere
cardinal
direction
colonization
communication
Grade 5
List 15
List 16
Open Syllables
Long e and long u
1. The words on this list all have more than
one syllable.
2. Some of the syllables in this list are called
“open” syllables.”
3. An open syllable ends with a single long
vowel sound.
1. The words on this list all contain
syllables with the long e or long u
sound.
2. The long e sound can be spelled ee.
3. The long u sound can be spelled ue.
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
volcano
notice
beyond
protect
decoy
remember
total
relate
solar
vibrate
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
thousands
known
equation
certain
happened
High Use Words
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
authority
territory
transportation
volunteer
religion
freeze
referee
squeeze
engineer
nominee
argue
virtue
continue
barbecue
residue
finally
remember
hundred
include
building
Content Words
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
athlete
basketball
gymnastics
muscular
opponent
Grade 5
List 17
List 18
Plural nouns: Nouns ending in y
Mixed List
1. The words on this list are all plural
nouns.
2. When the word ends in consonant + y,
change the y to i and add es.
3. When the word ends in y following a
vowel, add s.
This spelling list combines words from
the last five lists and their rules.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
donkeys
attorneys
companies
pantries
bakeries
qualities
discoveries
delays
penalties
daisies
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
eight
weigh
handwriting
earthquake
remember
total
residue
nominee
discoveries
companies
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
surface
winter
main
brother
gone
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
language
though
equation
surface
hundred
Content Words
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
neighborhood
place
location
region
river
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
quarter
direction
authority
athlete
neighborhood
Grade 5
List 19
Word with /s/, /z/ and /sh/
List 20
Word ending /zher/ and /cher/
sounds
1. The words on this list all contain the
sounds /s/, /z/, and /sh/.
2. Sometimes the letter combination –ss
3.
4.
5.
6.
sounds like <sh>.
Sometimes the letter combination –ch
sounds like <sh>.
Sometimes the letter combination –ci
sounds like <sh>.
Simetime the letter combination –ci or
–ce sounds like <s>.
Sometimes the letter –s sounds like
<z>.
1. The words on this list all end in the
letters –ure.
2. This letter combonation can make
the sounds /zher/ or /cher/.
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
session
machine
pressure
parachute
advertisement
ancient
specialty
sincere
constitution
medicine
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
against
whole
person
inside
numeral
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Word
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
emergency
paramedic
exercise
medication
prescription
leisure
signature
furniture
pleasure
structure
creature
temperature
treasure
literature
adventure
English
train
quickly
perhaps
direction
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
light
transparent
translucent
reflection
refraction
Grade 5
List 21
List 22
Contractions
Diphthong: oo
1. The words on this list are all contractions.
2. A contraction is a word formed from two or
more words by omitting or combining some
sounds.
3. The apostrophe punctuation mark shows
that a letter or more is missing.
1. The words on this list all contain
the letter combination -oo.
2. The –oo combination is called a
dipthong.
3. A diphthong has two vowel sounds
blended together so that both
sounds are heard.
4. The diphthong oo can sounds like
/oo/ as in look.
5. The diphthong oo can also sounds
like /oo/ as in spoon.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
aren‟t
hadn‟t
they‟ll
where‟s
there‟s
weren‟t
she‟ll
couldn‟t
we‟d
that‟s
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
crooked
wooden
rookie
shook
misunderstood
ooze
kangaroo
cartoon
mushroom
noodle
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
paragraph
raised
represent
whether
clothes
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
flowers
shall
teacher
held
describe
Content Word
Content Word
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
chorus
composer
conductor
musician
melody
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
definition
composition
contrast
construction
visual
Grade 5
List 23
List 24
Diphthong: ou and ow
Mixed List
1. The words on this list all contain the
letter combination /ou/ or /ow/.
2. The /ou/ and /ow/ combination is
called a dipthong.
This spelling list combines words from
the last five lists and their rules.
3. A diphthong has two vowels blended
together so that both sounds are heard.
4. The letters /ow/ usually make the sound
/ou/ as in brown or /ō/ as in blow.
5. The sound /ou/ is usually spelled with the
letter ou at the beginning or in the middle
of a word.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
amount
vouch
crouch
scowl
coward
chowder
prowl
follow
known
grownup
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
advertisement
constitution
signature
literature
they‟ll
weren‟t
misunderstood
ooze
amount
known
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
every
river
idea
plan
draw
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Words
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
graphic
organizer
encyclopedia
thesaurus
punctuation
against
English
paragraph
describe
every
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
emergency
transparent
musician
definition
encyclopedia
Grade 5
List 25
List 26
Diphthong: aw and au
/j/ sound spelled -dge or -ge
1. The words on this list all contain the
letter combination /aw/ or /au/.
2. The /aw/ and /au/ combination is called
a dipthong.
1. The words on this list all contain the
letter combination –dge or –ge.
2. The /j/ sound after a short vowel is
usually spelled -dge.
3. The /j/ sound after the letters l, n, or
any vowel sound (except short) is
usually spelled –ge.
3. A diphthong has two vowels blended
together so both sounds are heard.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
awning
awkward
scrawl
taunt
author
sausage
gauze
applaud
autograph
thesaurus
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
arrange
hinge
carriage
language
indulge
passenger
dredge
hedgehog
budged
sledgehammer
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
measure
horse
simple
cells
paint
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
equilateral
equivalent
improper
coordinate
pyramid
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
complete
wood
road
person
size
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
parallel
median
percent
prime
factorization
Grade 5
List 27
List 28
Possessive nouns
Homophones
1. The words on this list are all possessive
nouns.
2. To show who owns or possesses a noun
we add an apostrophe punctuation mark
and the letter s.
3. Use „s to show ownership by a single
person, place or thing.
4. Use ‘s if the plural form of the noun does
not end in s.
5. Use s’ to shown ownership by more than
one person, place, or thing.
1. The words on this list are all
homophones.
2. Homophones are words that sound the
same, but have different spellings and
meanings.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
scout‟s
restaurant‟s
pioneer‟s
soldier‟s
reindeer‟s
women‟s
moose‟s
companions‟
waitresses‟
families‟
capital
capitol
choral
coral
their
they‟re
there
throne
thrown
higher
11. hire
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
bother
regret
listen
comment
admit
12.
13.
14.
15.
Content Words
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
poetic
description
elaboration
figurative
dialogue
character
reporter
jeweler
senator
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
independence
revolution
taxation
representation
declaration
Grade 5
List 29
List 30
Suffix: -tion
Mixed List
1. The words on this list all contain the suffix
–tion.
2. A suffix is a group of letters that when
added to the end of a root word changes
its meaning.
1. The suffix –tion means condition of, state
of, result of, or shows action.
This spelling list combines words from
the last five lists and their rules.
Pattern Word
Pattern Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
graduation
conversation
attention
perfection
prevention
injection
connection
transportation
multiplication
subscription
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
author
thesaurus
language
passenger
women‟s
waitresses‟
capital
they‟re
graduation
multiplication
High Use Words
High Use Words
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
brought
however
island
front
toward
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
however
character
comment
complete
thesaurus
Content Words
Content Words
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
radiation
gravity
axis
temperature
eclipse
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
radiation
independence
elaboration
parallel
coordinate
Grade 5