Spelling words for 3rd grade: 16 weekly lists
Free 3rd grade spelling lists, one spelling pattern a week with the rule in plain words. Open any week in the spelling maker for a practice sheet, a test and games, or print all 16 lists.
Week 1Plurals with es
Add es to make more than one when a word ends in s, x, z, ch or sh.
- boxes
- foxes
- dishes
- wishes
- buses
- glasses
- benches
- lunches
- peaches
- brushes
- inches
- classes
Week 2Change y to i, add es
When a word ends in a consonant and y, change the y to i and add es.
- babies
- cities
- puppies
- ponies
- stories
- berries
- families
- parties
- flies
- bodies
- pennies
- ladies
Week 3Prefix un
The prefix un means not, or to undo.
- unhappy
- unlock
- undo
- unfair
- unkind
- unpack
- untie
- unsafe
- unwrap
- unable
- unfold
- unseen
Week 4Prefix re
The prefix re means again.
- redo
- reread
- rewrite
- refill
- retell
- replay
- reuse
- rebuild
- remake
- repaint
- reheat
- reopen
Week 5Prefix dis
The prefix dis means not, or the opposite of.
- dislike
- disagree
- disappear
- dishonest
- disobey
- disorder
- displace
- discolor
- disconnect
- disable
- distrust
- disloyal
Week 6Suffix ful
The suffix ful means full of, and it has only one l.
- helpful
- careful
- hopeful
- thankful
- playful
- cheerful
- joyful
- colorful
- useful
- peaceful
- powerful
- restful
Week 7Suffix less
The suffix less means without.
- careless
- helpless
- fearless
- endless
- sleepless
- spotless
- harmless
- useless
- pointless
- restless
- timeless
- painless
Week 8Suffix ly
Add ly to tell how something is done.
- slowly
- quickly
- sadly
- kindly
- softly
- loudly
- nicely
- safely
- quietly
- bravely
- gladly
- neatly
Week 9Suffixes er and est
Add er to compare two things and est to compare three or more.
- faster
- fastest
- taller
- tallest
- smaller
- smallest
- colder
- coldest
- longer
- longest
- kinder
- kindest
Week 10Suffixes ness and ment
The suffixes ness and ment turn a word into a thing you can name.
- kindness
- darkness
- sadness
- softness
- goodness
- brightness
- payment
- movement
- treatment
- agreement
- shipment
- enjoyment
Week 11Homophones, set one
Homophones sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
- to
- two
- there
- their
- hear
- here
- see
- sea
- son
- sun
- ate
- eight
Week 12Homophones, set two
Homophones sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
- write
- right
- knew
- new
- know
- no
- blue
- blew
- flower
- flour
- male
Week 13Dge and tch
After a short vowel, use dge for the j sound and tch for the ch sound.
- badge
- bridge
- edge
- fudge
- judge
- ledge
- catch
- match
- watch
- kitchen
- pitch
- sketch
Heart words (learn by heart): much, such
Open in the spelling maker →Week 14Words that end in le
A consonant plus le makes the last syllable, as in ta-ble.
- table
- apple
- little
- candle
- puzzle
- bubble
- simple
- middle
- turtle
- giggle
- gentle
- jungle
Week 15Er, or and ar at the end
The endings er, or and ar can sound the same, so learn which one each word uses.
- teacher
- farmer
- painter
- writer
- actor
- sailor
- visitor
- inventor
- dollar
- collar
- cellar
- sugar
Week 16Aw and au
The letters aw and au both say aw, as in saw and sauce.
- saw
- draw
- straw
- lawn
- yawn
- crawl
- hawk
- claw
- sauce
- haul
- fault
- launch
Heart words (learn by heart): because
Open in the spelling maker →How the lists are built
- Each week teaches one pattern, in the order the phonics steps and the grade's spelling usually come: short vowels and blends in 1st grade, vowel teams and endings in 2nd, prefixes and suffixes in 3rd, Latin and Greek roots in 5th and 6th.
- Every word on a pattern list has that pattern; a check runs on each one before the page is published. Heart words are the few common words that do not follow it.
- The spelling maker opens with the week's words typed in, and makes a look-say-cover-write-check sheet, a test with a teacher's copy, a scramble, and bingo, word search and flashcards from the same list. The list rides in the address after the #, so it never reaches our server.