UK National Curriculum
Year 3 and 4 statutory spelling words
The official Department for Education statutory spelling word list for lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4). 100 words pupils are expected to spell correctly by the end of Year 4.
108 statutory words · DfE National Curriculum (England) · Free to use
Free downloadable resources
Word list
All 108 words · 1–2 pages · ideal for spelling tests & word walls
Revision booklet
All 108 words with example sentences · multi-page revision sheet
The Year 3 and 4 statutory spelling list is published as part of the English National Curriculum (Department for Education, 2014). State-funded primary schools in England are required to teach these words during lower KS2, and pupils are expected to be able to spell every one by the end of Year 4.
The list is roughly 100 words. It deliberately includes spellings that are tricky for this age group — silent letters (knowledge, guard), unusual graphemes (caught, weight), and words children commonly misspell (February, occasion, separate). It's not just a list of common words — it's a list of tricky common words.
How teachers typically use this list
- Weekly spelling tests: Most schools work through 5–10 of these words per week across Years 3 and 4. Friday spelling tests are typically drawn from this list.
- End-of-year assessment: A sample of these words appears in Year 4 end-of-year assessments and informs SATs preparation.
- Cross-curricular use: Teachers display them on classroom word walls and weave them into writing tasks throughout the year.
Tips for teaching these words
- Group by pattern. Don't teach the list alphabetically — children retain words better when they see the underlying pattern. Teach
caught,thought,throughtogether as silent-letter / unusual graphemes; teachstrange,length,strengthtogether as-ngthpatterns. - Use the example sentences. Words learned in context are retained significantly better than words in isolation (Treiman, 1993). Don't just read the word — say it in the sentence.
- Spaced retrieval beats cramming. Reviewing 5 words on day 1, day 3, day 7 and day 14 produces dramatically better retention than spending 30 minutes on them in one go.
- Test, don't re-read. The "testing effect" is one of the strongest findings in cognitive science. Active retrieval (try to spell it from memory) beats passive review (look at it again) every time.
The full Year 3 & 4 list list
| # | Word | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | accident | The broken vase was an accident. |
| 2 | actually | She actually likes broccoli. |
| 3 | address | Write your address on the envelope. |
| 4 | answer | Do you know the answer to this question? |
| 5 | appear | Stars appear in the sky at night. |
| 6 | arrive | What time will you arrive? |
| 7 | believe | I believe you can do it. |
| 8 | bicycle | She rode her bicycle to school. |
| 9 | breath | Take a deep breath and relax. |
| 10 | breathe | It is hard to breathe underwater. |
| 11 | build | We will build a sandcastle today. |
| 12 | business | Her mother runs her own business. |
| 13 | calendar | Check the calendar for the date. |
| 14 | caught | He caught the ball with one hand. |
| 15 | centre | The library is in the centre of town. |
| 16 | century | A century is one hundred years. |
| 17 | certain | I am certain I left it here. |
| 18 | circle | Draw a circle on the paper. |
| 19 | complete | Please complete the worksheet. |
| 20 | consider | Consider all the options before deciding. |
| 21 | continue | Let us continue with the lesson. |
| 22 | decide | Can you decide which one you prefer? |
| 23 | describe | Can you describe what you saw? |
| 24 | different | These two shapes are different. |
| 25 | difficult | The spelling test was difficult. |
| 26 | disappear | Watch the rabbit disappear into the hat. |
| 27 | early | The bus arrived early today. |
| 28 | earth | The earth travels around the sun. |
| 29 | enough | Have you had enough to eat? |
| 30 | exercise | Swimming is great exercise. |
| 31 | experience | Going on the trip was a great experience. |
| 32 | experiment | The science experiment was exciting. |
| 33 | extreme | Climbing that mountain takes extreme courage. |
| 34 | famous | She is a famous singer. |
| 35 | favourite | What is your favourite book? |
| 36 | February | My birthday is in February. |
| 37 | forward | Take one step forward. |
| 38 | fruit | An apple is a type of fruit. |
| 39 | grammar | Good grammar helps your writing. |
| 40 | group | Work in a group of four. |
| 41 | guard | A guard stood at the palace gate. |
| 42 | guide | A guide led us through the museum. |
| 43 | heard | Have you heard the news? |
| 44 | heart | Your heart pumps blood around your body. |
| 45 | height | Measure the height of the door. |
| 46 | history | We are studying history this term. |
| 47 | imagine | Imagine you could fly anywhere! |
| 48 | important | It is important to drink water. |
| 49 | increase | The price will increase next year. |
| 50 | interest | I have an interest in science. |
| 51 | island | The island was surrounded by water. |
| 52 | knowledge | Reading expands your knowledge. |
| 53 | learn | We learn something new every day. |
| 54 | length | What is the length of the table? |
| 55 | library | I borrowed a book from the library. |
| 56 | material | Cotton is a soft material. |
| 57 | medicine | The doctor gave me medicine. |
| 58 | mention | Did I mention we are going on holiday? |
| 59 | minute | Wait just one minute please. |
| 60 | natural | Honey is a natural sweetener. |
| 61 | naughty | The puppy was naughty and chewed a shoe. |
| 62 | notice | Did you notice the rainbow? |
| 63 | occasion | A birthday is a special occasion. |
| 64 | often | I often read before bed. |
| 65 | opposite | Hot is the opposite of cold. |
| 66 | ordinary | It seemed like an ordinary day. |
| 67 | particular | Is there a particular book you want? |
| 68 | peculiar | The noise was very peculiar. |
| 69 | perhaps | Perhaps we should try again. |
| 70 | popular | Football is a popular sport. |
| 71 | position | Stand in your starting position. |
| 72 | possible | Is it possible to finish today? |
| 73 | potatoes | We had potatoes with our dinner. |
| 74 | pressure | Press hard to apply pressure. |
| 75 | probably | It will probably rain tomorrow. |
| 76 | promise | I promise to be careful. |
| 77 | purpose | What is the purpose of this tool? |
| 78 | quarter | A quarter of an hour is fifteen minutes. |
| 79 | question | I have a question about the homework. |
| 80 | recent | Have you seen any recent films? |
| 81 | regular | She goes for a regular walk. |
| 82 | reign | The queen had a long reign. |
| 83 | remember | Remember to bring your reading book. |
| 84 | sentence | Write a sentence using this word. |
| 85 | separate | Keep the red and blue pieces separate. |
| 86 | special | Today is a very special day. |
| 87 | straight | Draw a straight line with a ruler. |
| 88 | strange | We heard a strange noise upstairs. |
| 89 | strength | It takes great strength to lift that. |
| 90 | suppose | I suppose we could go tomorrow. |
| 91 | surprise | It was a lovely surprise! |
| 92 | therefore | It was raining, therefore we stayed inside. |
| 93 | though | Even though it was cold, we went out. |
| 94 | through | We walked through the forest. |
| 95 | various | There are various ways to solve this. |
| 96 | weight | What is the weight of this package? |
| 97 | woman | The woman waved from the window. |
| 98 | women | The women won the trophy. |
| 99 | accidentally | She accidentally spilled her drink. |
| 100 | actual | Is that the actual answer? |
| 101 | eight | There are eight planets in our solar system. |
| 102 | eighth | She came in eighth place in the race. |
| 103 | occasionally | I occasionally forget my homework. |
| 104 | possess | Do you possess the courage to try? |
| 105 | possession | Please take care of your possession. |
| 106 | thought | I thought it was a good idea. |
| 107 | although | Although it rained, we still had fun. |
| 108 | forwards | Take three steps forwards. |
Frequently asked questions
Are these the official Year 3 and 4 spelling words?
Yes. This is the full statutory word list from the English National Curriculum, published by the Department for Education in 2014 and unchanged since. State-funded primary schools in England are required to teach these specific words.
Are these the same as the Year 3 and 4 SATs spelling words?
There is no Year 3 or Year 4 SATs paper — SATs are taken in Year 6. However, the Year 3/4 statutory list informs the Year 6 spelling SATs, which can include any words from the Years 3–6 statutory lists. Mastering the Year 3/4 list is essential preparation.
How many words should my child practise per week?
A common pattern is 5–10 words per week across Years 3 and 4 (about 75 weeks of school time, with revision). Cognitive science research recommends short, daily practice (10–15 minutes) over longer weekly sessions — and revisiting words at spaced intervals.
What's the best way to memorise these words?
Three things consistently work: (1) practise the word in a sentence, not in isolation; (2) test yourself by trying to spell it from memory rather than re-reading; (3) review at spaced intervals (1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days) rather than cramming.
Can I use this list for free?
Yes. The statutory list is published by the DfE and is in the public domain. Our example sentences are free to use for teaching and personal practice.
Classroom resources for these words
Ready-to-use printables that go with this word list — dictation sentences, word sorts, and pretest/retest pairs.
Related word lists
Years 5 & 6 Statutory Spelling List
View list →