1st Grade Spelling Words

What Spelling Skills Do 1st Graders Learn?

First grade is when most children make the leap from sounding out letters to reading and writing real words fluently. By the end of 1st grade, a typical student should be able to:

Dolch Sight Words — 1st Grade List (41 Words)

The Dolch 1st grade list is the gold standard for sight words. These words appear so frequently in text that fluent spelling is essential. They must be memorized — many don't follow standard phonics rules.

💡 Practice Tip: Tackle Dolch words in groups of 5–8. Use flashcard games, rainbow writing, or SpellCrush's audio-based practice so kids hear the word before typing it. Don't introduce more than 8 new sight words per week.

Short-Vowel CVC Words (15 Words)

CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words are the backbone of 1st grade phonics. Every short vowel sound should be solid before moving to blends.

Consonant Blend Words (15 Words)

Blends are two consonants that appear together where both sounds are heard. Most 1st graders encounter L-blends, R-blends, and S-blends.

💡 Practice Tip: Cover the blend and ask your child to read the rest of the word first, then uncover it. This isolates the pattern they need to memorize.

Digraph Words: ch, sh, th, wh, ng (15 Words)

Digraphs are two letters that make a single sound. They're one of the trickiest 1st grade patterns because kids want to sound out each letter individually.

Magic-E (Silent E) Words (20 Words)

The magic-E rule: a silent E at the end of a word makes the vowel before the consonant say its long name. This is a critical 1st grade milestone — and a common spelling mistake that persists for years if not drilled early.

💡 Practice Tip: Use minimal pairs to make the rule concrete: tap → tape, pin → pine, hop → hope. Having kids spell both versions back-to-back reinforces why the E matters.

Weekly Practice Schedule for 1st Graders

Consistent 10–15 minute sessions beat cramming. Here's a structure that works well at age 6–7:

Frequently Asked Questions