Spelling Bee › Word lists › 1st grade
Spelling bee words for 1st graders
176 spelling bee words for 1st graders: short vowels, ch, sh and th, blends, magic e and the first heart words. Easiest first.
Short a
When a short word has one vowel between consonants, the vowel is short.
- cat
- map
- bag
- hat
- sad
- jam
- van
- nap
- can
- ran
- the
Short i
When a short word has one vowel between consonants, the vowel is short.
- sit
- pig
- win
- lip
- big
- dig
- fin
- hit
- kid
- six
- is
- to“We walk to the park after lunch.”
Short o
When a short word has one vowel between consonants, the vowel is short.
- hot
- dog
- top
- mop
- log
- box
- fox
- pot
- job
- not
- you
- of
Short u
When a short word has one vowel between consonants, the vowel is short.
- bug
- cup
- sun“The sun is shining today.”
- mud
- run
- tub
- hut
- nut
- bus
- gum
- was
Short e
When a short word has one vowel between consonants, the vowel is short.
- bed
- pet
- ten
- web
- leg
- hen
- net
- red
- wet
- pen
- said
- are
Ch, sh and th
Two letters can team up to make one new sound, like sh in ship.
- ship
- shop
- fish
- wish
- chin
- chip
- much
- this
- that
- with
- they
Ck at the end
After a short vowel, the k sound at the end is spelled ck.
- duck
- back
- sock
- kick
- neck
- pick
- rock
- lock
- sick
- luck
Blends at the start
In a blend, you hear both consonant sounds, like f and l in flag.
- flag
- clap
- stop
- frog
- trip
- drum
- grab
- plan
- slip
- swim
- what
Blends at the end
Some words end with two consonants, and you hear them both.
- hand
- sand
- nest
- best
- jump
- lamp
- tent
- gift
- belt
- milk
Ng and nk
The letters ng and nk come at the end, as in ring and pink.
- ring
- sing
- king
- long
- song
- bank
- pink
- sink
- wing
- junk
Magic e with a
When a word ends in silent e, the vowel says its name.
- cake
- game
- name
- lake
- made
- gate
- cave
- tape
- wave
- same
- have
Magic e with i
When a word ends in silent e, the vowel says its name.
- bike
- kite
- time
- line
- ride
- hide
- pine
- five
- nine
- wide
- give
Magic e with o
When a word ends in silent e, the vowel says its name.
- home
- bone
- hope
- rope
- nose
- rode
- note
- hole
- joke
- stone
- come
- some
Magic e with u
When a word ends in silent e, the vowel says its name.
- cute
- mule
- tube
- cube
- flute
- rule
- tune
- huge
- dune
- use
Long e with ee
Two e's together say the long e sound, as in tree.
- see“I can see the moon tonight.”
- tree
- feet
- seed
- bee
- keep
- green
- sleep
- need
- week
- been
Adding s
Add s to name more than one.
- cats
- dogs
- pigs
- hats
- cups
- beds
- maps
- bugs
- pens
- fans
- does