Spelling Bee › Word lists › 6th grade
Spelling bee words for 6th graders
215 spelling bee words for 6th graders: Greek and Latin roots, cial and tial, ious and eous, and words with double letters. Easiest first.
Roots bio and geo
The Greek root bio means life, and geo means earth.
- biology
- biome
- antibiotic
- symbiosis
- biosphere
- biodegradable
- geology
- geometry
- geode
- geothermal
Roots chron and therm
The Greek root chron means time, and therm means heat.
- chronicle
- chronology
- synchronize
- chronological
- anachronism
- chronometer
- thermal
- thermometer
- thermostat
- exothermic
- endothermic
Root ject
The Latin root ject means throw.
- eject
- project
- reject
- object
- subject
- projector
- trajectory
- rejection
- objective
- interject
- projectile
- dejected
Roots mit and miss
The Latin roots mit and miss mean send.
- transmit
- submit
- admit
- permit
- omit
- emit
- dismiss
- transmission
- intermission
- emission
Root duc
The Latin root duc means lead.
- conduct
- product
- produce
- educate
- introduce
- reduce
- deduct
- conductor
- production
- education
- reduction
- viaduct
Roots cred and fid
The Latin root cred means believe, and fid means trust.
- credit
- incredible
- credible
- discredit
- credential
- accredited
- confide
- confident
- confidence
- fidelity
Roots auto and photo
The Greek root auto means self, and photo means light.
- automatic
- automobile
- autonomy
- automate
- autopilot
- photosynthesis
- photocopy
- photon
- telephoto
- photogenic
Endings ology and meter
The ending ology means the study of, and meter means measure.
- ecology
- zoology
- technology
- psychology
- mythology
- meteorology
- barometer
- speedometer
- perimeter
- diameter
- kilometer
Roots vert and vers
The Latin roots vert and vers mean turn.
- convert
- invert
- vertical
- reverse
- universe
- version
- advertise
- diverse
- versatileable to do many different things“A versatile cook can make soup, pie, or salad.”
- anniversary
- conversation
- introvert
Endings ious and eous
The endings ious and eous mean full of, and the i or e is part of the spelling.
- ambitious
- nutritious
- precious
- gracious
- spacious
- courageous
- gorgeous
- outrageous
- spontaneous
- simultaneous
- miscellaneous
Endings cial and tial
The ending that sounds like shul is spelled cial or tial.
- social
- official
- artificial
- crucial
- financial
- beneficial
- partial
- essential
- potential
- initial
- residential
Silent letters from Greek
Some words from Greek start with a silent letter, like the h in rhyme or the p in psychology.
- rhyme
- rhino
- rhubarb
- rhombus
- rhetoric
- pseudonym
- pterodactyl
- pterosaur
Homophones, set five
Homophones sound the same, so use the meaning to pick the spelling.
- course“Of course you can play with us.”
- coarse“The sand felt coarse under my feet.”
- waist“The belt goes around your waist.”
- waste“Don't waste water when you brush your teeth.”
- board“The teacher wrote on the board.”
- bored“I was bored, so I read a book.”
- council“The town council voted for a new park.”
- counsel“A good friend can counsel you when you feel stuck.”
- site“This is the site where they will build the library.”
- sight“The rainbow was a beautiful sight.”
- foul“The ball went over the line, so it was a foul.”
- fowl“Ducks, geese and chickens are all fowl.”
Suffix ize
In US spelling, the ending that means to make or become is spelled ize.
- organize
- realize
- recognize
- apologize
- criticize
- summarize
- memorize
- emphasize
- symbolize
- categorize
- prioritize
- visualize
Roots scrib and script
The Latin roots scrib and script mean write.
- describe
- prescribe
- subscribe
- inscribe
- scribble
- transcribe
- description
- manuscript
- script
- subscription
- postscript
- prescription
Words often misspelled
Some words have double letters or silent parts, so look for them before you write.
- accommodate
- embarrass
- occasion
- conscious
- privilege
- occurrence
- maintenance
- guarantee
- millennium
- mischievous
- independent
- existence
Book words
Words a reader meets in books, each with what it means and a sentence.
- gargantuanenormous, like a giant's size“A gargantuan wave lifted the surfboard.”
- iridescentshining with rainbow colors that shift“The bubble had an iridescent shine.”
- effervescentbubbly and fizzy“The effervescent lemonade tickled my nose.”
- opaquenot letting light through“The opaque curtains kept the room dark.”
- viscousthick and slow to pour“Viscous honey oozed from the jar.”
- invigoratefill with energy and life“A cold splash of water invigorated me.”
- rejuvenatemake fresh and young again“The rain rejuvenated the dry fields.”
- levitaterise and float in the air“The magician made the ball levitate.”
- oscillateswing back and forth steadily“The fan oscillates from side to side.”
- dilutemake weaker by adding water“We diluted the juice with water.”
- evaporateturn from a liquid into a gas“Puddles evaporate on sunny days.”
- condenseturn from a gas into a liquid“Steam condenses on the cold mirror.”
- camouflagecolors that help you blend in“The frog's camouflage hid it in the leaves.”
- illuminatelight up“Lanterns illuminate the garden path.”
- amplifymake louder or stronger“The microphone amplifies her voice.”
- tenaciousholding on and never giving up“The tenacious climber reached the top.”
- meticulousvery careful about every detail“Her meticulous drawing showed every whisker.”
- vivaciouslively and full of spirit“The vivacious puppy danced around the yard.”
- placidcalm and not easily upset“The placid cow chewed in the meadow.”
- pungenthaving a strong, sharp smell“The pungent cheese made us hold our noses.”
- formidableso strong it is hard to beat“The castle had formidable walls.”
- intrepidvery brave and fearless“The intrepid explorer crossed the icy river.”
- dormantresting or sleeping for a while“The volcano has been dormant for years.”
- voraciouswanting to eat or do a lot“The voracious reader finished five books in a week.”
- elusivehard to find or catch“The elusive fox slipped away again.”
- ravenousextremely hungry“After swimming, we were ravenous.”
- docilegentle and easy to handle“The docile pony let us brush its mane.”
- agitatedupset and unable to stay calm“The agitated hen flapped her wings.”
- obscurehide or make hard to see“Clouds obscured the moon.”
- prolongmake something last longer“We prolonged the picnic by playing games.”
- distorttwist out of its normal shape“The funhouse mirror distorted my face.”
- cumbersomebig and hard to carry“The cumbersome box would not fit through the door.”
- lustroussoft and shiny“The horse had a lustrous coat.”
- dwindleslowly become smaller“Our cookie supply dwindled by Friday.”
- nourishgive what is needed to grow and be healthy“Rain and sun nourish the garden.”
- replenishfill up again“We replenished the bird feeder.”
- pliableeasy to bend or shape“Warm clay is pliable.”
- radiatesend out in all directions“Warmth radiated from the campfire.”
- fortifymake stronger or safer“We fortified the snow fort with more snow.”