18 words · ages 8–9
3rd Grade spelling words with definitions
What should a 3rd grade child be able to spell?
By the end of 3rd grade (ages 8–9), most children can spell words like knee, wrong and answer — that is, words built on silent k, silent w, gh, ph and related patterns. Spelling develops at very different speeds, and a child a year either side of this is ordinary rather than behind.
- silent k
- silent w
- gh
- ph
- silent t
- sc
- silent b
- silent s
- silent h
Sound Tricks
Sounds spelled in ways that catch you out.
- knee
- The joint in the middle of your leg.silent k
- write
- To put words down on paper.silent w
- laugh
- The sound you make when something is funny.gh
- phone
- A machine you talk to people on.ph
- castle
- A big stone building where kings lived.silent t
- science
- Finding out how the world works.sc
- thumb
- The short thick finger on your hand.silent b
- enough
- As much as you need.gh
- island
- Land with water all around it.silent s
- wrong
- Not right.silent w
- graph
- A picture that shows numbers.ph
- listen
- To pay attention to a sound.silent t
- knock
- To tap on a door with your knuckles.silent k
- ghost
- A spooky see-through spirit in stories.silent h
- whistle
- A sharp musical sound made with your lips.silent t
- tough
- Strong and hard to break.gh
- climb
- To go up using your hands and feet.silent b
- answer
- What you say back to a question.silent w
Practising 3rd grade spelling words at home
Read the word aloud and have your child write it from sound rather than copy it. The Friday test asks for the harder of those two, and only one of them is practice for it.
When a word goes wrong, say what the pattern is rather than just the letters — “that’s a silent k word” gives them something to reuse. Then come back to it tomorrow rather than immediately.
Count a word as learned when it has been spelled correctly on three separate days. That is the rule SpellChirp uses, and it is roughly where a word stops needing to be looked up.
Turn this list into ten minutes a night
SpellChirp reads every word aloud, checks the spelling, and writes these 3rd grade words into an adventure story your child chooses — dragons, detectives, deep sea or a dozen more. Free, with no advertising and no account required to start.