18 words · ages 13–14
8th Grade spelling words with definitions
What should a 8th grade child be able to spell?
By the end of 8th grade (ages 13–14), most children can spell words like conscience, surveillance and maintenance — that is, words built on scien, no true vowel, cqu, eau + cracy and related patterns. Spelling develops at very different speeds, and a child a year either side of this is ordinary rather than behind.
- scien
- no true vowel
- cqu
- eau + cracy
- scien + tious
- double n
- eur ending
- no double
- iai
- eill
- ou + age
- sc
- silent h + ette
- ie, no extra i
- hier
- aoh ending
- double n double s
- ten inside
Sky Captain
The words that decide a spelling bee.
- conscience
- The feeling inside that tells you right from wrong.scien
- rhythm
- A pattern of beats in music or speech.no true vowel
- acquaintance
- Someone you know a little, but not well.cqu
- bureaucracy
- A system run by lots of officials and rules.eau + cracy
- conscientious
- Careful to do things properly and well.scien + tious
- questionnaire
- A set of written questions to answer.double n
- entrepreneur
- Someone who starts their own business.eur ending
- perseverance
- Keeping going when something is hard.no double
- liaison
- A link between two groups.iai
- surveillance
- Watching someone or something closely.eill
- camouflage
- Colours or shapes that help something hide.ou + age
- reminiscence
- A memory of something long ago.sc
- silhouette
- The dark outline shape of something.silent h + ette
- mischievous
- Playfully naughty.ie, no extra i
- hierarchy
- A ladder of who is in charge of whom.hier
- pharaoh
- A king of ancient Egypt.aoh ending
- connoisseur
- Someone who knows a subject inside out.double n double s
- maintenance
- The work of keeping something in good order.ten inside
Practising 8th 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 scien 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 8th 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.