180 3rd Grade Spelling Words for Teachers & Students
December 17, 2024
Spelling tests are an essential part of expanding a student鈥檚 vocabulary. These tests not only determine how well a student can spell, but also, they help instructors gauge a student鈥檚 understanding and progress throughout the academic year. Who knew just a few, simple words could reveal so much? Especially looking at 3rd grade spelling words, students are introduced to more challenging words and concepts which help prepare them for upper elementary studies. In this case, third grade spelling words may not be as straightforward and rely on the .
In this article, we will provide a list of 3rd grade spelling words which are separated by category, or subject. It can be a helpful strategy to use spelling words which are relevant to the current lesson plan. That way, students can not only have a better understanding of the vocabulary associated with the lesson but also the meaning of the term itself.
If the words are meaningful to students, instead of a randomized list, then they may relate to the spelling tests easier and make more sense of them. For this reason, we have divided this article into several sections which may correspond with your lesson planning:
- Science
- Mathematics
- Weather
- Community
- Sight Words
- Skill Words
These skill words test specific benchmarks that a third-grade student should be able to meet on their spelling test. Skill words are trickier to master but establish a useful foundation for spelling later in life. But, we鈥檒l explain these skill words in more detail below.
First, let鈥檚 begin with science words, our first category on the list.
Science Words
Science is a great topic because the vocabulary can be tailored to match a variety of scientific fields. For example, you can draw inspiration from words relating to the environment, outer space, the ocean, or different ecosystems, like the jungle or the desert. Maybe your lesson is inspired by physics concepts or chemistry experiments.
No matter the unit, you are sure to find relevant spelling words that coincide with your lesson planning and the new concepts that you introduce to the classroom. Let鈥檚 take a look below.
Third Grade Spelling Words (Continued)
| 3rd Grade Spelling Words – Science |
| 1. Height 2. Volume 3. Length 4. Width 5. Measure 6. Temperature 7. Energy 8. Heat 9. Mass 10. Balance 11. Position 12. Friction 13. Transfer 14. Mile 15. Kilometer 16. Centimeter 17. Perimeter 18. Atmosphere 19. Oxygen 20. Ozone 21. Resource 22. Habitat 23. Soil 24. Forest 25. Ocean |
Mathematics List
In third grade, students are introduced to new fields of math and begin to tackle more complex problems. For example, students are introduced to fractions and multiplication tables at this stage. Plus, students may also learn how to gather certain measurements and how to estimate these lengths or volumes.
25 Best Math Dice Games to Engage Students
With all these new concepts come new vocabulary. For an effective lesson plan, pair that new vocabulary with a spelling test.
| 3rd Grade Spelling Words – Mathematics |
| 1. Factor 2. Divide 3. Fraction 4. Numerator 5. Relative 6. Rounding 7. Multiples 8. Equation 9. Domain 10. Expression 11. Range 12. Solution 13. Estimation 14. Regroup 15. Digit 16. Sum 17. Addition 18. Subtraction 19. Plus 20. Minus 21. Multiplier 22. Difference 23. Product |
3rd Grade Spelling Words 鈥 Weather
Weather is a constant. In the third grade, students may learn more about weather than just a sunny or rainy day.
For example, you may introduce the different types of clouds, the perception cycle, or weather extremes, like hurricanes and tornadoes, and what causes these extremes. In-class activities are a fun and engaging way to learn more about the weather.
35 Weather Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten
For your unit on weather, put these spelling words to the test! This can be a particularly fun lesson to pair with the changing of the seasons. For instance, in the winter, choose words which correlate to snow and ice. In the spring, choose words that relate to rain and temperature changes.
Third Grade Spelling Words (Continued)
| 3rd Grade Spelling Words – Weather |
| 24. Affect 25. Cloud 26. Shower 27. South 28. North 29. Downpour 30. Moisture 31. Evaporate 32. Climate 33. Elevation 34. Cumulus 35. Nimbus 36. Billowing 37. Surface 38. Weather 39. Rainbow 40. Blizzard 41. Hurricane 42. Lightning 43. Thunder 44. Tornado 45. Summer 46. Winter 47. Fall 48. Spring 49. Rainy 50. Snow 51. Snowflake 52. Cold 53. Warm 54. Freeze 55. Ice 56. Sky |
3rd Grade Spelling Words 鈥 Community
At this stage, students begin to understand a bit more about their communities and their place in them. For example, how big is their hometown? Is it a large city or a small suburb? What about their parent鈥檚 jobs and what they do for work?
Community words allow students to better understand their world and make sense of large-scale concepts, like geography or landmarks. These words can be especially important to pair with lessons on social studies.
| 3rd Grade Spelling Words – Community |
| 57. Population 58. Citizen 59. Suburb 60. Rural 61. Urban 62. City 63. Community 64. School 65. Mall 66. Job 67. Manners 68. Stories 69. Idea 70. Language 71. Legend 72. Property 73. Volunteer 74. Help 75. Responsibility 76. Right 77. Law 78. Home 79. Religion 80. Newspaper 81. Dollar 82. Park 83. Drive |
3rd Grade Spelling Words 鈥 Sight Words
Sight words are a more general category, but they are no less important. For example, these sight words are usually adjectives that students likely use in their every day lives to describe the world around them.
Sight words are designed to be generally more relatable. Typically, they are words that a student is already familiar with and may use all the time鈥攚ithout really knowing how to spell it.
This list not only expands a student鈥檚 vocabulary but also familiarizes them with basic descriptive words that correspond to one鈥檚 mood, appearance, place, or time.
| 3rd Grade Spelling Words 鈥 Sight Words |
| 84. Beautiful 85. Night 86. Close 87. Walk 88. Sleep 89. Grow 90. Object 91. Favorite 92. Always 93. Floor 94. Trade 95. Start 96. Early 97. Example 98. Begin 99. Young 100. Important 101. Myself 102. Never 103. Only 104. Pick 105. Sentence 106. Together 107. Picture 108. Group 109. Enough 110. Older 111. Around 112. Open 113. Stir 114. Present 115. Children 116. Until 117. Yard 118. Plant 119. Between 120. Copy 121. Alike 122. Done 123. Curl 124. Flavor 125. Full 126. Cry 127. Laugh 128. Rule 129. Heart 130. Eyes 131. Everything 132. Everyone 133. Someone 134. Something 135. Class |
3rd Grade Spelling Words 鈥 Skill Words
In the third grade, students can begin to focus on more specific skills regarding their spelling. These words are more challenging but ultimately more rewarding.
For example, words with double letters are introduced. This skill is important because sometimes these double letters are silent, and students must learn in which cases these double letters appear. (Ball, Wall, Tall). You can only hear one 鈥淟,鈥 yet students must learn that these words end in two 鈥淟s.鈥
Other silent letters can also be part of this budding skillset. For example, silent letters don鈥檛 always appear in 2鈥檚, or only at the end of a word. For example, the 鈥淜鈥 in knew or knight.
Learning which words have silent letters is a great start to building a more solid vocabulary foundation.
As well, at this level, students are also introduced to QU. Meaning, that words which begin with Q with always have a U which follows. This letter pair is an essential skill for spelling. It鈥檚 important because the QU can sometimes sound like a 鈥淐鈥 or 鈥淜,鈥 and this shows students the sounds of different letters and where they appear.
Additionally, third grade students can also learn about certain homophones. These are words which have the same pronunciation when heard but different spellings when seen. For example: Bore and Boar; or Towed and Toad.
Let鈥檚 take a look at this spelling list, which combines these skills: Double letters, QU, silent letters, and homophones, for a more challenging spelling test.
Third Grade Spelling Words (Continued)
| 3rd Grade Spelling Words – Skills |
| 136. Queen 137. Quiet 138. Quilt 139. Pretty 140. Butter 141. Cherry 142. Pail 143. Pale 144. Cannot 145. Carry 146. Carries 147. Cherries 148. Dinner 149. Goose 150. Agree 151. Baseball 152. Beef 153. Beet 154. Better 155. Chess 156. Choose 157. Half 158. Berry 159. Bottom 160. Zoo 161. Hoof 162. Yell 163. Well 164. Meet 165. Meat 166. Sell 167. Need 168. Keep 169. Afternoon 170. Across 171. Knee 172. Knew 173. Know 174. Lamb 175. Lave 176. Lift 177. Really 178. Cheese 179. Climb 180. Comb |
3rd Grade Spelling Words 鈥 In Review
Spelling tests are an essential benchmark for any student. While they may feel tedious or intimidating to students, spelling tests help build lifelong literary skills, which students carry with them through their K-12 education and beyond. Learning how to spell better can also shape students into better readers and writers!
Ultimately, with greater vocabulary comes a greater ability for students to express themselves. Not only in their writing but also through their daily conversations with friends, family, and teachers. So, not only are students learning how to spell certain words but also, they are building their vernacular. A better understanding of what certain words mean is critical in this stage of academic development, as it also sharpens a student鈥檚 reasoning and deductive skills.
We hope that this list of 3rd grade spelling words is useful for your upcoming lesson plans. These examples pair essential skills with relevant concepts, making your tests an engaging and practical list!
Additional Resources for Elementary School Teachers
