Spelling words › Year 2 spelling words

Year 2 spelling words

These are the Year 2 common exception words from the National Curriculum in England: words like “because”, “could” and “beautiful” that children are expected to spell by the end of Key Stage 1. There are 64 words on the list.

The 64 Year 2 words

Word	What it means
door	A hinged barrier used to close an opening.Please close the door.
floor	The lower surface of a room.Drop your bag on the floor.
poor	Having little money or inferior quality.The poor puppy was lost.
because	For the reason that.I wore a coat because it was cold.
find	Discover or locate something.Can you find my pen?
kind	Having a friendly and generous nature.It was kind of you to help.
mind	The element of a person that enables thought.Keep an open mind.
behind	At the back of.Hide behind the tree.
child	A young human being.Every child deserves to play.
children	More than one child.The children played in the park.
wild	Living in a state of nature; untamed.Lions live in the wild.
climb	Go up or ascend.Climb up the ladder.
most	The biggest amount.Who has the most stickers?
only	Just; no more than.I only have one pound.
both	The two of them together.Both my hands are cold.
old	Having lived or existed a long time.The castle is very old.
cold	Not warm.The ice cream is cold.
gold	A valuable shiny yellow metal.The pirate found gold.
hold	To have something in your hands.Hold my hand.
told	Said something to someone.Mum told me a bedtime story.
every	All of them, one by one, with none left out.I read every page of the book.
everybody	Every person.Everybody sang happy birthday.
even	Flat and smooth, or a number that can be split into twos.Four is an even number.
great	Very good, or very big.We had a great day.
break	To split into pieces, or to stop working.Be careful not to break the glass.
steak	A thick slice of meat.Dad grilled a steak.
pretty	Nice to look at.What a pretty dress!
beautiful	Very lovely to look at or hear.What a beautiful sunset!
after	Later than something.We play outside after lunch.
fast	Quick.Cheetahs are very fast.
last	Coming at the end.I was last in the queue.
past	The time before now.In the past, there were no phones.
father	A dad.My father reads me stories.
class	A group of pupils taught together.Our class has thirty children.
grass	A green plant that covers lawns and fields.We sat on the grass.
pass	To go past, or to give something to someone.Pass the salt, please.
plant	A living thing that grows in soil, like a flower or tree.Water the plant every day.
path	A narrow way for walking.Follow the path to the woods.
bath	A large tub you fill with water to wash in.I have a bath before bed.
hour	Sixty minutes.The film lasts an hour.
move	To go to a different place.Move your chair closer.
prove	To show that something is true.Can you prove it?
improve	To make or get better.Practice will improve your spelling.
sure	Certain.Are you sure?
sugar	A sweet substance used in food.Don’t put too much sugar in your tea.
eye	The part of your body you see with.Close one eye.
could	Was able to; might.I could swim when I was five.
should	Ought to.You should wear a coat.
would	Used to talk about what might happen.I would like a drink, please.
who	Asking which person.Who is at the door?
whole	All of something; complete.I ate the whole sandwich.
any	One or some, it does not matter which.Do you have any pencils?
many	A lot of.Many people came to the fair.
clothes	Things you wear, like shirts and trousers.Put your clothes in the drawer.
busy	Having lots to do.The shop is busy on Saturdays.
people	Men, women and children.Lots of people came to the fair.
water	The clear liquid in rain, rivers and seas.Drink plenty of water.
again	One more time.Please read the story again.
half	One of two equal parts.I ate half of the pizza.
money	Coins and notes used to buy things.I saved my money.
Mr	A title used before a man’s surname.Mr Patel is our teacher.
Mrs	A title used before a married woman’s surname.Mrs Jones runs the library.
parents	Mums and dads.My parents came to the show.
Christmas	The festival on 25 December celebrating the birth of Jesus.We open presents at Christmas.

How to practise them at home

A few at a time. Five to ten words in a session is plenty. Short and often beats long and rare.
Say it, hear it, write it. Read the word aloud, cover it, write it, then check. Spelling it from memory is what makes it stick.
Come back to the tricky ones. A word spelt right on three different days is usually learnt for good.

More lists: Year 1 spelling words · Year 3 and 4 spelling words · Year 5 and 6 spelling words

Word lists: National Curriculum in England, English programmes of study, Appendix 1 (Department for Education, 2013). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Meanings, examples and recordings by Hootwood.