Spelling words › Year 3 and 4 spelling words

Year 3 and 4 spelling words

These are the statutory spelling words for Years 3 and 4 from the National Curriculum in England. Schools spread them across both years, so they often turn up in weekly spelling tests in Year 3 and in Year 4. There are 109 words on the list.

The 109 Years 3 and 4 words

Word	What it means
accident	An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly.He had a minor cycling accident.
accidentally	By mistake, without meaning to.I accidentally knocked over my drink.
actual	Existing in fact; real.What is the actual cost?
actually	Really; in fact.I actually liked the broccoli!
address	The particulars of the place where someone lives.Write your home address on the envelope.
answer	A reply or solution to a problem.Do you know the answer?
appear	Come into view.The sun will appear soon.
arrive	Reach a destination.We will arrive by train.
believe	Accept something as true.I believe you can do it.
bicycle	A vehicle with two wheels.I ride my bicycle to school.
breath	Air breathed in.Hold your breath underwater.
breathe	Take air into lungs and let it out.Breathe in through your nose.
build	To make something by putting parts together.Let’s build a sandcastle.
busy	Having lots to do.The shop is busy on Saturdays.
business	A company that sells things, or someone’s work.My aunt runs a cake business.
calendar	A chart showing the days, weeks and months of a year.Write the party date on the calendar.
caught	Took hold of something moving (in the past).I caught the ball.
centre	The middle point or part.Stand in the centre of the room.
century	A period of one hundred years.A century has passed.
certain	Known for sure; established.I am certain of it.
circle	A round plane figure.Draw a perfect circle.
complete	Having all necessary parts.Complete your worksheet.
consider	Think carefully about.Consider your options.
continue	Persist in an activity.Continue reading chapter two.
decide	Reach a resolution.Decide what game to play.
describe	To say what something is like.Describe your favourite animal.
different	Not the same.My shoes are different colours.
difficult	Hard to do or understand.This puzzle is difficult.
disappear	To go out of sight.Watch the rabbit disappear!
early	Before the usual time.I woke up early.
earth	Our planet, or soil.The Earth goes round the sun, and plants grow in the earth.
eight	The number 8.A spider has eight legs.
eighth	Coming after seventh; number 8 in order.I came eighth in the race.
enough	As much as you need.Do we have enough chairs?
exercise	Moving your body to keep fit, or a practice task.Running is good exercise.
experience	Something that happens to you, or knowledge from doing things.The trip was a great experience.
experiment	A test to find out something.We did an experiment with magnets.
extreme	Very great, or very far.The desert has extreme heat.
famous	Known by lots of people.She is a famous singer.
favourite	Liked more than all the others.Blue is my favourite colour.
February	The second month of the year.February is the shortest month.
forward	Towards the front.Take one step forward.
forwards	Towards the front.The car rolled forwards.
fruit	The sweet part of a plant that holds seeds, like an apple.Eat some fruit every day.
grammar	The rules for using words and sentences.We learnt grammar in English.
group	A number of people or things together.Work in a group of four.
guard	A person who keeps something safe.A guard stood at the castle gate.
guide	A person who shows the way.Our guide showed us the museum.
heard	Noticed a sound (in the past).I heard a knock at the door.
heart	The part inside your chest that pumps blood.My heart beats fast when I run.
height	How tall something is.Measure your height.
history	What happened in the past.We learn about the Romans in history.
imagine	To make a picture in your mind.Imagine you can fly.
increase	To get bigger or more.The price will increase next year.
important	Mattering a lot.It is important to be kind.
interest	Wanting to know more about something.I have an interest in space.
island	Land with water all around it.We sailed to an island.
knowledge	What you know and have learnt.She has a lot of knowledge about birds.
learn	To find out or get better at something.I want to learn to swim.
length	How long something is.Measure the length of the table.
library	A place with books you can borrow.I borrowed a book from the library.
material	What something is made from, or cloth.Wood is a strong material.
medicine	Something you take to get better when you are ill.Take your medicine after lunch.
mention	To speak about something briefly.Did she mention the party?
minute	Sixty seconds.Wait a minute!
natural	Made by nature, not by people.A forest is a natural habitat.
naughty	Badly behaved.The naughty puppy chewed my shoe.
notice	To see or become aware of something.Did you notice the rainbow?
occasion	A special event, or a particular time.A wedding is a special occasion.
occasionally	Sometimes, but not often.We occasionally eat out.
often	Many times.I often go swimming.
opposite	As different as possible, or facing each other.Hot is the opposite of cold.
ordinary	Normal; not special.It was an ordinary Tuesday.
particular	One special one, not any other.I want that particular book.
peculiar	Strange or unusual.There was a peculiar smell.
perhaps	Maybe.Perhaps it will snow tomorrow.
popular	Liked by many people.Football is a popular sport.
position	The place where something is.Put the chair in position.
possess	To own.Do you possess a library card?
possession	Something you own.My bike is my favourite possession.
possible	Able to happen.Is it possible to visit the moon?
potatoes	Vegetables that grow underground.We had mashed potatoes.
pressure	Pushing force, or a feeling of having to do something.Press with gentle pressure.
probably	Very likely.It will probably rain.
promise	Saying you will definitely do something.I made a promise to tidy my room.
purpose	The reason for doing something.The purpose of the trip is to learn.
quarter	One of four equal parts.I ate a quarter of the pizza.
question	Something you ask to find out an answer.Can I ask a question?
recent	Happening a short time ago.This is a recent photo.
regular	Happening at the same times, or normal.We have regular spelling tests.
reign	The time when a king or queen rules.The queen’s reign lasted seventy years.
remember	To keep something in your mind.Remember your PE kit.
sentence	A group of words that makes complete sense.Start a sentence with a capital letter.
separate	Apart; not together.Keep the paints in separate pots.
special	Different and better than usual.It is a special day.
straight	Not bent or curved.Draw a straight line.
strange	Unusual or surprising; not what you expect.We heard a strange noise in the night.
strength	How strong someone or something is.It takes strength to lift that box.
suppose	To think something is probably true.I suppose you are hungry.
surprise	Something you didn’t expect.We planned a surprise party.
therefore	So; because of that.It is raining, therefore we will stay in.
though	Even if; although.I went out, though it was raining.
although	Even though.Although it was raining, we played outside.
thought	An idea in your mind.I had a good thought.
through	From one side to the other.We walked through the forest.
various	Several different.We tried various games.
weight	How heavy something is.What is the weight of the parcel?
woman	A grown-up female person.The woman walked her dog.
women	More than one woman.The women sang together.

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 2 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.