Spelling words · 5th grade
5th grade Spelling Words
8 lists covering Greek and Latin roots, -able/-ible and the words adults misspell. Every list plays as a game.
5th grade spelling word lists
| List | Words | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| -able and -ible | comfortable, valuable, enjoyable, reasonable, breakable, possible, terrible, visible, horrible, incredible, responsible, flexible | If the base is a whole word (comfort), it's usually -able. If not (vis), usually -ible. |
| -ance and -ence | importance, distance, balance, appearance, difference, silence, confidence, patience, evidence, audience, entrance, absence | Match the -ant/-ent word: important → importance, different → difference. |
| Greek roots: graph, phon, tele, auto | photograph, autograph, paragraph, telephone, microphone, symphony, television, telescope, automatic, autobiography, geography, phonics | ph says f in Greek words. Spot the root and the rest falls into place. |
| Latin roots: port, rupt, struct, spect | transport, export, portable, interrupt, erupt, disrupt, construct, instruct, structure, inspect, respect, spectator | Underline the root, then add the prefix and suffix around it. |
| Hidden vowels | chocolate, different, family, favorite, separate, interesting, library, February, Wednesday, vegetable, restaurant, business | Say it the 'spelling way' to hear the hidden vowel: choc-o-late. |
| Commonly misspelled words | necessary, because, beautiful, definitely, government, environment, rhythm, surprise, calendar, tomorrow, beginning, occasion | These trip up adults too. Find the tricky part and over-practise it. |
| -cian, -tian, -ssion | musician, magician, electrician, politician, optician, Egyptian, Martian, discussion, permission, profession, admission, expression | -cian is for people's jobs (musician). -ssion follows ss words (discuss → discussion). |
| Silent letters, harder | island, castle, listen, often, honest, hour, rhyme, ghost, answer, column, autumn, doubt | Each word hides a letter you don't hear. Say it 'spelling style' to remember. |
What 5th grade spelling covers
Fifth grade spelling leans on meaning: Greek and Latin roots (graph, port, struct), suffix pairs like -able/-ible and -ance/-ence, and hidden vowels in words like separate and chocolate.
How to learn 5th grade spelling words
Transportation is trans + port + ation. Spot port (carry) and the rest falls into place, along with export, portable and import.
Pronounce the hidden vowels out loud: choc-o-late, sep-A-rate, Wed-nes-day. Silly, but it works.
Important → importance, different → difference. The -ant/-ent word tells you -ance/-ence.
Play the 5th grade spelling game
A spelling list sticks when kids pull each word out of memory again and again. The game does that sixty times in ten minutes, and nobody calls it homework.
Every word comes from the 5th grade lists
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Quick quiz: which spelling is right?
5th grade spelling FAQ
What age is 5th grade spelling for?
Ages 10–11, usually 5th grade (Year 6 in the UK).
How many spelling words should a 5th grader learn a week?
Usually 12 to 20 words, built around one or two patterns plus a few tricky words.
What are good 5th grade spelling bee words?
Start with the hardest list above (Silent letters, harder), then move to the next grade's lists. Spelling bee success is mostly patterns plus the oddballs learned by heart.
Is the spelling game really free?
Yes. The whole game plays free in your browser, with no signup, no ads and no time limit. The Spellcove app is the paid version for iPhone and iPad. It adds every word read aloud, offline play and a parent progress view.
Take the cove with you
The Spellcove app has everything you can play here, plus the parts that need a real app: every word read aloud so kids can practice alone, offline play for car rides, a parent view of which words have stuck, and the full treasure collection.
Coming soon on theApp Store