Framework for teaching English: Years 7, 8 and 9
Appendix 3 Key Stage 3 spelling lists
General spelling list
The following list of spellings was compiled by a number of secondary schools who all identified the following words as common errors among this age group.
The list is not intended for blanket teaching, because most pupils will know how to spell most of the words, but it is recommended that early in Year 7, pupils should be helped to learn those spellings about which they still are uncertain.
accommodation conclusion explanation actually conscience February alcohol conscious fierce although consequence forty analyse/analysis continuous fulfil argument creation furthermore assessment daughter guard atmosphere decide/decision happened audible definite health audience design height autumn development imaginary beautiful diamond improvise beginning diary industrial believe disappear interesting beneath disappoint interrupt buried embarrass issue business energy jealous caught engagement knowledge chocolate enquire listening climb environment lonely column evaluation lovely concentration evidence marriage
material potential sincerely meanwhile preparation skilful miscellaneous prioritise soldier mischief process stomach modern proportion straight moreover proposition strategy murmur questionnaire strength necessary queue success nervous reaction surely original receive surprise outrageous reference survey parallel relief technique participation remember technology pattern research texture peaceful resources tomorrow people safety unfortunately performance Saturday Wednesday permanent secondary weight persuade/persuasion separate weird physical sequence women possession shoulder
Common homophones and confusions
advise/advice | choose/chose | quiet/quite |
a lot of | cloth/clothe | sites/sights |
affect/effect | conscience/conscious | source/sauce |
allowed/aloud | course/coarse | thank you |
bought/brought | our/are | threw/through |
braking/breaking | practise/practice | to/too/two |
Subject spelling lists
These lists of subject spellings were compiled by a number of secondary school departments. They identified the words listed as being words that were often needed and often incorrectly spelt. Schools may use these suggestions as the basis for local lists suitable for their own topics and needs. The list is not intended for blanket teaching, because all pupils will know how to spell some of the words. However, it is recommended that pupils should be helped to learn those spellings about which they are uncertain.
Art | ||
abstract | easel | kiln |
acrylic | exhibition | landscape |
charcoal | foreground | palette |
collage | frieze | pastel |
collection | gallery | perspective |
colour | highlight | portrait |
crosshatch | illusion | sketch |
dimension | impasto | spectrum |
display | ||
D and T | ||
aesthetic | hygiene | presentation |
brief | ingredient | production |
carbohydrate | innovation | protein |
component | knife/knives | recipe |
design | linen | sew |
diet | machine | specification |
disassemble | manufacture | technology |
evaluation | mineral | tension |
fabric | natural | textile |
fibre | nutrition | vitamin |
flour | polyester | |
flowchart | portfolio | |
English | ||
advertise/advertisement | figurative | preposition |
alliteration | genre | resolution |
apostrophe | grammar | rhyme |
atmosphere | imagery | scene |
chorus | metaphor | simile |
clause | myth | soliloquy |
cliché | narrative/narrator | subordinate |
comma | onomatopoeia | suffix |
comparison | pamphlet | synonym |
conjunction | paragraph | tabloid |
consonant | personification | vocabulary |
dialogue | playwright | vowel |
exclamation | plural | |
expression | prefix | |
Geography | ||
abroad | function | poverty |
amenity | globe | provision |
atlas | habitat | region/regional |
authority | infrastructure | rural |
climate | international | settlement |
contour | landscape | situation |
country | latitude | tourist/tourism |
county | location | transport/transportation |
desert | longitude | urban |
employment | nation/national | wealth |
erosion | physical | weather |
estuary | pollution | |
History | ||
agriculture/agricultural | defence | politics/political |
bias | disease | priest |
castle | document | propaganda |
cathedral | dynasty | Protestant |
Catholic | economy/economic(al) | rebel/rebellion |
chronology/chronological | emigration | reign |
citizen | government | religious |
civilisation | immigrant | republic |
colony/colonisation | imperial/imperialism | revolt/revolution |
conflict | independence | siege |
constitution/constitutional | invasion | source |
contradict/contradiction | motive | trade |
current | parliament | traitor |
ICT | ||
binary | hardware | network |
byte | icon | output |
cable | input | password |
cartridge | interactive | preview |
CD-ROM | interface | processor |
computer | Internet | program |
connect/connection | justify | scanner |
cursor | keyboard | sensor |
data/database | megabyte | server |
delete | memory | software |
disk | modem | spreadsheet |
document | module | virus |
electronic | monitor | |
graphic | multimedia | |
Library | ||
alphabet/alphabetical | encyclopaedia | novel |
anthology | extract | photocopy |
article | fantasy | publisher |
author | genre | relevant/relevance |
catalogue | glossary | romance |
classification | index | section |
content | irrelevant/irrelevance | series |
copyright | librarian | system |
dictionary | magazine | thesaurus |
editor | non-fiction | |
Mathematics | ||
addition | estimate | positive |
adjacent | equation | quadrilateral |
alternate | fraction | questionnaire |
angle | graph | radius |
amount | guess | ratio |
approximately | horizontal | recurring |
average | isosceles | reflect/reflection |
axis/axes | kilogram | regular/irregular |
calculate | kilometre | rhombus |
centimetre | litre | rotate/rotation |
circumference | measure | square |
corresponding | metre | subtraction |
co-ordinate | minus | symmetry/symmetrical |
decimal | multiply/multiplication | triangle/triangular |
degree | parallel/parallelogram | tonne |
denominator | negative | vertex/vertices |
diameter | numerator | vertical |
digit | percentage | volume |
divide/division | perimeter | weight |
equilateral | perpendicular | |
Music | ||
choir | minim | score |
chord | minor | semibreve |
chromatic | musician | synchronise |
composition/conductor | octave | syncopation |
crotchet | orchestra/orchestral | tempo |
dynamics | ostinato | ternary |
harmony | percussion | timbre |
instrument/instrumental | pitch | triad |
interval | quaver | vocal |
lyric | rhythm | |
major | scale | |
PE | ||
active/activity | injury | qualify |
agile/agility | league | relay |
athletic/athlete | medicine | squad |
bicep | mobile/mobility | tactic |
exercise | muscle | tournament |
field | personal | triceps |
gym/gymnastic | pitch | |
hamstring | quadriceps | |
PSHE | ||
able/ability | effort | reality |
achieve/achievement | emotion/emotional | relationship |
addict/addiction | encourage/encouragement | represent/representative |
approve/approval | gender | reward |
communication | generous/generosity | sanction |
control | involve/involvement | sexism/sexist |
dependant/dependency | prefer/preference | stereotype |
discipline | pressure | |
discussion | racism/racist | |
RE | ||
baptism | Hindu/Hinduism | prophet |
Bible/biblical | hymn | religious/religion |
Buddhist/Buddhism | immoral/immorality | shrine |
burial | Islam | sign |
celebrate/celebration | Israel | Sikh/Sikhism |
ceremony | Judaism/Jewish | special |
Christian | marriage | spirit/spiritual |
commandment | miracle | symbol |
commitment | moral/morality | synagogue |
creation | Muslim | temple |
disciple | parable | wedding |
faith | pilgrim/pilgrimage | worship |
festival | pray/prayer | |
funeral | prejudice | |
Science | ||
absorb | exchange | organism |
acid | freeze | oxygen |
alkaline | frequency | particles |
amphibian | friction | predator |
apparatus | function | pressure |
chemical | growth | reproduce |
circulate/circulation | hazard | respire/respiration |
combustion | insect | solution |
condensation | laboratory | temperature |
cycle | liquid | thermometer |
digest/digestion | mammal | vertebrate |
element | method | vessel |
evaporation | nutrient |