Grade 2 Spelling word list

See vowel word list for vowel spelling words

Short vowel /e/ with ea spelling Short vowel /i/ with y spelling Short vowel /u/ with o_e spelling

head symbol some

bread oxygen come
death gym done
stealth mystery glove
instead physical become
wealthy syrup undone
steady lyric income
healthy myth welcome

Common initial triple blends: spr, scr, str, spl, squ

spring splash sprinkle

sprite splice sprawling
sprang split scrimping
spruce splat scrabble
scream squash scribble
scram squeal scraping
screech squeak splashing
screen squat presplit
scroll squid squander
scrap square squiggle
strong squawk squabbling
stride spritely scrambling
stream spreading squishiness
string spraying restringing
strobe scramble respraying

Diagraphs with blends shr, thr

shrub shrimp threaten

shrug shrink thriving
shred threat shrugging
shroud thrive threadbare
three throb throughout
thread thrum shrubbery
through shrouded threatening

Soft c – c which makes a /s/ sound. c makes a /s/ sound before vowels e, i, y

cent receive receipt

city ceiling percentage
recite recede translucent
decent percent incentive
cycle cyclic bicycle
Soft g and hard g – SOMETIMES when g is followed by vowels e, y, i it makes a /j/ sounds. It does not
have a “friend letter” like c does (letter k) to make the hard sound so it can say either the hard or
soft sound (soft – gentle, gym, aging: hard – get, given, muggy)

get gym giving gypsy

give gig giddy gender
gills gent together geriatric
gift gem ginger ingested

Common spelling for common irregular plural nouns using ves to replace f at the end (elf-elves, half-
halves, leaf-leaves, calf-calves, life-lives, shelf-shelves, roof-rooves) NOT an always rule (reef-reefs,
giraffe-giraffes, cuff-cuffs)

elf-elves
self-selves
half-halves
leaf-leaves
calf-calves
life-lives
roof-rooves
shelf-shelves

The -ve rule: no word derived from English ends in v. It is always followed by the letter e. (have,
native, give, dove, octave)

have above talkative

give octave captive
dove olive expensive
love native cohesive
give motive combative
shove pensive informative
live beloved apprehensive

/s/ sound at the end when it is not a plural or simple verb with the following rules

o double s after a short vowel or a making /ar/ (floss, brass, progress)

o se, ce after a long vowel and/or vowel diagraph (house, mice)

floss price grasses

brass twice concise
grass moose enforce
house excuse precisely
mouse choice impressive
mice voice depressing

 suffix ing
 suffix ed, understanding that it can make a /t/, /d/ or /ⱷd/ sound.
  suffix er (teach in conjunction with comparatives/noun descriptors and discuss comparative
er words where er is added to an adjective (better, nicer, quieter) and noun er words
including words where er is added to a verb to describe ‘what’ someone ‘is’ according to
their actions (teacher, writer, singer)
 use the following rules to spell words ending with above suffixes:
o double the consonant after a short vowel (sitting, digger, nodded)
o on words that end with e, remove the e before adding the suffix (racer, driving,
traced)

sitting danced nicer driver

digging pasted damper camper
standing closed cooler rapper
speeding patted better dipper
excluding wanted simpler teacher
subtracting elevated quieter informer
exploring excavated stronger comforter
formulating refrigerated brighter whisperer

Suffix ly (teach with adverbs)

firstly suddenly importantly

strongly hopefully generally
simply secondly consistently
loudly thoroughly confidently
calmly carefully responsibly
neatly helpfully flamboyantly

Suffix le. Know that:

o single consonants double after a short vowel before le (shuffle, wriggle, apple,
paddle)
o single consonants stay single after long vowels (beetle, stable, bible, enable)
o ck is used after a short vowel before le (tickle, buckle, freckle)
o c is used before le after a long vowel (treacle, cycle)
o k is used after a consonant before le (tinkle, sprinkle, ankle)

shuffle bible cycle

wriggle enable tinkle
apple trickle sprinkle
paddle buckle ankle
beetle freckle responsible
stable treacle incredible
Use the following rules to spell words ending with ly, er, ed

o words that end with y, change the y to i before adding suffix (happily, angrier,
carried)

carry-carried angry-angrier merry-merrily

hurry-hurried dirty-dirtier easy-easily
worry-worried silly-sillier noisy-noisily
marry-married funny-funnier cosy-cosily
scurry-scurried choppy-choppier cheeky-cheekily
fancy-fancied muddy-muddier happy-happily

Prefixes re, un

retry unwanted respectfully

redo unsorted responsible
undo unsteady uncertainty
undone reported unfortunate
reply responding recyclable
resort unthoughtful unreciprocated

Read and spell simple homophones and relate to meaning

pair – pear plain – plane right – write

meet – meat buy – by sail – sale
here – hear eye – I tail – tale
hour – our be – bee sea – see
knows – nose know – no steel – steal
mail – male been – bean to – two