If your child is in Year 1 or Year 2, one of the most important things they will learn in school is a set of words the National Curriculum calls common exception words — words that don't follow the usual phonics rules and simply have to be memorised.
spelling.live now includes four ready-made KS1 lists so you can start practising these words at home in seconds, with no typing needed.
What are common exception words?
When children learn to read and spell, they start by learning phonics — the sounds that letters and combinations of letters make. Most English words follow these rules, but a significant number don't. Words like come, said, love, and where contain sounds that phonics alone can't predict.
These are called common exception words (sometimes called "tricky words" in school). The National Curriculum specifies which words Year 1 and Year 2 children are expected to be able to read and spell by the end of each year. Getting these words secure early gives children a real advantage — they appear constantly in reading and writing, so fluent recall frees up mental energy for everything else.
The four KS1 lists
- Year 1 — Common Words: The most frequent exception words that appear in almost every piece of writing — the, a, said, were, they, and others your child will see on every page of every book.
- Year 1 — Tricky Words: The words that tend to trip children up most — love, come, friend, school, once — where the spelling feels particularly surprising.
- Year 2 — Everyday Words: Words that become central to writing in Year 2 — because, beautiful, every, people, water — slightly more complex but just as common.
- Year 2 — Tricky Spellings: The trickiest Year 2 words — great, could, should, would, clothes, Christmas — that children often mis-spell well into KS2.
Each list has 15 words — enough for a focused practice session without overwhelming a young learner.
Source: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study, Department for Education.
How to add a KS1 list to your child
- Open your child's profile and tap Word Lists.
- Tap Browse Preset Lists.
- Select the KS1 tab.
- Choose a list and tap Add to [child's name].
The list is ready to practise straight away.
Tips for practising with young children
Common exception words need to be memorised, not sounded out — so the best practice methods are ones that build visual and motor memory rather than phonics strategies.
Little and often works best. Two or three minutes of spelling practice every day is more effective than one longer session per week. At KS1 age, short attention spans mean short sessions are often all you'll get anyway — use them well.
Say it, spell it, write it. For each word, ask your child to say the word aloud, then spell it letter by letter, then write it without looking. The handwriting step is important: forming letters by hand builds muscle memory in a way that typing doesn't.
spelling.live's handwriting mode is ideal for common exception words — your child hears the word, writes it by hand on screen, and gets instant feedback. It's the digital version of the classic look, cover, write, check method.
Don't try to explain why. Common exception words are exceptions precisely because they don't follow the rules. Trying to give phonics explanations for said or love can confuse young children. It's fine to say "this word is one we just have to remember — let's practise it until it sticks."
Start with Year 1 — Common Words
If you're not sure where to start, begin with the Year 1 — Common Words list. These are the highest-frequency words in English — the, a, was, they, you — and getting them secure pays off immediately in your child's reading and writing.
Once your child knows those confidently, move to Year 1 — Tricky Words, then Year 2. There's no rush. Solid foundations matter far more than speed.
A word is "secure" when your child can spell it correctly, quickly, and without thinking about it. If they have to pause and work it out, keep practising. Aim for three correct sessions in a row before moving on.
Hiding lists your child has mastered
As your child works through the lists, use the hide feature to keep things tidy. Once a list is fully secure, untick the visibility checkbox next to the list title in Word Lists. The list is saved but hidden from the practice screen, so your child sees only what they're currently working on.
You can unhide any list later — useful for a quick revision run before school assessments or spelling tests.
Going beyond the preset lists
If your child's teacher sends home different words, or your child needs extra practice on a specific area, tap Create New List and type the words in — or photograph the homework sheet and the app will read the words for you.
You can also ask an AI assistant like Claude (claude.ai) or Microsoft Copilot to suggest words. Try a prompt like "Give me 15 common exception words for a Year 2 child to practise" and paste the response straight into spelling.live.
KS1 preset lists and custom lists work alongside each other, so you can always mix school words with National Curriculum practice.