Year 1 Spelling Words
Year 1 children learn common exception words as part of the National Curriculum - words that don't follow standard phonics rules and must be learned by heart, such as the, said, come, were, and there.
Regular short practice sessions - five minutes, three or four times a week - are far more effective than a long session the night before a test.
The full Year 1 word list
Common exception words · National Curriculum (England)
- the
- a
- do
- to
- today
- of
- said
- says
- are
- were
- was
- is
- his
- has
- I
- you
- your
- they
- be
- he
- me
- she
- we
- no
- go
- so
- by
- my
- here
- there
- where
- love
- come
- some
- one
- once
- ask
- friend
- school
- put
- push
- pull
- full
- house
- our
Source: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study, Department for Education.
The Year 1 words children miss most
Most Year 1 common exception words are short, so children get them right most of the time. These are the ones that trip them up most often on Spelling.Live, with a way to remember each.
| Word | Missed | Common mistake | How to remember it |
|---|---|---|---|
| here | 14% | - | Here and there both end in ere. "Here" has "her" hiding inside it. |
| says | 11% | - | say + s. It sounds like "sez", but it keeps the ay from say. |
| school | 11% | - | The ch makes a /k/ sound, and there are two o's in the middle. |
| where | 10% | - | Where, there and here all end in ere; where starts with wh, like what and when. |
| there | 9% | - | There has "here" inside it: t + here, a place word. |
"Missed" is the share of practice attempts that were wrong, across children practising on Spelling.Live (April to September 2026). Only words practised by at least 10 children are shown, and a common mistake is only listed when at least 3 different children made it. Games are not counted.
📥 Free printable paper-practice sheet
Download a clean, ready-to-print Year 1 sheet (10 words a page) built for look, cover, write, check. Your child writes each word, then you snap a photo in the Spelling.Live app - Paper practice reads the sheet, marks it, and brings tricky words back automatically.
🖨️ Open printable sheet (PDF)Opens a print-ready page - choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog to keep a copy, or send it straight to your printer.
Practise the whole list on the app
Year 1 is built in as a ready-made list on Spelling.Live, so there's no typing. Your child hears each word, writes it by hand on screen, and gets instant, gentle feedback.
- Open your child's profile and tap Word Lists.
- Tap Browse Preset Lists and choose the KS1 tab.
- Add Year 1 - Common Words (or Tricky Words) and start practising.
New: Paper practice
Prefer pen and paper? Let your child do the worksheet by hand, then snap a photo of the finished sheet. Spelling.Live reads the ticks and crosses, records which words were right, and feeds the misspelled ones back into practice automatically - and it can even check letter formation. The best of paper and screen, with AI-assisted marking.
For teachers: run this list with your class
Schools are using Spelling.Live for short whole-class sessions on school devices, small-group spelling interventions and early years handwriting practice. Assign the Year 1 common exception words to a class, pupils sign in with a printed label, and every answer is marked and reported for you - no marking, and you see which words and spelling rules are catching the class out.
See how schools are using it - and pilot it free with one class for six weeks.
Year 1 spelling: common questions
How many words are on the Year 1 spelling list?
The National Curriculum lists about 45 common exception words for Year 1, such as the, said, was, you, they and friend. Children also learn to spell words using the phonics they have been taught.
Which Year 1 words do children find hardest?
On Spelling.Live, here, says, school, where and there are missed most often, by around 10 to 15% of practice attempts. The ere words are easy to mix up with each other.
What are common exception words?
Words that don't follow the phonics rules a child has learned so far, or use a spelling that is unusual for that sound, like the ai in said. They have to be learned by heart.
How long should a Year 1 child practise each day?
About five minutes. Short, daily practice with writing works far better than a long session before a test.
Can I print the Year 1 list?
Yes. The free printable sheet above has every word, 10 words a page, for look, cover, write, check.
A ready-made weekly plan practises them - handwriting, word games, paper practice, and instant feedback. All aligned to the National Curriculum, free to start.
Start practising freeMore National Curriculum lists: Reception · Year 2 · Year 3 & 4 · Year 4 & 5 · Year 5 & 6 Read more: KS1 common exception words guide · Paper practice explained Browse all free spelling resources →