Year 5 & 6 Spelling Words
The Year 5 and 6 statutory word list is used in KS2 SATs and 11+ tests. Children are expected to spell all 100 words correctly by the end of primary school - words like accommodate, conscience, mischievous, pronunciation, and rhythm.
Many of these words come from Latin and French roots. Understanding their origins helps children remember tricky patterns - for example, words ending in -ious, -ation, or -ible.
The full Year 5 & 6 word list
Statutory word list · National Curriculum (England)
- accommodate
- accompany
- according
- achieve
- aggressive
- amateur
- ancient
- apparent
- appreciate
- attached
- available
- average
- awkward
- bargain
- bruise
- category
- cemetery
- committee
- communicate
- community
- competition
- conscience
- conscious
- controversy
- convenience
- correspond
- criticise
- curiosity
- definite
- desperate
- determined
- develop
- dictionary
- disastrous
- embarrass
- environment
- equip
- equipped
- equipment
- especially
- exaggerate
- excellent
- existence
- explanation
- familiar
- foreign
- forty
- frequently
- government
- guarantee
- harass
- hindrance
- identity
- immediate
- immediately
- individual
- interfere
- interrupt
- language
- leisure
- lightning
- marvellous
- mischievous
- muscle
- necessary
- neighbour
- nuisance
- occupy
- occur
- opportunity
- parliament
- persuade
- physical
- prejudice
- privilege
- profession
- programme
- pronunciation
- queue
- recognise
- recommend
- relevant
- restaurant
- rhyme
- rhythm
- sacrifice
- secretary
- shoulder
- signature
- sincere
- sincerely
- soldier
- stomach
- sufficient
- suggest
- symbol
- system
- temperature
- thorough
- twelfth
- variety
- vegetable
- vehicle
- yacht
Source: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study, Department for Education.
The Year 5 & 6 words children miss most
These are the words from this list that children get wrong most often when they practise on Spelling.Live, with the mistake they usually make and a way to remember the right spelling.
| Word | Missed | Common mistake | How to remember it |
|---|---|---|---|
| necessary | 58% | necessery, necesary | One collar, two sleeves: one c, two s. It ends -ary. |
| immediately | 55% | immediatley | immediate + ly: keep the e, then add ly. |
| relevant | 53% | relevent | It ends -ant, not -ent. |
| government | 48% | governmant | govern + ment: don't drop the n you barely hear. |
| recommend | 47% | - | re + commend: one c, two m. |
| privilege | 41% | privilage | No d, and it ends -ege: privi-lege. |
| definite | 40% | definate | There's "finite" inside it: de-finite. |
| achieve | 36% | acheive | i before e after the h: ach-ie-ve. |
| interrupt | 35% | interupt | inter + rupt: that's where the double r comes from. |
| embarrass | 34% | embarass, embarras | Two r and two s: really red, so shy. |
"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 5 & 6 sheet - the full statutory list, 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. Ideal for SATs and 11+ revision.
🖨️ 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
The statutory list is built into Spelling.Live as ready-made KS2 lists, so there's no typing. Your child hears each word, writes it, and gets instant feedback - and tricky words come back automatically until they're secure for SATs and 11+.
- Open your child's profile and tap Word Lists.
- Tap Browse Preset Lists and choose the KS2 tab.
- Add Year 5/6 - Everyday Words (or Challenge Words) and start practising.
New: Paper practice
Set a written spelling test on paper, then snap a photo of the marked sheet. Spelling.Live reads the ticks and crosses, records which words were right, and feeds the misspelled ones back into practice automatically - it can even score handwriting and letter formation. All the benefit of writing by hand, 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 5/6 statutory spellings 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 5 & 6 spelling: common questions
How many words are on the Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling list?
About 100. The National Curriculum lists them in English Appendix 1, and children are expected to spell them by the end of Year 6.
Are these words in the KS2 SATs?
The KS2 grammar, punctuation and spelling test includes a spelling paper where children write 20 dictated words. It can test any KS2 spelling, and the statutory list is a common source.
Which Year 5 and 6 words do children find hardest?
In practice on Spelling.Live, necessary, immediately and relevant are missed most often, each by more than half of the children who practised them. The common mistakes are in the table above.
Do these words help with the 11+?
Yes. Many 11+ papers test spelling directly or through proofreading questions, and these words appear often. Practise writing them from dictation, not just reading them.
Can I print the Year 5 and 6 list?
Yes. The free printable sheet above has the full list, 10 words a page, for look, cover, write, check.
A ready-made weekly plan practises them - handwriting, word games, paper practice, and instant feedback - plus an 11+ test mode. All aligned to the National Curriculum, free to start.
Start practising freeMore National Curriculum lists: Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 & 4 · Year 4 & 5 Read more: KS2 spelling lists guide · Paper practice explained Browse all free spelling resources →