Year 2 Spelling Words | Free Word List Download

Proper spelling plays a crucial role in shaping children’s literacy and communication abilities. The Australian Curriculum guides Year 2 students to consolidate their spelling abilities from Year 1, and expand their vocabulary intuitively.

In this guide, we discuss what’s expected of Year 2 students, the types of words targeted at this year level, and the benefits of using spelling word lists to refine students’ skills and vocabulary.

Download our Free Year 2 Spelling Word List

For the complete Spelling List, download and print this free resource to help ensure your child’s spelling skills are at the right level.

In the meantime, let’s delve into how spelling word lists help develop students’ vocabulary and literacy!

Types of Year 2 level spelling words

Some of the types of words that Year 2 students should be using are:

• High-frequency and less common words whose phonetics may not obviously reveal how they are spelt. For example, consider the silent letter in the words “numb” or “knife”.
• Long vowel patterns or digraphs, or when two vowels together elongate the sound of the first letter. For example, the letters “eo” in “people”.
• Longer compound words that can be spelt by knowing the smaller words which combine to make it. For example, consider the words “bedroom” or “doorbell”.

One of the best ways to expand your child’s spelling skills is by exposing them to a range of new words. Spelling word lists are a great form of practice!

The role of spelling word lists: Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check

Spelling word lists facilitate a powerful learning method known as “Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check”. Here’s how it works:

1. Look: Get your child to look at how the word is spelt, the arrangement of its letters and what it looks like.
2. Say: Have your child pronounce the word. This part will help them draw connections between different spelling patterns and how they sound.
3. Cover: Ensure the word is fully covered by your hand or a piece of paper so that your child is unable to see it.
4. Write: Your child must now try their best to write the word out from memory. No peeking allowed!
5. Check: After an attempt at spelling the word on their own, check and see if they have spelled the word correctly. Note down any errors, discuss why the mistake may have been made and recall any similar words they may have come across before.

Not only do word lists progress your child’s literacy through memory; they also teach your child to recognise similar words and spelling patterns. They’re a great way to introduce words gradually so not to overwhelm students, and boost their confidence as they spell out words independently.

Break down our Free Word List into smaller lists that you can go through together weekly!

Bonus tips:

• Use spelling tests as the next step to deepen your child’s knowledge and commit words to their long-term memory! Say the words in the same order they were learnt or mix it up to increase difficulty.
• Create sentences or short stories with the new words you have learnt together! This can help your child to remember what they mean and when to use them.