Year 5 & 6 Statutory Spellings: Full Word List, Rules & SATs Tips
Statutory word list · Spelling rules · Homophones · SATs SPaG practice · Last updated: July 2026
Written by the KwizEd team and reviewed against the KS2 National Curriculum.
The Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling list is a set of 100 words that the National Curriculum requires every pupil in England to learn to spell by the end of Year 6, covering words like accommodate, necessary and rhythm. These words, plus the spelling rules and homophones taught alongside them, are directly tested in the Year 6 SPaG test.
National Curriculum requirement
The Year 5/6 word list is set out in English Appendix 1: Spelling of the National Curriculum for England. Unlike the example words for Years 1–4, the Years 5 and 6 word list is fully statutory — meaning every word on it must be taught.
The word-lists for years 3 and 4 and years 5 and 6 are statutory. The lists are a mixture of words pupils frequently use in their writing and those which they often misspell.View the full National Curriculum: English programme of study on gov.uk →
Why the Year 5/6 word list matters for SATs
The KS2 SPaG test includes a spelling paper in which 20 words are read aloud from a transcript, and a meaningful share of these come directly from — or follow the same patterns as — the statutory Year 5/6 list. Pupils commonly lose marks on three types of word: homophones such as there/their/they're; words with tricky suffixes such as referring or available; and specific list words such as accommodate, parliament and rhythm. Regular, spaced practice with the full list — rather than last-minute cramming — is what makes these patterns automatic.
Key spelling rules tested at Years 5–6
Beyond the word list itself, the National Curriculum sets out specific spelling patterns pupils must learn to apply. These rules generate many of the "tricky" words on the statutory list.
| Rule | Guidance | Example words |
|---|---|---|
| Endings sounding like /ʃəs/, spelt -cious or -tious | If the root word ends in -ce, the /ʃ/ sound is usually spelt as c | vicious, precious, conscious, ambitious, cautious |
| Endings sounding like /ʃəl/, spelt -cial or -tial | -cial is common after a vowel letter, -tial after a consonant letter | official, special, artificial, partial, confidential |
| Words ending -ant/-ance/-ancy vs -ent/-ence/-ency | Use -ant forms if there's a related word with a clear /æ/ sound; use -ent forms after soft c, soft g or qu | observant/observance, innocent/innocence |
| Words ending -able/-ably vs -ible/-ibly | -able endings are far more common; use if a complete root word can be heard before the ending | dependable, reasonable, possible, horrible |
| The /iː/ sound spelt ei after c | "i before e, except after c" applies here. Exceptions: protein, caffeine, seize | deceive, conceive, receive, perceive, ceiling |
| Words containing the letter-string ough | One of the trickiest spellings in English — it spells several different sounds | thought, through, though, cough, rough, bought |
| Words with 'silent' letters | Letters no longer pronounced today, but once were, hundreds of years ago | doubt, island, lamb, solemn, thistle, knight |
Homophones and words often confused (Years 5–6)
The National Curriculum specifically requires Year 5–6 pupils to distinguish these commonly confused word pairs, several of which appear regularly in the SPaG test.
| Word pair | Difference |
|---|---|
| practice / practise | Practice is the noun (football practice); practise is the verb (to practise football) |
| affect / effect | Affect is usually a verb (the weather may affect our plans); effect is usually a noun (it may have an effect) |
| stationary / stationery | Stationary means not moving; stationery means paper and pens |
| principal / principle | Principal means most important, or a school's head; principle means a basic truth or belief |
| past / passed | Past refers to a previous time; passed is the past tense of the verb "to pass" |
| who's / whose | Who's is short for "who is" or "who has"; whose shows belonging |
| morning / mourning | Morning is before noon; mourning means grieving for someone who has died |
| desert / dessert | Desert is a barren place (or to abandon); dessert is a sweet course after a meal |
Common Year 5–6 spelling mistakes
| ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| accomodate | accommodate | Double c and double m — one of the most frequently misspelled list words |
| definately | definite | No "a" in the middle — comes from "finite," not "definate" |
| recieve | receive | "i before e except after c" — the c comes first, so e comes before i |
| goverment | government | Don't drop the n before -ment |
| Its raining. (possessive instead of contraction) | It's raining. | It's is only ever short for "it is" or "it has" — never possessive |
The full Year 5 and 6 statutory word list
All 100 words from National Curriculum English Appendix 1 that Year 5 and Year 6 pupils are statutorily required to learn to spell.
- 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
- especially
- exaggerate
- excellent
- existence
- explanation
- familiar
- foreign
- forty
- frequently
- government
- guarantee
- harass
- hindrance
- identity
- 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
- sincerely
- soldier
- stomach
- sufficient
- suggest
- symbol
- system
- temperature
- thorough
- twelfth
- variety
- vegetable
- vehicle
- yacht
📝 Practise it yourself — the "Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check" method
- Look closely at the word above, noting any tricky letter patterns (double letters, silent letters, unusual endings).
- Say the word aloud, breaking it into syllables if it helps (e.g. ac-com-mo-date).
- Cover the word so you can't see it.
- Write the word from memory, then write a full sentence using it correctly.
- Check your spelling against the list above, and against the sentence for correct meaning and context.
Interactive KS2 Spelling Quiz — Free Practice
Test knowledge of the Year 5/6 statutory word list with this free KS2 interactive practice quiz. Pupils spell list words in context, apply the key spelling rules above, and identify commonly confused homophones — with instant feedback on every answer. No login required to play.
This quiz samples 20 words from the Year 5/6 statutory list, testing the key spelling rules and homophones covered above, key spelling rules, and commonly confused homophones — key objectives in the KS2 National Curriculum for English tested in the SPaG paper. Register free to save your score, track progress, and access the full KwizEd question bank.
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Statutory word list | A list of words the National Curriculum requires every pupil to be taught to spell — not optional example words |
| Homophone | A word that sounds the same as another but has a different spelling and meaning, e.g. there/their/they're |
| Suffix | A group of letters added to the end of a root word to change its meaning or grammar, e.g. -ment, -able |
| Root word | The base form of a word before prefixes or suffixes are added, e.g. "occur" in "occurred" |
| SPaG | Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar — the KS2 national test sat by Year 6 pupils in England each May |
| Etymology | The origin and history of a word, often used at Years 5–6 to explain unusual spellings |
| Silent letter | A letter written in a word but not pronounced, e.g. the "b" in doubt |
| Contraction | A shortened form of two words with an apostrophe marking missing letters, e.g. it's for "it is" |
Related topics
Frequently asked questions
What is the Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling list?
It's a list of 100 words set out in National Curriculum English Appendix 1 that every pupil in England must be taught to spell by the end of Year 6, including words like accommodate, necessary and parliament.
Is the Year 5/6 spelling list actually tested in the SATs?
Yes. The KS2 SPaG test includes a dedicated spelling paper of 20 words, and many of these are drawn from, or follow the same patterns as, the statutory Year 5/6 word list.
What's the difference between the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 word lists?
Both lists are statutory, but the Year 5/6 list introduces longer, more etymologically complex words and rules — such as endings like -cious/-tious and -cial/-tial — building on the shorter, more phonetically regular words taught in Years 3 and 4.
What is the "Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check" method?
It's a five-step spelling practice technique: look at the word, say it aloud, cover it, write it from memory, then check it against the original — a method recommended for learning statutory spelling words at home.
Why do children confuse homophones like affect and effect?
Homophones sound identical but have different spellings and meanings, so children often rely on how a word sounds rather than its grammatical role — affect is usually a verb and effect is usually a noun, which is the quickest way to tell them apart.
How many words are on the Year 5/6 statutory list?
Exactly 100 words, as set out in National Curriculum English Appendix 1.
What are the most commonly misspelled words on the list?
Accommodate, necessary, definite, government and rhythm are among the most frequently misspelled, often due to double letters, silent letters, or unusual vowel patterns.
How can I help my child learn these spellings at home?
Short, regular practice with a handful of words at a time works best, using the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check method and writing each word in a full sentence to reinforce its meaning, rather than memorising the list in isolation.
Ready to put this into practice?
Explore KwizEd's full library of curriculum-aligned KS2 English quizzes and games for Years 3–6, each mapped directly to National Curriculum Appendix 1 and 2.
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