Fourth Grade Spelling List

Our fourth-grader is a poor speller. Her scores on achievement tests put her in the above-average range in other areas (reading, math). It has been suggested by her teacher that this could be caused by a learning disability. Is this possible? What words should she be able to spell at this level? -- No Speller
Answer: It is always possible that a learning disability is a reason for your daughter's spelling difficulties. What you need to look for are behaviors that have persisted over a period of time to see if your child actually has symptoms of a possible learning disability.
At this age, the Learning Disabilities Association of America (www.ldanatl.org) suggests looking for the confusion of basic words ("run," "eat," "want") and consistent reading and spelling errors, including letter reversals ("b"/"d,") inversions ("m"/"w"), transpositions ("felt"/"left") and substitutions ("house"/"home"), as well as trouble connecting letters and sounds as possible signs of learning disabilities.
Here is a list of the basic words that fourth-graders need to know how to spell correctly. It was created by Steven Graham, Karen R. Harris and Connie Loynachan (2008). It is reprinted by permission of Reading Rockets. Asterisks after words indicate that children have difficulty spelling these words.
across
against
answer*
awhile*
between
board
bottom
breakfast
broken
build
building
built
captain*
carried
caught*
charge*
chicken
circus
cities
clothes*
company
couldn't*
country
discover
doctor*
doesn't
dollar
during
eighth*
else
enjoy
enough
everybody*
example
except
excuse
field*
fifth
finish
following
good-bye*
group
happened*
harden
haven't*
heavy
held
hospital*
idea
instead*
known
laugh
middle
minute
mountain
ninth
ocean
office
parent
peanut
pencil
picnic
police
pretty*
prize
quite*
radio
raise
really*
reason
remember*
return
Saturday*
scare
second
since
slowly
stories
student
sudden
suit
sure*
swimming*
though
threw*
tired
together*
tomorrow*
toward
tried*
trouble
truly*
turtle
until*
village
visit
wear
we'll
whole*
whose
women
wouldn't*
writing*
written
wrote
yell
young
** *