Spelling Words for 5th Graders

A complete list of spelling words for 5th graders — our 5th grade spelling words list pairs every word with a kid-friendly definition and example sentence, so children learn what each word means, not just how to spell it. These are the words a typical 5th grader covers across the school year, grouped into weekly sets you can print. Words are split into 5 sets of about 15 — assign one set a week. Each set has its own printables built from that set’s words: a word list (with definitions and example sentences), a word search, flashcards, and a fill-in-the-blank worksheet.

Greek and Latin roots

15 words
telephone
A device used to talk with faraway people by sound.
“I called my grandma on the telephone to wish her happy birthday.”
transport
To carry something from one place to another.
“Big trucks transport fresh food to grocery stores every morning.”
dictionary
A book that lists words and their meanings.
“I looked up the tricky spelling in my classroom dictionary.”
microscope
A tool that makes tiny things look much bigger.
“Under the microscope, the leaf cells looked like little green boxes.”
biography
A written story about a real person's life.
“I read a biography about the astronaut who walked on the moon.”
telescope
A tool for seeing distant objects like stars.
“We used a telescope to watch the bright rings around Saturn.”
photograph
A picture made using light and a camera.
“She framed a photograph of our whole family at the beach.”
autograph
A person's own signature written by hand.
“The baseball player gave me his autograph after the big game.”
thermometer
A tool that measures how hot or cold something is.
“The nurse used a thermometer to check my fever this morning.”
geography
The study of the earth's land, oceans, and places.
“In geography class we labeled the rivers and mountains on maps.”
submarine
A boat that travels underneath the water.
“The submarine dove deep below the waves to explore the ocean floor.”
predict
To say what will happen before it does.
“Scientists can predict rainy weather by watching the moving clouds.”
spectator
A person who watches an event or game.
“Every spectator cheered loudly when our team scored the winning goal.”
portable
Easy to carry or move around by hand.
“My portable radio fits inside my backpack for camping trips.”
visible
Able to be seen with your eyes.
“The bright full moon was clearly visible in the dark sky.”

Suffixes -able and -ible

15 words
comfortable
feeling relaxed and at ease
“The soft old couch was so comfortable that I fell asleep.”
valuable
worth a lot of money or importance
“Grandma's ring is valuable, so we keep it locked away.”
possible
able to happen or be done
“With hard work, it is possible to finish the race.”
terrible
very bad or awful
“The storm caused terrible damage to the whole town.”
responsible
in charge of doing something correctly
“You are responsible for feeding the dog every morning.”
enjoyable
giving pleasure or fun
“The class trip to the zoo was very enjoyable.”
reasonable
fair and sensible
“The price seemed reasonable, so we bought two tickets.”
washable
able to be cleaned with water
“These markers are washable, so stains come off easily.”
breakable
easily broken into pieces
“Pack the breakable dishes carefully in bubble wrap.”
laughable
so silly it makes you laugh
“His excuse for being late was completely laughable.”
flexible
able to bend without breaking
“The gymnast is flexible enough to touch her toes.”
sensible
showing good judgment and thinking
“Wearing a coat in winter is a sensible choice.”
horrible
causing fear or great dislike
“The rotten milk had a horrible smell.”
incredible
amazing and hard to believe
“The magician did an incredible trick with the cards.”
adorable
very cute and lovable
“The tiny puppy was so adorable everyone wanted to hold it.”

Silent letters

15 words
knuckle
A joint where your finger bends.
“She scraped her knuckle while climbing over the rough fence.”
wrestle
To grip and struggle against someone in a match.
“The two boys like to wrestle on the soft gym mats.”
thumb
The short, thick finger on your hand.
“He hurt his thumb while trying to hammer the nail.”
design
A plan or pattern for making something.
“She drew a colorful design for her new bedroom wall.”
knowledge
Facts and information you have learned.
“His knowledge of dinosaurs amazed everyone in the science class.”
knight
An armored soldier who served a king long ago.
“The brave knight rode his horse into the fierce battle.”
wrist
The joint connecting your hand to your arm.
“She wore a shiny watch around her left wrist.”
climb
To move upward using your hands and feet.
“We watched the squirrel climb quickly up the tall oak tree.”
gnaw
To keep biting or chewing on something hard.
“The puppy loves to gnaw on his rubber bone.”
wrinkle
A small fold or crease in a surface.
“Grandpa has a friendly wrinkle beside each smiling eye.”
lamb
A young baby sheep.
“The tiny lamb followed its mother across the green field.”
knot
A tight tie made by looping rope or string.
“He tied a firm knot to keep the boat steady.”
wren
A small brown singing bird.
“A cheerful wren built its nest inside our old birdhouse.”
gnome
A tiny magical creature from folktales and gardens.
“A little stone gnome guards the flowers in our backyard.”
crumb
A tiny piece of bread or cake.
“A single crumb fell from his sandwich onto the floor.”

Words with -ough and -augh

15 words
although
in spite of the fact that something is true
“Although it was raining, we still walked to the park.”
thorough
complete and careful, leaving nothing out
“She did a thorough job cleaning every corner of her room.”
drought
a long period with very little or no rain
“The drought left the farmer's fields dry and cracked.”
daughter
a female child of parents
“Their daughter just turned ten years old last week.”
naughty
behaving badly or not following the rules
“The naughty puppy chewed up my favorite pair of shoes.”
cough
to push air out of your throat loudly
“I had to cough because dust got into my throat.”
rough
having a bumpy or uneven surface, not smooth
“The rough bark scratched my hand as I climbed the tree.”
tough
strong and hard, not easy to break
“This tough steak was really hard to chew and swallow.”
enough
as much as is needed
“We had enough sandwiches to feed everyone at the picnic.”
through
in one side and out the other side
“The train zoomed through the long, dark tunnel quickly.”
bought
paid money to get something in the past
“I bought a new backpack for the first day of school.”
brought
carried something with you to a place
“She brought her umbrella because the sky looked cloudy.”
thought
an idea formed in your mind
“I had a great thought about how to solve the puzzle.”
caught
took hold of something moving in the past
“He caught the ball right before it hit the ground.”
taught
showed someone how to do something
“My grandmother taught me how to bake chocolate chip cookies.”

Commonly misspelled words

15 words
necessary
needed or required for something to happen
“It is necessary to wear a helmet when riding your bike.”
separate
to divide or keep things apart
“Please separate the red blocks from the blue ones.”
embarrass
to make someone feel shy or ashamed
“I did not mean to embarrass you in front of everyone.”
rhythm
a steady beat or pattern of sound
“We clapped along to the song's catchy rhythm.”
definitely
without any doubt; for sure
“I will definitely finish my homework before dinner tonight.”
beginning
the start of something
“At the beginning of the movie, the hero was very shy.”
believe
to think something is true
“I believe my friend when she tells the truth.”
favorite
the one you like the most
“Pizza is my favorite food to eat on Fridays.”
friend
a person you know and like
“My best friend and I walk to school together.”
tomorrow
the day after today
“We are going to the zoo tomorrow morning.”
February
the second month of the year
“My birthday is in February, right after the snow.”
Wednesday
the third day of the school week
“We have library class every Wednesday afternoon.”
finally
after a long time; at last
“We finally reached the top of the tall hill.”
surprise
something unexpected that happens
“The party was a big surprise for my mom.”
different
not the same as another thing
“My shoes are a different color than yours.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What spelling skills do 5th graders learn?

Fifth-grade spelling moves into word study: Greek and Latin roots, the -able and -ible suffixes, silent letters, tricky -ough and -augh patterns, and the commonly misspelled words students carry into middle school.

How many spelling words should a 5th grader learn each week?

About 15 words a week is typical for fifth grade. Each set on this page holds roughly 15 words — assign one set per week.

Do these 5th grade spelling words come with definitions?

Yes — every word on the list has a kid-friendly definition and an example sentence, so 5th graders learn what each word means, not just how to spell it. They appear on the printable Word List and on the flashcards.

Can I use these for a classroom spelling bee?

They work well for an informal classroom or grade-level spelling bee — read each word aloud and have students spell it, using the definition and example sentence as clues. (Official events like the Scripps National Spelling Bee use their own, more advanced word lists.)

More spelling word lists

2nd Grade Spelling Words  ·  3rd Grade Spelling Words  ·  4th Grade Spelling Words  ·  6th Grade Spelling Words

For the sound patterns behind these words, see our phonics worksheets; for high-frequency reading words, see sight words.