First Grade Spelling Challenge Word List
Unit 1- Short a words – an, can, man, at, cat, sat
**Challenge - plan, than, that, flat
Unit 2- Short a words – dad, had, as, has, map, tap
**Challenge – glad, clap, raft, ask
Unit 3- Short i words – it, sit, hit, in, pin, win
**Challenge – slit, quit, chin, spin
Unit 4- Short i words – dig, pig, did, hid, is, his
**Challenge – slid, twig, with, skin
Unit 5 – Mixed short a/i words – mad, ran, am, sip, six, bit
**Challenge - slam, flip, swim, clam
Unit 6 – Short o words – got, hot, pot, mop, top, hop
**Challenge – stop, shot, shop, slot
Unit 7 – Short o words – fox, box, on, dog, log, not
**Challenge – frog, chop, clog, knot
Unit 8 – Short u words – bug, hug, tug, fun, sun, run
**Challenge – snug, spun, chug, hunt
Unit 9 – Short u words – up, cup, but, cut, us, bus
**Challenge – plus, shut, drum, scrub
Unit 10 – Mixed short o/u words – pop, dot, hog, fog, mud, nut
**Challenge – flop, trot, thud, shrug
Unit 11 – Short e words – get, let, pet, men, ten, hen,
**Challenge – yet, when, vent, then
Unit 12 – Short e words – bed, red, leg, peg went, tent
**Challenge – sled, elf, next, cent
Unit 13 – Mixed short vowels (all) – and, clap, slip, stop, jump, best
**Challenge – champ, shelf, drill, pond
Unit 14 – After a short vowel in a one syllable word double the final /f/, /s/, /z/, /l/,
all, ball, ill, will, well, tell
**Challenge – small, spell, still, thrill
Unit 15 – Silent e marker – like, make, came, mine, use, home
**Challenge – brave, stone, prize, phone
Unit 16 - Short vowels / long vowels - hop, hope, cap, cape, hid, hide
**Challenge – past, paste, slid, slide
Unit 17 – Consonant diagraphs – this, that, them, shut, shop, wish
**Challenge – with, thump, flash, shrimp
Unit 18 – Double e words – tree, free, keep, feet, teeth, week
**Challenge –wheel, screen, three, knee
Unit 19 – ink / ank words – wink, pink, think, sank, bank, thank
**Challenge – blank, drink, crank, skunk
Unit 20 – ing, ang, ong, words – thing, king, long, song, rang, sang
**Challenge – spring, bring, along, wrong
Unit 21 - ar/ ay words – far, start, yard, day, stay, away
**Challenge – spark, smart, today, spray
Unit 22 – After a short vowel, in a one syllable word, use ck for the /k/ sound
back, black, pick, sick, clock, sock
**Challenge – shack, track, knock, wreck
Focus Words
The following words are words that first graders often write frequently and misspell. These are
not spelling words, however we feel it is important that we point out to the children the correct
spelling so they do not practice error behavior. Please place these words on word walls,
concentrate on these words in writers’ workshop, and point out the correct spelling whenever
possible.
they saw very your