Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the knowledge of both spoken and written words; it is an important building block for comprehension. Knowing word meanings makes it easier to understand what you read or hear. In the early years, reading assists in developing a child’s vocabulary. Fun experiences and field trips, e.g., visiting a zoo, aquarium or museum also enhances a child’s vocabulary by exposing them to new words in a fun and enjoyable way.

Formal vocabulary instruction typically occurs in either 3rd or 4th grade. Students are given a list of vocabulary words to study and exercises to reinforce their meanings.

2nd Grade
Words
3rd Grade
Vocabulary Words
4th Grade
Vocabulary Words
5th Grade
Vocabulary Words

For some fun activities and wacky words, please visit our word play section.

Word Pairs

Nonreversible word pairs always appear in the same order, e.g., back and forth. It would sound awkward if we read forth and back. For many of us, certain words go together and we will automatically use the correct order. However, nonnative speakers will need to learn nonreversible word pairs. Common Word Pairs The following is…

Types of Words

A word is a sequence of letters that means something. Our list below contains over 20 different types of words. We intentionally excluded parts of speech. Different Types of Words Type of Word Definition Abbreviation A word that has been shortened. Acronym A word formed from the first letter or letters of a compound term…

Longest Word

The longest word contains 1,909 letters and has been published in a dictionary. It is the term for the formula C1289H2051N343O375S8, a protein that consists of 267 amino acids. In third grade, both of my children received a complimentary dictionary from our elementary school. The last page contains the longest word in the English language…

5th Grade Words

Many schools implement vocabulary instruction in either third or fourth grade. They typically provide students with a list of 10 – 15 words that they are expected to learn. 5th Grade Vocabulary Words Our school introduced the following vocabulary words in fifth grade. They also work on structural analysis of words through our spelling program…

Clipped Words

Clipped words are words shortened by common use; they are a shortened abbreviation of a word, which makes them easier to spell and write. Our list of clipped words contains over 95 words. List of Clipped Words The list below contains common clipped words. Clip Word Original Word Clip Word Original Word ad advertisement margarine…

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates or suggests a natural sound; it resembles the sound or noise it depicts, e.g., oink, meow. These words greatly assist writers when describing the sounds for actions in both stories and poems. Example of Onomatopoeia We have over 240 onomatopoeias listed below. The word, onomatopoeia, originated from the Greek…