Grade 3 Spelling Bee Words
The complete list of 100 practice words for classroom-level spelling bees, around age 8. Every word comes with its part of speech and an example sentence — or practise the whole list out loud, with audio, in our free spelling bee.
About the Grade 3 spelling bee words
Grade 3 is where most kids meet their first real spelling bee — usually a classroom round, read aloud by the teacher, with words pulled straight from the year's reading. The list stays inside familiar vocabulary: nothing here is a word an eight-year-old has never heard, which means the challenge is hearing the sounds correctly rather than guessing at meaning.
Spelling patterns this list drills
- consonant doubling before -ing and -ed (hopping, planned)
- the silent e that changes a short vowel to a long one
- common digraphs — ch, sh, th, wh
- plurals that swap -y for -ies
How to practise: At this level, saying the word slowly and tapping out the syllables catches most mistakes. Spell out loud before writing anything down — a bee is spoken, not written.
All 100 Grade 3 spelling bee words
- achieveverb
“You can achieve your dreams if you keep trying.”
- afraidadjective
“I was afraid of the dark, so I slept with a nightlight on.”
- alwaysadverb
“I always brush my teeth before going to bed.”
- answernoun
“I raised my hand to give the answer.”
- beannoun
“I like to eat a green bean with my dinner.”
- beautifuladjective
“The flowers in the garden are beautiful and colorful.”
- becauseconjunction
“I like ice cream because it is sweet.”
- believeverb
“I believe in fairies and magic.”
- betweenpreposition
“The cat sat quietly between the two dogs.”
- blackadjective
“The black cat sat quietly on the windowsill, watching the birds outside.”
- braveadjective
“The brave little girl climbed the tall tree.”
- briefadjective
“The teacher gave a brief explanation of the lesson.”
- brushnoun
“I use a brush to paint pretty pictures.”
- carefuladjective
“Please be careful when you cross the street.”
- ceilingnoun
“The ceiling in my room is painted blue, just like the sky.”
- cheerfuladjective
“The cheerful sun made everyone smile at the park.”
- chestnoun
“I found a treasure chest buried in the sand at the beach.”
- chiefadjective
“The chief of the tribe told stories around the fire.”
- childrennoun
“The children played happily in the sunny backyard.”
- cleanernoun
“The cleaner made the classroom sparkle after lunch.”
- closeverb
“I like to close the book when I finish reading.”
- cloudnoun
“The fluffy cloud floated slowly across the blue sky.”
- crunchverb
“I love to hear the crunch of the leaves when I walk in the fall.”
- cubenoun
“I made a big ice cube to keep my drink cold.”
- darkeradjective
“The sky got darker as the storm approached.”
- drinkverb
“I want a drink of water after playing outside.”
- drovenoun
“My dad drove us to the park on Saturday.”
- enoughadjective
“I have enough cookies to share with my friends.”
- everyadjective
“Every day, I walk my dog in the park.”
- familynoun
“My family goes to the park every weekend to play together.”
- fastestadjective
“The cheetah is the fastest animal on land.”
- feastnoun
“We had a big feast with lots of delicious food for our family gathering.”
- fieldnoun
“We played soccer in the big green field near our house.”
- flamenoun
“The candle's flame danced in the dark room, making it feel cozy.”
- floatnoun
“The boat will float on the water, just like a leaf.”
- friendnoun
“My friend and I like to play soccer together.”
- gamenoun
“We played a fun game of tag at the park.”
- gardennoun
“We planted flowers in the garden to make it pretty.”
- gracefuladjective
“The swan moved across the lake in a graceful way.”
- gradenoun
“I got a good grade on my math test.”
- greenadjective
“The grass is green after the rain.”
- griefnoun
“She felt grief when her pet goldfish went to sleep forever.”
- harmfuladjective
“Eating too much candy can be harmful to your teeth.”
- heatverb
“The heat from the sun made us feel warm and happy.”
- helpfuladjective
“My mom is very helpful when I need to finish my homework.”
- helpingnoun
“I am helping my dad bake cookies for the bake sale.”
- homenoun
“I love to play with my toys at home after school.”
- hopeverb
“I hope we can go to the park tomorrow.”
- hopefuladjective
“She felt hopeful that she would win the race.”
- islandnoun
“We built a sandcastle on the island during our beach trip.”
- jumpedverb
“The dog jumped over the fence to chase the squirrel.”
- jumpingverb
“The kids are jumping on the trampoline in the backyard.”
- kitchennoun
“Mom is cooking in the kitchen.”
- lawfuladjective
“It is lawful to ride a bike on the sidewalk if there are no cars.”
- leafnoun
“The green leaf fluttered gently in the warm breeze.”
- makeverb
“I want to make a big sandwich for lunch.”
- mealnoun
“I had a delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.”
- niecenoun
“My niece loves to play with her dolls and dress them up.”
- noteverb
“I wrote a note to my mom to tell her I love her.”
- peacefuladjective
“The garden was a peaceful place to sit and read.”
- peoplenoun
“People love to gather at the park to play and have fun together.”
- perhapsadverb
“Perhaps we can play outside after lunch.”
- piecenoun
“Can I have a piece of your chocolate cake?”
- placenoun
“I put my toys in the right place after I finished playing.”
- plantverb
“I like to water my plant and watch it grow every day.”
- playfuladjective
“The puppy was very playful and loved to chase its tail.”
- playingverb
“I am playing with my friends in the yard.”
- problemnoun
“I had a problem finding my lost toy in the big backyard.”
- quarternoun
“I found a quarter on the ground while walking to school.”
- reachverb
“I can reach the top shelf if I use a stool.”
- receiveverb
“I was happy to receive a letter from my friend.”
- relieveverb
“A hug from my mom can relieve my worries.”
- restfuladjective
“After a long day, I found my bed to be very restful and cozy.”
- rideverb
“I love to ride my bike around the park.”
- safeadjective
“I always wear my helmet when I ride my bike to stay safe.”
- shadenoun
“We sat under the tree to enjoy the cool shade on a hot day.”
- shelfnoun
“I put my books on the shelf so I can find them easily.”
- shieldnoun
“The knight held his shield up to protect himself from the arrows.”
- sleepnoun
“I like to sleep with my teddy bear beside me.”
- smellverb
“I love the smell of fresh cookies baking in the oven.”
- smileverb
“Her smile made everyone in the room feel happy.”
- spellverb
“Can you spell the word 'cat' for me?”
- splitverb
“We will split the pizza so everyone can have a slice.”
- stampverb
“I put a stamp on the envelope before mailing it.”
- stonenoun
“I found a smooth stone at the beach that I wanted to keep.”
- streetnoun
“I ride my bike on the street with my friends after school.”
- swingverb
“I love to swing high at the park while my mom pushes me.”
- teachverb
“I want to teach my little sister how to ride a bike.”
- thankfuladjective
“I am thankful for my family and all the fun we have together.”
- thiefnoun
“The thief took the cookie from the jar when no one was looking.”
- thoughtnoun
“I had a thought about what we should do for our school project.”
- throughpreposition
“We walked through the park to get to the playground.”
- tracknoun
“We can track the animal's footprints in the mud.”
- tunenoun
“I love to sing a happy tune while I play my guitar.”
- twistverb
“I like to twist my body when I dance.”
- usefuladjective
“A pencil is useful for writing down your thoughts.”
- whilenoun
“I will play outside while you finish your homework.”
- whiteadjective
“The cat is white and fluffy.”
- wishesverb
“I made three wishes when I blew out the candles.”
- wroteverb
“He wrote a letter to his best friend.”
Questions about this list
How many words are on the Grade 3 spelling bee list?
100 words, all of them on this page with an example sentence. The list covers the vocabulary typically used at classroom-level bees for spellers around age 8.
What kinds of words appear in a Grade 3 bee?
consonant doubling before -ing and -ed (hopping, planned); the silent e that changes a short vowel to a long one; common digraphs — ch, sh, th, wh. At this level, saying the word slowly and tapping out the syllables catches most mistakes. Spell out loud before writing anything down — a bee is spoken, not written.
Is this list free to use?
Yes. The full list is on this page, and the interactive bee with audio pronunciation is free with no sign-up.