Grade 4 Spelling Bee Words
The complete list of 100 practice words for school-level spelling bees, around age 9. 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 4 spelling bee words
Grade 4 lists move past the phonetic comfort zone. Schoolwide bees start pulling words with more than one plausible spelling, so a speller can no longer sound a word out and trust the result. This is the year the definition and the part of speech start mattering — 'principal' and 'principle' sound identical and only meaning tells them apart.
Spelling patterns this list drills
- homophones separated only by meaning (their/there, principal/principle)
- the schwa — unstressed vowels that all sound like 'uh'
- prefixes that change meaning without changing sound (un-, re-, dis-, pre-)
- -tion and -sion endings
How to practise: Ask for the definition before spelling. At Grade 4 the definition is frequently the only thing separating two correct-sounding answers.
All 100 Grade 4 spelling bee words
- agreementnoun
“The two friends made an agreement to share their toys with each other.”
- backyardnoun
“We had a fun barbecue in the backyard with our friends.”
- bareadjective
“The tree was bare in winter with no leaves.”
- bearnoun
“The bear walked through the forest looking for food.”
- beautifuladjective
“The flowers in the garden are beautiful and colorful.”
- bedroomnoun
“My bedroom has a blue wall and a big bed.”
- birthdaynoun
“I had a fun birthday party with balloons, cake, and all my friends.”
- bookshelfnoun
“I organized my favorite books on the bookshelf in my room.”
- carefuladjective
“Please be careful when you cross the street.”
- carelessphrase
“He was careless with his homework and forgot to turn it in.”
- clockwiseadverb
“To open the jar, turn the lid clockwise.”
- darknessnoun
“The darkness of the night made the stars shine brighter.”
- debtnoun
“She worked hard to pay off the debt she had from her school loans.”
- disagreeverb
“Sometimes, my friend and I disagree about which game to play.”
- dislikenoun
“I dislike eating broccoli, but I love carrots.”
- displaceverb
“The big storm could displace many families from their homes.”
- distrustnoun
“It's important to be careful and not let distrust stop you from making new friends.”
- doorbellnoun
“When the doorbell rang, everyone rushed to see who was visiting.”
- doorstepnoun
“I found a package waiting for me on the doorstep.”
- doubtverb
“I had a little doubt about my answer on the math test.”
- farmernoun
“The farmer grows corn and tomatoes.”
- fireplacenoun
“We gathered around the fireplace to tell stories on a cold night.”
- flournoun
“We need to buy some flour to make cookies this weekend.”
- flowernoun
“The garden was full of beautiful flower in every color.”
- footballnoun
“We played football in the park and had so much fun scoring goals.”
- friendshipnoun
“Friendship is important because it makes us feel happy and loved.”
- gnatnoun
“A tiny gnat flew around my head while I was trying to read outside.”
- gnawverb
“The puppy began to gnaw on his favorite chew toy.”
- gnomenoun
“The garden gnome stood guard by the flowers all summer long.”
- handfulnoun
“She picked up a handful of colorful marbles from the box.”
- happinessnoun
“Playing with my friends brings me so much happiness every day.”
- hearverb
“I can hear the birds singing in the morning.”
- helplessadjective
“The kitten looked helpless when it got stuck in the tree.”
- hereadverb
“My favorite toy is right here on the shelf.”
- holenoun
“I found a small hole in the ground where a rabbit might live.”
- honestadjective
“It is important to be honest when talking to your friends.”
- imperfectadjective
“My drawing was imperfect, but I was still proud of it.”
- impoliteadjective
“It is impolite to interrupt someone when they are speaking.”
- impossibleadjective
“Climbing the tall mountain seemed impossible, but we made it to the top!”
- improperadjective
“It is improper to wear pajamas to a formal dinner party.”
- incompleteadjective
“My homework was incomplete because I forgot to finish the last question.”
- indirectadjective
“She took an indirect route to school because of road construction.”
- informaladjective
“We had an informal picnic at the park with sandwiches and lemonade.”
- invisibleadjective
“The invisible ink made the secret message hard to read.”
- islandnoun
“We built a sandcastle on the island during our beach trip.”
- kindnessnoun
“Showing kindness to others can make the world a better place.”
- kneelverb
“To tie my shoes, I often kneel down on the ground.”
- knifenoun
“Be careful with the knife when you are cutting the vegetables.”
- knightnoun
“The knight rode bravely into battle to protect his kingdom.”
- knotnoun
“I learned how to tie a knot with my shoelaces.”
- knowledgenoun
“Reading books gives me a lot of knowledge about different topics.”
- lambnoun
“The farmer had a cute lamb that loved to play in the sunny field.”
- loudnessnoun
“The loudness of the music made it hard to talk to my friends at the concert.”
- lunchboxnoun
“I packed a sandwich and some fruit in my colorful lunchbox.”
- mailnoun
“I can't wait to check the mail for my birthday card from Grandma.”
- maleadjective
“The male bird sang beautifully to attract a mate.”
- moonlightnoun
“The garden looked magical in the soft glow of the moonlight.”
- movementnoun
“The dance class was all about learning different types of movement and rhythm.”
- notebooknoun
“I keep all my school notes in my blue notebook.”
- numbadjective
“My fingers went numb after I played outside in the cold for too long.”
- pairnoun
“I found a pair of shoes that I want to wear to the school dance.”
- paymentnoun
“I made my payment for the new book at the store.”
- peacenoun
“The dove is often a symbol of peace in many cultures.”
- pearnoun
“I picked a ripe pear from the tree to eat for lunch.”
- piecenoun
“Can I have a piece of your chocolate cake?”
- playgroundnoun
“We had so much fun at the playground after school.”
- powerfuladjective
“The wind was so powerful that it knocked down several trees.”
- rainbownoun
“After the rain, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky.”
- rainstormnoun
“We stayed inside during the rainstorm and played board games.”
- rebuildverb
“After the storm damaged our treehouse, we decided to rebuild it even better.”
- reviewnoun
“Let's have a review of the story we read in class.”
- rewardverb
“I received a reward for finishing my book report on time.”
- rewriteverb
“I will rewrite my poem to make it even better.”
- rightadjective
“It is always right to help your friends when they need assistance.”
- sadnessadjective
“She felt a little sadness when her friend moved away.”
- sandcastlenoun
“We built the tallest sandcastle on the beach with towers and a moat.”
- softnessadjective
“The softness of the blanket made me feel cozy.”
- starfishnoun
“We found a starfish on the beach and watched it move slowly.”
- strongeradjective
“She got stronger every day by practicing her sports and lifting weights.”
- sunflowernoun
“The bright yellow sunflower turned its head towards the sun.”
- sunlightnoun
“The sunlight poured through the window, warming the room.”
- teachernoun
“My teacher helped me understand math better.”
- theiradjective
“The children played with their toys in the sunny park.”
- thereadverb
“There is a big tree in our backyard that provides shade.”
- thumbnoun
“I gave a thumbs-up to show that I liked the idea.”
- treatmentnoun
“The doctor gave me a treatment to help my cold go away faster.”
- unhappyadjective
“She felt unhappy when she lost her favorite toy.”
- unkindadjective
“It is unkind to tease someone about their mistakes.”
- unpackverb
“After the trip, we need to unpack our bags and put everything away.”
- unusualadjective
“It was unusual to see a rainbow in the winter sky.”
- waterfallnoun
“The waterfall was so beautiful that we took lots of pictures.”
- wearverb
“I like to wear my favorite t-shirt when I play outside.”
- whereadverb
“Do you know where my favorite book is?”
- wholeadjective
“I ate the whole pizza by myself.”
- wrapverb
“I will wrap the present in colorful paper.”
- wrestleverb
“My friends and I like to wrestle in the grass.”
- wristnoun
“She wore a beautiful bracelet on her wrist.”
- writeverb
“I like to write stories in my notebook.”
- writtenadjective
“The poem was written by my favorite author.”
- wrongnoun
“It is wrong to take something that isn't yours.”
Questions about this list
How many words are on the Grade 4 spelling bee list?
100 words, all of them on this page with an example sentence. The list covers the vocabulary typically used at school-level bees for spellers around age 9.
What kinds of words appear in a Grade 4 bee?
homophones separated only by meaning (their/there, principal/principle); the schwa — unstressed vowels that all sound like 'uh'; prefixes that change meaning without changing sound (un-, re-, dis-, pre-). Ask for the definition before spelling. At Grade 4 the definition is frequently the only thing separating two correct-sounding answers.
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.