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Year 1 common exception words

Common exception words are words whose spelling doesn’t follow the phonics patterns taught so far, like said, friend or school. The national curriculum in England gives these 45 for Year 1, noting that schools may use others ‘according to the programme used’. In Year 1, children are taught to read them and to spell them.

Year 1 · 45 words

The 45 words

  1. the
  2. a
  3. do
  4. to
  5. today
  6. of
  7. said
  8. says
  9. are
  10. were
  11. was
  12. is
  13. his
  14. has
  15. I
  16. you
  17. your
  18. they
  19. be
  20. he
  21. me
  22. she
  23. we
  24. no
  25. go
  26. so
  27. by
  28. my
  29. here
  30. there
  31. where
  32. love
  33. come
  34. some
  35. one
  36. once
  37. ask
  38. friend
  39. school
  40. put
  41. push
  42. pull
  43. full
  44. house
  45. our

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Department for Education, National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study, Appendix 1: Spelling (2013). National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study, Appendix 1: Spelling · Open Government Licence v3.0

Practising these words at home

  • Five words at a time

    Take the words set this week, or five from the list. Read them together before your child tries to spell them.

  • Find the tricky part

    In said, the ‘ai’ sounds like ‘e’; in one, nothing sounds as it looks. Point to the part that breaks the rule, then write the word.

  • Write it from memory

    Look at the word, say it, cover it, write it, then check it letter by letter. Our look, say, cover, write, check guide shows how.

  • Use them in a short sentence

    Many of these words turn up in almost every sentence. Say a short one, such as ‘They said you can come’, and let your child write it.

Questions parents ask

How many Year 1 common exception words are there?
The national curriculum lists 45 common exception words for Year 1, from the to our. It adds that schools may use others ‘according to the programme used’, so your child’s phonics scheme may teach them in a different order, or add a few.
Does my child need to spell all of them by the end of Year 1?
The Year 1 programme of study says pupils should be taught to read common exception words and to spell them. Your child’s teacher can tell you which ones they are working on now. In Year 2, a further list of 64 words is added.
Can I print this list?
Yes. The list is Crown copyright, published under the Open Government Licence, which allows copying and printing as long as the source is credited. The source is English Appendix 1: Spelling, from the Department for Education, credited at the bottom of this page, so you can print the page as it is.

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