4th grade spelling words
4th grade spelling words built from prefixes, suffixes, and first Greek and Latin roots, plus content vocabulary. Generate practice sheets and tests.
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4th grade spelling words: prefixes, suffixes and first roots
4th grade spelling words are built from parts: prefixes, suffixes, and the first Greek and Latin roots. A 4th grader who can split 'unhappy' into 'un-' and 'happy' can work out hundreds of longer words. Common Core asks 4th graders to use Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to meaning (L.4.4.b).
Prefixes and suffixes multiply a word list
Teach that 'un-' means 'not' and students can spell 'unhappy', 'unfair', 'unkind' and 'unable' from one prefix. Suffixes work the same way: '-ly' turns adjectives into adverbs, and '-ness' turns adjectives into nouns. Ask the generator for a sheet where every word uses the same prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, mis-: unhappy, rewrite, preview, dislike, mistake
-ing and -ed with doubling: running, hopping, stopped, planned
-ly, -ness, -ful, -less: quickly, kindness, hopeful, careless
First roots: telegraph, photograph, autograph
Content vocabulary: habitat, government, fraction, region
Suffix rules in longer words
Students meet the three suffix rules in 3rd grade (L.3.2.e) and apply them to longer words in 4th: double the final consonant (begin, beginning), drop the silent e (hope, hoping), and change y to i (happy, happiness). Practice one rule per sheet, then a mixed review.
Content-area spelling and homophones
Add two or three subject words a week ('habitat', 'adaptation', 'region') to the pattern list. Common Core also expects 4th graders to use frequently confused words correctly, such as to, too and two, or there and their (L.4.1.g), so a short homophone section is worth adding.
How to make a spelling test
- 1
Add the words
Paste your list, or describe the grade and spelling pattern.
- 2
Pick the format
Describe it in the box, then set the grade and number of items.
- 3
Print
Print the student copy, then the answer key.
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Many 4th grade teachers use about 15 words, often 12 pattern words and 3 content-area words, and add a few more in spring if students are ready.
Start with 'un-', the most common prefix in English, which builds words students already know. 'Re-' usually comes next, then 'dis-' and 'pre-'.
Yes. Ask for a Dolch or Fry list by name (for example, Dolch pre-primer or Fry's first 100) and check the words against your district's copy before printing. The lists aren't stored in the tool; the AI writes them from what it knows.
Yes. Paste the words into the description and the worksheet uses them.
Fill-in-the-blank sentences, multiple choice with one correct spelling, practice sheets, and spelling bee lists. It doesn't draw tracing letters.
Yes. Leave it on to print the answers on a separate page, or turn it off for the student copy.
Yes, with no account.
Spelling lists and tests by grade
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