NAPLAN Year 3 spelling list: 200 words grouped by spelling rule

By Jon Petruch · Updated 9 November 2026

Key takeaways

• Year 3 NAPLAN spelling is part of the Conventions of Language test, which also covers grammar and punctuation. The whole test takes 45 minutes.
• In the online test, students spell words they hear (audio dictation) and find and fix spelling mistakes in sentences (proofreading).
• The list below has 200 words grouped by spelling rule, not alphabetically. Learning the rule means your child can spell words they've never seen.
• Use Australian spelling: colour, favourite, centre, travelled.
• There's a free printable version and a 10-question proofreading test with answers at the end.

How spelling is tested in Year 3 NAPLAN

Spelling sits inside the Conventions of Language test. Students do the grammar and punctuation section first, then move to spelling, and they can't go back once they've moved on.

In the online test, there are two kinds of spelling question:

The online test is tailored: questions get harder or easier depending on how your child is going. Strong spellers will see words above Year 3 level, which is why this list includes some stretch words.

Why learn spelling by rule?

In my years teaching Year 3 to 6 English, the children who spelt well weren't the ones who'd memorised the most words. They were the ones who knew why a word is spelt the way it is. A child who understands "drop the e before adding -ing" can spell making, riding, hoping and hundreds of words never on a list.

So learn one group a week: say the rule, practise the words, then test with words from the same group that aren't on the list.

The list

1. Long a: a_e, ai, ay

Rule: ai is usually in the middle of a word, ay is at the end.

cake, plane, shape, rain, train, paint, chain, wait, play, stay, away, today, always, birthday

2. Long e: ee, ea, e_e, y

Rule: ee and ea are both common in the middle. A y at the end of a two-syllable word often says "ee".

green, sleep, street, between, beach, dream, teach, reason, these, complete, happy, every, family, really

3. Long i: i_e, igh, y, ie

Rule: igh is common before t. A y at the end of a one-syllable word says "eye".

smile, inside, light, night, bright, frighten, sky, fly, why, tried, cried, pie

4. Long o: o_e, oa, ow

Rule: oa is usually in the middle, ow is often at the end.

stone, close, those, boat, coat, road, float, snow, grow, yellow, window, below

5. oo, ew, ue, ou

school, room, spoon, choose, new, flew, threw, blue, true, glue, group, soup, through

6. ar, or, er, ir, ur

Rule: er, ir and ur make the same sound, so these just have to be learnt.

start, garden, sharp, horse, storm, before, morning, her, never, water, bird, first, girl, turn, hurt, Thursday

7. Consonant teams: ch, sh, th, wh, ph, ck

Rule: ck comes straight after a short vowel (back, quick). After a long vowel or a consonant, use k (bake, milk).

chair, lunch, catch, kitchen, shell, wish, fresh, thank, brother, think, white, where, which, phone, elephant, back, quick, pocket

8. Soft c and soft g

Rule: c says "s" and g often says "j" before e, i or y.

city, circle, face, dance, ice, pencil, giant, giraffe, page, large, orange, bridge

9. Doubling before -ing and -ed

Rule: for a short word with one short vowel and one final consonant, double the consonant before adding -ing or -ed.

running, swimming, stopped, hopped, shopping, sitting, planned, dropped

10. Drop the e before -ing and -ed

Rule: if a word ends in a silent e, drop the e before adding -ing or -ed.

making, riding, hoping, liked, smiled, writing, coming, danced

11. Change y to i

Rule: if a word ends in a consonant plus y, change y to i before adding -es, -ed, -er or -est. Keep the y before -ing.

cries, tried, happier, easiest, babies, families, carried, (but: crying, carrying)

12. Plurals: -s and -es

Rule: add -es after s, x, z, ch and sh.

boxes, buses, foxes, wishes, lunches, brushes, dishes, glasses

13. Prefixes and suffixes

unhappy, untidy, redo, return, helpful, careful, slowly, quickly, careless, hopeless, darkness, kindness

14. Compound words

birthday, playground, sometimes, something, everyone, outside, afternoon, football, bedroom, sunshine

15. Homophones

Rule: these sound the same but mean different things, so the sentence decides the spelling.

there, their, they're, to, too, two, here, hear, where, wear, see, sea, write, right

16. Tricky words that don't follow the rules

These are the words Year 3 children misspell most in their writing. Practise them every week, not just once.

because, said, friend, people, could, would, should, again, does, once, laugh, enough, beautiful, different, believe, February, Wednesday, knew, knife, sure

17. Australian spellings

NAPLAN uses Australian spelling. Spell-check on American devices will "correct" these wrongly.

colour, favourite, neighbour, centre, metre, travelled, practise (to do), practice (the noun)

How to practise at home

1. One group a week. Read the rule aloud together, then go through the words.
2. Say, cover, write, check. Your child says the word, covers it, writes it, then checks it. This builds the memory that dictation questions rely on.
3. Dictate, don't show. In NAPLAN they hear the word. Read the word in a sentence, the same way the test does.
4. Test outside the list. After the doubling group, ask for clapping or skipped. If they get those right, they've learnt the rule.
5. Practise typing. Year 3 students type their answers in the online test, so some practice should be on a keyboard.

Proofreading practice: 10 questions

Each sentence has one misspelt word. Find it and spell it correctly.

1. We went to the beech on Saturday.
2. My frend is coming over after school.
3. The dog was runing around the yard.
4. I tryed to open the jar but it was stuck.
5. Mum bought three boxs of apples.
6. Is that you're bag on the floor?
7. We are making a birthday cake becaus it is Sam's party.
8. My favorite colour is green.
9. The children were hopeing for a sunny day.
10. She put the glass on the kichen bench.

Answers

1. beach. Beech is a type of tree. A homophone trap.
2. friend. A tricky word: "i before e" with the i silent.
3. running. Short vowel plus one consonant, so double the n.
4. tried. Consonant plus y, so change y to i before -ed.
5. boxes. Add -es after x.
6. your. You're means "you are". A homophone trap.
7. because. A tricky word.
8. favourite. Australian spelling keeps the u.
9. hoping. Hope ends in silent e, so drop the e before -ing. (Hopping is what a rabbit does.)
10. kitchen. The tch team after a short vowel.

Free printable list

Download the NAPLAN Year 3 spelling list (PDF) to stick on the fridge or use for weekly tests.

Where to practise next

• NAPLAN Year 3 guide
• NAPLAN language conventions guide
• NAPLAN Year 3 writing
• Free NAPLAN practice tests

For timed practice in the online format, see our NAPLAN practice tests.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official NAPLAN Year 3 spelling list?

No. NAPLAN doesn't publish a word list. Words are chosen to test spelling patterns taught in the Australian Curriculum, which is why learning the rules works better than memorising one list.

How is spelling tested in the online NAPLAN?

Students hear words in audio dictation questions and type them, and they find and correct misspelt words in proofreading questions.

How long is the Year 3 Conventions of Language test?

45 minutes, covering spelling, grammar and punctuation.

How many words should my child learn each week?

One spelling group, usually 10 to 15 words, plus five tricky words. Short daily practice beats one long session.

Does NAPLAN use Australian or American spelling?

Australian spelling, such as colour, favourite and centre.

This list was compiled by Practice Tests & Exams to cover the spelling patterns Year 3 students are expected to know. It is not an official NAPLAN list.

Sources

• SCSA: NAPLAN test information
• NAP: Public demonstration site