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The Spache 925+ (Revised) Word List for Readability Formulas


Spache Word List

The Spache Word List forms an essential part of the Spache Readability Calculator. Its purpose is to help teachers choose appropriate reading materials for students in grades 1 to 4.

These words are suited for each grade level, selected based on their frequency of use and complexity. Texts with too many difficult words can lead to frustration and hinder comprehension, while overly simple texts might not challenge students to improve their reading skills. The goal is to make sure students can comprehend the words for their grade, enabling them to read and understand texts more effectively.

Dr. George Spache was an influential American educator known for his significant contributions to reading and literacy. As a professor and researcher, his work has had a lasting impact on education, especially in the field of reading instruction. The Spache Word List is based on his extensive research and analysis of language patterns and vocabulary usage among young readers.

Spache Word List

Sort by: Alphabetical | Syllable Count | Word Length

I
a
able
about
above
across
act
add
afraid
after
afternoon
again
against
ago
air
airplane
alarm
all
almost
alone
along
already
also
always
am
among
an
and
angry
animal
another
answer
any
anyone
appear
apple
are
arm
around
arrow
as
ask
asleep
at
ate
attention
aunt
awake
away
b
baby
back
bad
bag
ball
balloon
bang
bank
bark
barn
basket
be
bean
bear
beat
beautiful
became
because
become
bed
bee
been
before
began
begin
behind
believe
bell
belong
bend
bent
beside
best
better
between
big
bird
birthday
bit
bite
black
blanket
blew
block
blow
blue
board
boat
book
boot
born
borrow
both
bother
bottle
bottom
bought
bow
box
boy
branch
brave
bread
break
breakfast
breath
brick
bridge
bright
bring
broke
broken
brother
brought
brown
brush
build
bump
burn
bus
busy
but
butter
button
buy
by
c
cabin
cage
cake
call
came
camp
can
can't
candle
candy
cap
captain
car
card
care
careful
carrot
carry
case
castle
cat
catch
cattle
caught
cause
cent
certain
chair
chance
change
chase
chicken
chief
child
children
church
circle
circus
city
clap
clean
clever
cliff
climb
clock
close
cloth
clothes
clown
coat
cold
color
come
comfortable
company
contest
continue
cook
cool
corner
could
count
country
course
cover
cow
crawl
cream
cry
cup
curtain
cut
d
dad
dance
danger
dangerous
dark
dash
daughter
day
dear
decide
deep
desk
did
didn't
die
different
dig
dinner
direction
disappear
disappoint
discover
distance
do
doctor
does
dog
dollar
don't
done
door
down
dragon
dream
dress
drink
drive
drop
drove
dry
duck
during
dust
e
each
eager
ear
early
earn
earth
easy
eat
edge
egg
eight
eighteen
either
elephant
else
empty
end
enemy
enough
enter
even
ever
every
everything
exact
except
excite
exclaim
explain
eye
face
fact
fair
fall
family
far
farm
farmer
farther
fast
fat
father
feather
feed
feel
feet
fell
fellow
felt
fence
few
field
fierce
fight
figure
fill
final
find
fine
finger
finish
fire
first
fish
five
flag
flash
flat
flew
floor
flower
fly
follow
food
for
forest
forget
forth
found
four
fourth
fox
fresh
friend
frighten
frog
from
front
fruit
full
fun
funny
fur
g
game
garden
gasp
gate
gave
get
giant
gift
girl
give
glad
glass
go
goat
gone
good
got
grandfather
grandmother
grass
gray
great
green
grew
grin
ground
group
grow
growl
guess
gun
h
had
hair
half
hall
hand
handle
hang
happen
happiness
happy
hard
harm
has
hat
hate
have
he
he's
head
hear
heard
heavy
held
hello
help
hen
her
here
herself
hid
hide
high
hill
him
himself
his
hit
hold
hole
holiday
home
honey
hop
horn
horse
hot
hour
house
how
howl
hum
hundred
hung
hungry
hunt
hurry
hurt
husband
i
i'll
i'm
ice
idea
if
imagine
important
in
inch
indeed
inside
instead
into
invite
is
it
it's
its
j
jacket
jar
jet
job
join
joke
joy
jump
just
k
keep
kept
key
kick
kill
kind
king
kitchen
kitten
knee
knew
knock
know
l
ladder
lady
laid
lake
land
large
last
late
laugh
lay
lazy
lead
leap
learn
least
leave
left
leg
less
let
let's
letter
lick
lift
light
like
line
lion
list
listen
little
live
load
long
look
lost
lot
loud
love
low
luck
lump
lunch
m
machine
made
magic
mail
make
man
many
march
mark
market
master
matter
may
maybe
me
mean
meant
meat
meet
melt
men
merry
met
middle
might
mile
milk
milkman
mind
mine
minute
miss
mistake
moment
money
monkey
month
more
morning
most
mother
mountain
mouse
mouth
move
much
mud
music
must
my
n
name
near
neck
need
needle
neighbor
neighborhood
nest
never
new
next
nibble
nice
night
nine
no
nod
noise
none
north
nose
not
note
nothing
notice
now
number
o
ocean
of
off
offer
often
oh
old
on
once
one
only
open
or
orange
order
other
our
out
outside
over
owl
own
p
pack
paid
pail
paint
pair
palace
pan
paper
parade
parent
park
part
party
pass
past
pasture
path
paw
pay
peanut
peek
pen
penny
people
perfect
perhaps
person
pet
pick
picket
picnic
picture
pie
piece
pig
pile
pin
place
plan
plant
play
pleasant
please
plenty
plow
point
poke
pole
policeman
pond
poor
pop
postman
pot
potato
pound
pour
practice
prepare
present
pretend
pretty
princess
prize
probably
problem
promise
protect
proud
puff
pull
puppy
push
put
q
queen
queer
quick
quiet
quite
r
rabbit
raccoon
race
radio
rag
rain
raise
ran
ranch
rang
reach
read
ready
real
red
refuse
remember
reply
rest
return
reward
rich
ride
right
ring
river
road
roar
rock
rode
roll
roof
room
rope
round
row
rub
rule
run
rush
s
sad
safe
said
sail
sale
salt
same
sand
sang
sat
save
saw
say
scare
school
scold
scratch
scream
sea
seat
second
secret
see
seed
seem
seen
sell
send
sent
seven
several
sew
shadow
shake
shall
shape
she
sheep
shell
shine
ship
shoe
shone
shook
shoot
shop
shore
short
shot
should
show
sick
side
sight
sign
signal
silent
silly
silver
since
sing
sister
sit
six
size
skip
sky
sled
sleep
slid
slide
slow
small
smart
smell
smile
smoke
snap
sniff
snow
so
soft
sold
some
something
sometimes
son
song
soon
sorry
sound
speak
special
spend
spill
splash
spoke
spot
spread
spring
squirrel
stand
star
start
station
stay
step
stick
still
stone
stood
stop
store
story
straight
strange
street
stretch
strike
strong
such
sudden
sugar
suit
summer
sun
supper
suppose
sure
surprise
swallow
sweet
swim
swing
t
table
tail
take
talk
tall
tap
taste
teach
teacher
team
tear
teeth
telephone
tell
ten
tent
than
thank
that
that's
the
their
them
then
there
these
they
thick
thin
thing
think
third
this
those
though
thought
three
threw
through
throw
tie
tiger
tight
time
tiny
tip
tire
to
today
toe
together
told
tomorrow
too
took
tooth
top
touch
toward
tower
town
toy
track
traffic
train
trap
tree
trick
trip
trot
truck
true
trunk
try
turkey
turn
turtle
twelve
twin
two
u
ugly
uncle
under
unhappy
until
up
upon
upstairs
us
use
usual
v
valley
vegetable
very
village
visit
voice
w
wag
wagon
wait
wake
walk
want
war
warm
was
wash
waste
watch
water
wave
way
we
wear
weather
week
well
went
were
wet
what
wheel
when
where
which
while
whisper
whistle
white
who
whole
whose
why
wide
wife
will
win
wind
window
wing
wink
winter
wire
wise
wish
with
without
woke
wolf
woman
women
won't
wonder
wood
word
wore
work
world
worm
worry
worth
would
wrong
x
y
yard
year
yell
yellow
yes
yet
you
young
your
z
zoo