Word List for the Cultures in the Classroom Series


The following is a list of words that are generally readable by third grade English-speaking students. The list is neither exhaustive or wholly prescriptive, it is offered a guide to writers who wish to write for this grade level. Some words included in the list are challenging to some readers at this level of experience and development, but most are well within the range of readability. Irregular orthography, polysyllabic words and words for things and ideas unfamiliar to children of this age are, quite understandably, more challenging. The introduction of foreign words or difficult words should be accompanied either by clear definitions or unambiguous contextual clues. For example, if the sentence: "Nelly pulled her jilbab over her head" is accompanied by an illustration that depicts such an action, the reader will be enabled to understand that a jilbab is a kind of head covering. While it is desirable to introduce new words of unfamiliar origins to readers, it is essential to maintain a sense of proportion in doing so. (note: this list is also available as an adobe acrobat file if you click here )

adobe

adventure

advice

afford

afraid

again

aim

airplane

alarm

alder

alfalfa

alive

almost

already

amazing

amiss

amphibian

ancient

anemone

anew

angle

angry

ankle

announce

anxiously

apart

apparent

appeal

appeared

applesauce

appoint

approach

apron

arctic

area

aren't

argue

arguing

arithmetic

around

arrange(ment)

arrest

ash

ashamed

ashes

aside

ask

asleep

assure

astray

attic

bargains

barn

barren

bath

battering

beach

beam

beast

before

beginner

begun

behind

beliefs

believe

belt

beneath

better

beware

bicycle

bind

birth

blackberry

blade

blame

blast

blaze

bless

blood

bluebell

blueberry

bluff

body

bold

bore

borrow

bother

bough

bought

bound

box

braid

brain

branch

brand

brass

brave

bread

breakfast

breath

bridge

brief

broad

broke

brook

broom

brother

brought

brow

brown

brush

bubble

bucket

buffalo

bulb

bulletin

bump

bun

bunch

burn(ing)

burp

burst

bury

bush

bush

business

busy

busybody

butter

buttercup

buttermilk

button

cabin

cactus

cadet

calendar

calm

calories

campaign

can't

candle

cane

capital

capitol

captain

capture

cardboard

cardinal

carefree

careless

carnival

carrot

cartoon

case

cash

cast

castle

catalog

catalogue

catnip

cattle

cause

cautiously

cease

cedar

cellar

cent

center

centigrade

centigrade

centimeter

central

century

cereal

certain

certainly

chain

chair

challenge

chance

change

chapter

character

charge

charged

charm

cheap

cheat

check

checkers

cheek

cheer

cheese

cherry

chest

chick

chill

chimney

chipmunk

chirp

choice

choose

chop

chores

chrome

chubby

churn

cider

cinnamon

circle

circus

citizen

city

civil

claim

clap

clean

clear

clerk

click

cliff

clip

clock

closet

clover

clue

clump

clutched

coal

coast

cobweb

cockpit

code

coffee

coin

collect

collie

colonel

colony

colorful

comb

combine

comfort

comfortable

comma

command

common

community

companion

company

compare

compel

complained

complete

concern

conclude

condition

condor

conduct

connect

consider

consist

construct

content

contest

continue

contract

control

cool

copper

copy

coral

cords

corn

corner

corny

correct

costume

cotton

cough

couldn't

country

couple

course

court

courtroom

cousin

cover

crackle

craft

crane

crash

crater

crawfish

crazy

cream

create

creature

creek

crew

crib

crime

crooked

crop

crouch

crow

crowd

crystal

cue

cupboard

curb

curious

curl

current

curse

curve

cute

damage

danger

dare

dared

dawn

daydream

dead

deal

death

decision

decorate

decoration

delicious

delight

delighted

department

depend

desert

deserve

desk

dessert

destroy

determined

developing

diary

die

difficult

directly

disabled

disagree

disappears

discovered

discuss

disguise

disk

display

distant

ditch

does

door

double

dove

dozen

drag

drill

dropped

dust

Dutch

each

early

earn

earth

ease

echoes

edge

edit(or)

educate

education

effect

elect

election

electric

electricity

element

empty

encouraged

engine

engineer

enormous

enough

entire

entrance

entrap

equipment

Eskimo

establish

evening

event

everybody

evil

examined

excitement

exclaim

excuse

exist

exit

expects

expense

experiment

explode

explorer

fable

faint

fairy

feather

few

find

finger

finish

floor

fluttering

fold

follow

foreign

forest

found

fourth

freeze

frequently

fresh

Friday

frost

frown

fruit

funny

furious

garden

gazed

glanced

glove

gobble

gotten

gradual

grain

grave

greenery

greenhouse

greet

grew

grey

greyhound

groan

gross

growl

grunt

guarding

guest

gym

habit

hail

hair

handsome

hare

harm

hateful

haven't

hawk

haze

headquarters

heads

heal

heard

heavy

hectic

heel

held

hence

herald

hike

hilly

hippopotamus

hire

hiss

hoarse

hobby

hockey

hole

hollow

honest

honey

horn

horse

hospital

hotel

housework

huge

human

hump

hundred

hungry

hunters

hush

I'll

iceberg

ideal

imaginary

imagine

immediate

immediately

impossible

improve

include

increase

independent

individual

inquire

insect

insisted

instant

instrument

intelligent

interrupt

invite

isn't

it's

ivory

jacket

jail

jewel

join(ed)

jolly

journey

judge

juice

jungles

junk

just

justice

keep

kind

kingdom

knock

label

large

latter

lazy

league

lean

lean(ing)

leap

learn

least

leather

left

lemon

length

lesson

level

library

lights

limit

liquid

little

livestock

lobster

local

locate

location

locket

loose

lost

lucky

madness

magazine

magnet

magnified

magnify

maid

main

major

majority

manufacture

mark

market

mass

match(ing)

material

meadow

meal

meaning

measure

meek

melon

melt

memory

merchant

mere

merry

metal

meter

method

middle

midnight

mild

military

millimeter

million

minds

mink

miserable

mistreat

misuse

mix-up

moccasin

model

modern

moist

moisture

mold

mole

Monday

month

monument

mood

moral

moreover

morning

motion

mound

mount

mountain

movement

muddy

mule

multiply

murder

museum

music

mussel

nail

narrow

natural

necklaces

necks

needle

neighbor

neighborhood

nervous

net

niece

noble

none

nor

noticeable

notify

obey

objective

observe

occasion

occupy

occur

odor

offer

official

often

once

oneself

onion

onward

operate

operation

opinion

opossum

opportunity

oppose

opposite

orange

ordinary

original

oriole

otherwise

ounce

ourselves

outstanding

oven

ovenbird

overthrow

owe

pace

paid

pail

pain

paint

pair

pale

panther

parade

parent

part-time

particular

pattern

pause

peanut

pearl

peek

peel

peered

perfect

perfume

perhaps

period

permit

person

personal

pester

phone

picket

pillbox

pinecone

pint

pity

plains

plastic

pleasant

pleasure

pliers

plow

pocket

poem

poison

polar

pollute

pollution

popular

population

porch

port

pound

practiced

precious

prediction

prepared

prevents

produce

pronounce

public

quarter

queen

reach

realized

reason

recognized

reflections

remarkable

repair

rescue

restaurant

roof

rose

rough

route

rows

ruins

rule

sandy

sang

satisfaction

Saturday

scare

scattered

scent

scrap

scream

scrubbing

scurries

seal

search

season

seat

second

secret

self

sell

send

sent

separate

serve

settle

seven

several

sew

shaggy

shallow

share

she's

shell

shelter

shepherd

shield

shirt

shoot

shove

silent

single

sister

slope

smarter

smash

smear

smell

snowstorm

so

society

sold

soldier

solid

soul

sounded

soup

spare

spark

speak

speed

spice

spit

spite

sponge

sprang

spray

spread

spring

sprinkle

spruce

sputter

square

squawking

squid

squirrel

stack

stage

standard

stare

startled

steady

steal

steep

stiff

stir

straight

strain

stranger

strap

stray

strength

stretch

strip

strong

student

stump

sturdy

style

sufficient

suggested

Sunday

supplied

surface

surround(ing)

swamp

sway

sweat

sweater

swell

tale

tangle

task

taught

teach

tear

tease

teaspoon

teen

teenager

telephone

temperature

temple

tender

term

terrified

terrify

territory

terror

test

that's

thatched

theater

there's

they'll

thick

thief

thigh

third

thirsty

thorn

though

thought

thoughtful

thread

threw

through

throughout

thrown

thud

thumb

thunder

tiny

tire

title

toad

toilet

tone

tongue

toothpaste

tortoise

toss

total

touches

tough

tour

tower

town

toxic

trace

trail

trash

treasure

treat

tremble

trend

tribe

troop

tryout

tube

tuft

tulip

tunnel

turnip

twice

twilight

twine

twirl

twisting

ugly

umbrella

underneath

union

unless

unlimited

unpaid

unto

unusual

upper

upset

upstairs

urchin

useful

useless

usual

vacation

valley

value

vanish

vapor

vast

vegetable

veil

village

violet

volunteers

vote

wagon

war

warm

warnings

wasp

watchful

we'll

we're

weave

weekend

well built

weren't

whale

wheat

wheat

wheel

whole

whom

whose

wild

wildcat

winding

won't

wooded

worst