20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
upper
users
water
where
wider
alters
answer
better
bigger
bother
buffer
clever
closer
corner
covers
danger
derive
differ
dinner
driver
The spelling pattern
Every word on this list contains er (her). Seeing the same letters in many words helps children spot the pattern and spell new words that follow it. Level 3 is the most challenging set.
Ways to practise
Read the list aloud, then cover each word and write it from memory.
Use the fill-in sheet below: the pattern letters are blanked out.
Sort the words by length or by where the pattern appears (start, middle or end).
Where the pattern appears
In the middle (5): users, where, alters, covers, derive.
At the end (15): upper, water, wider, answer, better, bigger, bother, buffer, clever, closer, corner, danger, differ, dinner, driver.
Sorting the words like this is a good first activity: children say each word, find the er (her) letters and decide which group it belongs to. It shows that the same letters keep the same sound wherever they appear in a word.
Running a spelling test with this list
Read each word aloud, use it in a short sentence, then read it once more. Children write the word without looking. Mark the test with the list above and practise any misspelled words again the next day. Five or ten words at a time is plenty for younger children.
Practice sheet: fill in the missing letters
upp__
us__s
wat__
wh__e
wid__
alt__s
answ__
bett__
bigg__
both__
buff__
clev__
clos__
corn__
cov__s
dang__
d__ive
diff__
dinn__
driv__
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing er (her). The shortest has 5 letters and the longest, alters, has 6.
What does level 3 mean?
Levels sort the er (her) words by how common and how long they are. Level 1 has the shortest, most frequent words; higher levels add longer and rarer ones.
What should come next?
This is the last level for er (her). Try another spelling pattern from the word lists page.