20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
briefly
carried
carries
earlier
easiest
entries
friends
implied
implies
lorries
parties
patient
quietly
replied
replies
science
society
studied
studies
variety
The spelling pattern
Every word on this list contains ie (field). 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).
Sorting the words like this is a good first activity: children say each word, find the ie (field) 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
br__fly
carr__d
carr__s
earl__r
eas__st
entr__s
fr__nds
impl__d
impl__s
lorr__s
part__s
pat__nt
qu__tly
repl__d
repl__s
sc__nce
soc__ty
stud__d
stud__s
var__ty
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing ie (field). The shortest has 7 letters and the longest, briefly, has 7.
What does level 3 mean?
Levels sort the ie (field) 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 ie (field). Try another spelling pattern from the word lists page.