20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
wright
wrings
wrists
writhe
wryest
wrangle
wreaked
wreathe
wreaths
wrested
wrestle
wriggle
wringer
wrinkle
writhed
writhes
wronged
wronger
wrought
wrangled
The spelling pattern
Every word on this list contains wr (write). 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 wr (write) 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
__ight
__ings
__ists
__ithe
__yest
__angle
__eaked
__eathe
__eaths
__ested
__estle
__iggle
__inger
__inkle
__ithed
__ithes
__onged
__onger
__ought
__angled
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing wr (write). The shortest has 6 letters and the longest, wrangled, has 8.
What does level 3 mean?
Levels sort the wr (write) 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 wr (write). Try another spelling pattern from the word lists page.