of
The word of begins with o and ends with f. In this word, the f usually sounds like v, but the spelling is still o-f.
1st Grade · High-Frequency Words
1st Grade High-Frequency Words — Set 1
1st Grade High-Frequency Words — Set 1 contrasts the vowel teams in they and down, reviews useful patterns in all and or, and gives extra attention to the less expected spellings in of, said, have, one, and what.
Word list
All 12 words in this list
1st Grade · High-Frequency Words
- of
- said
- have
- they
- one
- all
- after
- an
- what
- down
- or
- but
12 words
What to notice when spelling these words
Use known patterns to hold several spellings together
The words an and but can be built by matching familiar short-vowel sounds to letters. In after, the first syllable also uses short a. The word all uses the familiar double l after its vowel, while or keeps r beside the vowel. These known patterns make most or all of each spelling easier to map.
Compare the vowel teams
The words they and down each use a two-letter vowel team, but the teams are different. The long a sound at the end of they is spelled ey. The vowel sound in down is spelled ow. Name the team as part of each spelling so the two choices do not get mixed up.
The remaining words have a sound or letter that is less expected. Their spelling notes identify the particular part to learn without treating the whole word as something to memorize by sight.
Notes for particular words
said
The middle sound in said is spelled ai, even though it sounds like the short e in bed. Keep the final d: s-a-i-d.
have
The word have ends with silent e, but the a keeps its short sound. Write h-a-v-e, keeping the final e.
one
The word one begins with o even though it usually starts with a w sound when spoken. Its ending is spelled n-e: o-n-e.
what
The word what begins with the wh letter team and ends with a-t. The a may not sound like the short a in an, but the spelling stays w-h-a-t.