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Practice
Core Spelling

2nd Grade Core Spelling

2nd Grade Core Spelling continues the sequence with 13 units: vowel-team and diphthong spellings, r-controlled vowels, and soft c/soft g, followed by syllable-level and word-building patterns.

The sequence opens with the vowel patterns that vary most in spelling — long e, long i, oi/oy, ou/ow, the two sounds of oo, au/aw, and r-controlled vowels — before moving into syllable structure: breaking two-syllable words into parts and recognizing the quiet final -le ending. It then turns to less predictable spellings, silent letters, and closes with words built from smaller words, compounds and contractions.

Where to begin: Begin with Long E Vowel Teams if 2nd Grade Core Spelling is new. Comfort with one early vowel-team unit does not mean the later syllable, silent-letter, or word-building units can be skipped — each teaches a distinct spelling skill.

  1. Long E Vowel Teams: EE and EA A focused 2nd Grade practice list contrasting EE and EA as spellings for long e in familiar one-syllable words. 12 words
  2. Long I Patterns: IE and IGH A focused 2nd Grade list contrasting final IE and IGH as spellings for long i, with familiar IGH word-family practice. 10 words
  3. OI and OY Words Words with the OI and OY diphthong — a vowel sound that glides from one position to another, as in oil, coin, boy, and enjoy. 10 words
  4. OU and OW Words Words with the OU and OW diphthong — the gliding vowel sound heard in out, round, cow, and down. 12 words
  5. Two Sounds of oo The same two letters, oo, spell two different vowel sounds — the long sound heard in moon and the short sound heard in book. 12 words
  6. Vowel Patterns: au and aw Two spellings for the same vowel sound heard in saw and haul — au in the middle of a word, aw at the end or before n and l. 8 words
  7. R-Controlled Vowels: ER, IR, and UR A focused 2nd Grade practice list contrasting ER, IR, and UR as three common spellings for the same r-controlled sound. 9 words
  8. Soft C and Soft G C usually says /k/ and g usually says its hard sound, but before e, i, or y they change — c says /s/ in city, and g says /j/ in page. 12 words
  9. Two-Syllable Words Break a longer word into its two beats, spell each beat with the patterns you already know, and put the two parts back together. 14 words
  10. Words Ending in -le A quiet ending where the last syllable has no vowel sound you can hear — a consonant plus le, as in little, table, and simple. 10 words
  11. Silent Letter Words Common silent letter words for second graders, grouped by WR, KN, and MB spelling patterns. 12 words
  12. Compound Words Two small words joined into one — compound words give second graders a window into how English builds bigger words from smaller parts. 10 words
  13. Contractions Common contractions that second graders read in stories and use in dialogue — words that join two words with an apostrophe. 12 words