KS1 English textbook

Year 1 English Tricky Words: lesson and practice

  • Strand Reading and spelling
  • Level Year 1
  • Practice 92 questions with step-by-step solutions

National Curriculum for England, Key Stage 1 English, Year 1. Content: Read and spell Year 1 common exception words (tricky words), Find the tricky part of a word, the part that does not follow the usual sound, Say why a word is tricky, and spell it correctly in sentences.

Open Year 1 chapter

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

  • Find the tricky part of a tricky word
  • Read and spell the tricky words for Year 1
  • Say why a word is tricky
  • Choose the right tricky word for a gap in a sentence
  • Use the method: look, say, cover, write, check

You should already know

  • Letters and their sounds (Chapter 1)
  • Two letters that make one sound (Chapter 2)
  • Other ways to write a sound (Chapter 3)

Where this leads

  • Adding endings (Year 1 English Chapter 5)
  • Making sentences (Year 1 English Chapter 6)

Lessons in this chapter

  1. 4.1 What makes a word tricky? · Worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
  2. 4.2 The letter o in tricky words · Worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
  3. 4.3 The letters a, ai and ay in tricky words · Worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
  4. 4.4 The letters e and y that say a long sound · Worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
  5. 4.5 The letters ou and ere in tricky words · Worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
  6. 4.6 Surprise sounds in tricky words · Worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
  7. Summary and key words
  8. Check-up and end-of-chapter quiz · Worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)

Read the whole chapter on one page (good for printing).

Practise with real exam questions

The DfE publishes the old KS1 tests, with mark schemes, for free. They are optional for schools now, so use them as extra practice.

KS1 English past papers