The school year is in full swing, which means you’ve already corrected dozens of spelling mistakes in your students’ work. Do you find yourself correcting the same words over and over? How many times a week do you encounter the infamous “alot”? Will your students ever learn to spell the word “probably”?

There’s a reason you keep correcting the same spelling mistakes. Research shows that a small number of words—about 300—account for more than half the words students misspell in their writing. A Research in Action project reviewed 18,599 written compositions of children in grades 1–8, and the researchers found that a small set of common words tend to be misspelled over and over. The words students misspell in the primary grades continue to be misspelled by students in the intermediate grades and in middle school.

Based on this extensive study, the researchers compiled a list of the 100 Most Frequently Misspelled Words Across Eight Grade Levels. For your convenience, we’ve taken this list and formatted it into a document you can use to assess your students on these words and track their progress. This free resource includes ideas for how to use this list in your classroom. Download this free resource here.

Additionally, the educators on our staff have developed a Focus Word System for Mastering Frequently Misspelled Words. You can easily implement this system alongside your current spelling program to provide instruction and review in the specific words an individual student tends to continually misspell. This useful resource is also free, and you can download it here.

If you’re looking to step up your spelling instruction even more, we encourage you to check out our popular Signs for Sounds spelling program. This research-based spelling program systematically builds proficiency in spelling while reinforcing reading skills. Signs for Sounds teaches the spelling of decodable words and irregular high-frequency words. Check out these downloadable samples for a great overview of the Signs for Sounds program and to try it out for free.

We’d love to partner with you in helping your students become more proficient spellers this year—not only because it will make your paper-grading easier, but because strong spelling skills will improve their overall competence and confidence in school. Let us know how we can support you, and don’t forget to check out the helpful free resources we offer!