Word sort activities — Years 5/6
Year group: 5/6
Source: DfE, English Appendix 1: Spelling (2013)
Purpose: Printable word sort activities for Y5/6 spelling patterns.
How to run a word sort
- Print and cut the word card grid below, or write words on small slips of paper
- Give pupils the column headers only — not the completed sort
- Pupils sort in pairs — they must say why each word goes where it does
- Discuss as a class — focus on reasoning, not just the answer
The talking is the learning. A pupil who can say "I put 'ferocious' in the -cious column because the root is 'ferocity' — the c is already there" knows the pattern far better than one who memorises the spelling in isolation.
Sort 1: -cious or -tious?
Column headers: -cious · -tious · Can be either / check the root
Word cards — print and cut:
| ferocious | cautious | suspicious | ambitious | precious |
| nutritious | conscious | fictitious | spacious | infectious |
| atrocious | contentious | gracious | superstitious | vicious |
| ostentatious | delicious | conscientious | voracious | repetitious |
| tenacious | pretentious | loquacious | adventitious | efficacious |
Column header cards:
| -cious | -tious |
|---|
(Tip: find the root word. Space → spacious (-cious). Ambition → ambitious (-tious, because the root ends in -tion). When the root ends in a vowel, it's usually -cious; when it ends in -tion, it becomes -tious.)
Sort 2: -able or -ible?
Column headers: -able (base is a whole word, or links to -ation) · -ible (base is not a whole word, or links to -ion)
Word cards — print and cut:
| comfortable | possible | noticeable | terrible | reliable |
| visible | manageable | horrible | reasonable | sensible |
| adorable | responsible | fashionable | incredible | digestible |
| accessible | desirable | convertible | believable | reversible |
| divisible | lovable | permissible | laughable | flexible |
Column header cards:
| -able | -ible |
|---|
(Test: if the base is a complete word, -able is usually right: comfort → comfortable. If the base is not a standalone word, -ible: poss- is not a word → possible. The -ation link: admiration exists → admirable.)
Sort 3: -ant/-ance or -ent/-ence?
Column headers: -ant/-ance (related -ation word exists) · -ent/-ence (no related -ation word)
Word cards — print and cut:
| observant | innocent | hesitant | different | expectant |
| frequent | tolerant | confident | dominant | excellent |
| relevant | patient | significant | evidence | abundance |
| confidence | brilliance | prevalence | importance | obedience |
| ignorance | intelligence | resistance | assistance | competence |
Column header cards:
| -ant/-ance (-ation word exists) | -ent/-ence (no -ation word) |
|---|
(Test: observation exists → observant. Expectation exists → expectant. But there's no differentation → different, not differant.)
Sort 4: -fer words — does the r double?
Column headers: r doubles (stress on second syllable) · r stays single (stress on first syllable)
Word cards — print and cut:
| referred | preference | reference | transferred | inference |
| inferred | conference | offering | preferred | suffered |
| deferred | difference | occurred | referring | suffering |
| preferring | transference | deferring | differing | buffered |
Column header cards:
| Doubles (stressed 2nd syllable) | Stays single (stressed 1st syllable) |
|---|
(The stress shifts: preFER → preferRED (stress stays on fer → double r). PREfer → PREference (stress moves away from fer → single r).)
Sort 5: Statutory word list — sort by spelling challenge
Column headers: Silent or unexpected letter · Unusual vowel pattern · Easy to misspell the ending · Looks like another word
Word cards — print and cut:
| accommodate | exaggerate | committee | conscience | embarrass |
| existence | foreign | guarantee | mischievous | parliament |
| necessary | occasion | relevant | rhythm | secretary |
| separate | privilege | definite | hindrance | immediately |
| environment | cemetery | category | apparent | correspond |
(Discussion point: which words look easiest but catch the most people? Often it's words we think we know — necessary, separate, definite.)
Blank sort template
Pattern I am sorting: _______________________________________________
Column header cards:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 |
|---|
My word cards:
Extension: Can pupils add three more words to any column from memory? Can they write a sentence that uses one word correctly?
Source: DfE English Appendix 1: Spelling (2013). Word sort pedagogy: Dymock & Nicholson (2017), Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties — rule-based instruction and word sorting produce significantly greater transfer to new words than word-list memorisation.