Common exception words: Year 1 and Year 2 lists
The full national curriculum lists, a better way to teach them than flashcard drilling, and a practice grid you can tap through with your child. No login, nothing to download.
Quick answer
- What
- Common words that do not follow the phonics children have learned so far, such as said, was and friend.
- How many
- 45 in Year 1 and 64 in Year 2 in the national curriculum list.
- Also called
- Tricky words, red words, or "harder to read and spell" words, depending on the school's phonics programme.
- Best method
- Sound out the regular part, then learn only the tricky bit.
What is a common exception word?
Most English words can be read by sounding out the letters. A few very common words have a part that does not match the sounds children have been taught yet. In said, the s and the d are regular; only the ai, which sounds like the "e" in "bed", is unusual.
The lists below come from the national curriculum for England. Schools may add or swap words to match their own phonics programme, so your child's school list may be slightly different.
Year 1 list: 45 words
Tap a word when your child can read it confidently. Taps are saved in this browser only.
Year 2 list: 64 words
Word lists: Department for Education, National curriculum in England, English Appendix 1: Spelling. Crown copyright, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Why some words are only tricky in some accents
The national curriculum itself notes that some of these words are only exceptions in some accents. Fast, last, past, path and bath are tricky where the "a" sounds long, as in much of southern England. Where the "a" sounds like the one in "cat", they are perfectly regular. Children is on the list because of its link to child, not because it is irregular.
Teaching outside the UK? Use the accent your class hears every day. If "bath" rhymes with "math" for your children, teach it as a regular word.
How to teach them: find the tricky bit
Learning whole words by sight, like pictures, is slow and does not transfer. The national curriculum asks teachers to point out the parts of each word that do and do not fit what children know. In practice:
- Say the word and use it in a sentence.
- Sound it out together and write the sounds you hear.
- Compare with the real spelling. Which part is different? Circle it or write it in a different colour.
- Learn just that part. "In said, the ai says e."
- Read it in sentences over the next few days, and write it from memory.
| Word | Regular part | Tricky bit |
|---|---|---|
| said | s, d | ai sounds like "e" |
| was | w, s (as z) | a sounds like "o" |
| friend | f, r, n, d | ie sounds like "e" |
| could | c, d | oul sounds like "oo" in "book" |
| people | p, p, le | eo sounds like "ee" |
| water | w, t, er | a sounds like "or" |
10-minute games that work
- Look, say, cover, write, check. Five words a night, no more.
- Word hunt. Pick two words and count how often they turn up in tonight's book.
- Silly sentences. Use three list words in one sentence: "My friend said the house was full of cats."
- Rainbow writing. Write the word three times in three colours, with the tricky bit in red each time.
- Beat the timer. Read the ticked words in the grid above against a one-minute timer, then try to beat it next week.
What comes next: Years 3 to 6
There are separate statutory word lists for Years 3 and 4 and for Years 5 and 6, with 100 words each, such as "accident", "February" and "separate". They are in the same DfE spelling appendix.
Frequently asked questions
How many common exception words are there in Year 1 and Year 2?
45 in Year 1 and 64 in Year 2 in the national curriculum list. Schools may add others from their phonics programme.
Are tricky words the same as common exception words?
Mostly. Different phonics programmes use different names and slightly different lists.
Should children memorise common exception words by sight?
Only the tricky part. Sound out the regular letters, then learn the unusual bit.
Why is "path" a common exception word?
In many southern English accents the "a" in path sounds long, which does not match the usual sound. In other accents it is a regular word.
Is there a list for Year 3 and Year 4?
Yes. There is a separate statutory list of 100 words for Years 3 and 4, and another for Years 5 and 6.
Practise these words every day, in class and at home
Litlings games mix tricky words into reading practice and show you which ones each child still finds hard. Free for up to 40 pupils.
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