Why are high frequency words important?
High frequency words are, as you'd expect, words that you come across frequently. This means that when children are reading, they'll see lots of these high frequency words. Therefore, it's important that children are able to read these words, pronounce them correctly, spell them, and understand what they mean within a sentence. Just as importantly, children will be using these words in their own writing, so it's an essential part of their literacy development.
Did you know that there are 16 words which make up around a quarter of every piece of writing, for both adults and children? These are examples of high frequency words, which shows exactly why it's essential for children to become familiar with them. Words such as 'he' 'and' 'I' and more tricky words such as 'you' 'said' and 'she' are everywhere when we write and read. As a literate adult, you might not notice them, but they can be significant hurdles for children when it comes to literacy if they aren't taught how to read and write them properly.
High Frequency Word Lists
Spelling Lists
Visit the pages below to find 8 different spelling lists for each year group.