Year 2 common exception words: the full list of 64, with practice
Common exception words are words that don't follow the phonics rules children have learnt yet. In Year 2, children are expected to spell these, not just read them. Here's the full list, then the same words in short weekly sets.
The curriculum lists these words "and/or others", depending on the phonics programme a school uses, so your child's school may use a slightly different list.
The 64 words
Set 1: play and worksheets- after
- again
- any
- bath
- beautiful
- because
- behind
- both
- break
- busy
- child
- children
- Christmas
- class
- climb
- clothes
- cold
- could
- door
- even
- every
- everybody
- eye
- fast
- father
- find
- floor
- gold
- grass
- great
- half
- hold
- hour
- improve
- kind
- last
- many
- mind
- money
- most
- move
- Mr
- Mrs
- old
- only
- parents
- pass
- past
- path
- people
- plant
- poor
- pretty
- prove
- should
- steak
- sugar
- sure
- told
- water
- who
- whole
- wild
- would
Practise them in weekly sets
7 sets of about 9 words. Each set has its own page, to play it and download its worksheets.
Set 1
12 words- door
- floor
- poor
- because
- find
- kind
- mind
- behind
- child
- children
- wild
- climb
Notes from the curriculum
The curriculum's own notes on some of these words, word for word.
- children: Note: ‘children’ is not an exception to what has been taught so far but is included because of its relationship with ‘child’.
- past, last, fast, path, bath: Some words are exceptions in some accents but not in others - e.g. past, last, fast, path and bath are not exceptions in accents where the a in these words is pronounced /æ/, as in cat.
- great, break, steak: Great, break and steak are the only common words where the /eɪ/ sound is spelt ea.
Why are they called exception words?
Part of each word is spelt in an unusual way for the sound it makes, like the "l" in "could" or the "ea" in "great". Some of them come in families that are easier to learn together: could, should and would; find, kind and mind; old, cold and told.
In some accents, words such as "past", "fast", "path" and "bath" aren't exceptions at all. The curriculum says so too.
Ways to help at home
Learn the families together: once "could" is right, "should" and "would" follow.
Read the words in books, and spot them on signs and packets.
Five minutes a day is enough. Spell from memory, then check.
Common exception words and the Year 2 test
The key stage 1 tests have been optional since 2023 to 2024. Some schools still use the spelling paper in May. These words are a good part of what it covers.
If your child is in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Year 2 is P3 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The lists here are from the curriculum in England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don't have a statutory list. If your child's school sends words home, you can make a game from those instead.
More spelling lists
Keep the list, and see how it's going
Spellnino has 26 calm games, chooses which ones to play, brings words back over the following days, and shows you how your child is getting on. It’s free for a month, then £1.99 a month per account.
See pricing