Year 2 Common Exception Words: Full List & Teaching Tips

Few things frustrate a young reader like a word that refuses to be sounded out. In Year 2, children in UK schools meet 64 common exception words—spellings that deliberately break the phonics rules they’ve just mastered.

Number of Year 2 common exception words: 64 ·
Year group in UK curriculum: Year 2 (ages 6–7) ·
Example word: because: Spelled irregularly ·
Example word: sugar: Spelled with ‘s’ as ‘sh’ ·
Teaching approach: Phonics and repetition

The official curriculum defines 64 words that break phonetic rules, and the teaching approach combines phonics awareness with repetition.

What are Year 2 common exception words?

Definition and purpose

• Common exception words are words that do not fit usual spelling patterns and are taught separately so children can become accustomed to them (PlanBee (teaching resource provider)).
• They are part of the UK National Curriculum for Year 2 (ages 6–7) (UK Department for Education (national curriculum)).
• Oxford Owl describes them as words children are expected to be able to spell by the end of Year 2, using spelling rules that are not normal (Oxford Owl (UK educational publisher)).

Why they are exceptions

• Common exception words are words in which the English spelling code works in an unusual or uncommon way (Howitt Primary School (UK school)).
• Twinkl states that common exception words are frequently used in writing but cannot be spelled phonetically (Twinkl (educational publisher)).
• For example, the word sugar is spelled with an ‘s’ that makes the ‘sh’ sound – a rule that appears almost nowhere else in English.

How many common exception words are there in Year 2?

Official list size

• The official Year 2 common exception words list contains 64 words (UK Department for Education (national curriculum)).
• Oxford Owl’s Year 2 list includes 63 words (Oxford Owl (UK educational publisher)).
• A YouTube video by LOU BEE ABC reportedly covers 63 words (LOU BEE ABC (YouTube channel)).

Full list from curriculum documents

• The Department for Education’s English Appendix 1 lists words such as door, floor, poor, because, sugar, climb, eye, great, break, improve, move, prove, sure, who, whole, any, many, both, four, only, their, there, these, those, where, were, here, hear, know, once, please, pretty, well, again, brother, father, hour, money, parents, water, baby, children, fast, half, hold, keep, kind, last, mind, most, old, own, pass, past, plant, sweet, told, tries, use, used, walk, warm, wild, world (Oakhill Primary School (UK school PDF)).

How to teach Year 2 common exception words?

Phonics-based strategies

• Teaching methods include colour-coding graphemes – for example, Monster Phonics colour-codes the tricky part so children see the exception (PlanBee (teaching resource provider)).
• Oakhill Primary School suggests printing words, cutting them up, and placing them in a hat or bowl for a classroom game (Oakhill Primary School (UK school)).
• Repetition and regular reading help retention (Oxford Owl (UK educational publisher)).

Flashcards and games

• The Mum Educates provides printable flashcards and a common exception words mat (The Mum Educates (teacher resource site)).
• EMILE Education recommends memory games such as hangman and concentration (EMILE Education (teaching resource site)).
• Using a word mat on pupils’ desks helps them become familiar with spellings (EMILE Education).

Spelling practice routines

• Make sentences with Year 2 common exception words (EMILE Education).
• Spelling quiz worksheets with multiple-choice options can test recall (EMILE Education).
• Printable checklists can track progress (The Mum Educates).

The implication: a single teaching method rarely works for every child, so blending strategies gives the best chance of mastery.

Where can I find Year 2 common exception words worksheets?

Printable PDF worksheets

• Twinkl’s Year 2 common exception words activity book is a printable PDF designed for pupils to master tricky words through spelling, speaking, and writing exercises (Twinkl (educational publisher)).
• The Mum Educates offers free worksheets including a word mat, flashcards, and a sentences worksheet (The Mum Educates (teacher resource site)).
• Howitt Primary School groups printable Year 1 and Year 2 common exception word resources into PDFs and activity books (Howitt Primary School (UK school)).

Online interactive activities

• Oxford Owl provides online support and downloadable lists (Oxford Owl (UK educational publisher)).
• EMILE Education suggests phonics books containing common exception words as indirect exposure for learners (EMILE Education (teaching resource site)).

School resource packs

• Oakhill Primary School’s downloadable PDF includes a full list and a cut-out game (Oakhill Primary School (UK school)).
• Many schools publish their own checklists and activity sheets on .sch.uk domains – a quick search for “Year 2 common exception words .sch.uk” turns up dozens.

The catch: free school resources are reliable, but commercial packs sometimes offer more structured progression.

What is the list of Year 2 common exception words?

Alphabetical list

• From the Department for Education’s English Appendix 1 and confirmed by multiple school PDFs, the full list includes: again, any, baby, bath, because, both, break, brother, children, class, climb, clothes, cold, door, every, eye, fast, father, floor, gold, great, half, hear, here, hold, hour, improve, keep, kind, know, last, many, mind, money, most, move, old, once, only, own, parents, pass, past, path, plant, please, poor, pretty, prove, should, steak, sugar, sure, sweet, told, tries, use, used, walk, warm, water, well, where, who, whole, wild, with, would, world (Oakhill Primary School (UK school))

Checklist format

• Printable checklists are available from Oxford Owl and the Department for Education (Oxford Owl (UK educational publisher)).
• Many teachers use a tick-box checklist to track which words each pupil can spell correctly (The Mum Educates (teacher resource site)).

Step-by-Step Guide to Teaching Year 2 Common Exception Words

1. Introduce the list – Print a complete checklist and display it in the classroom or at home.
2. Colour-code the tricky part – Use highlighters or coloured pens to mark the phonetically irregular grapheme (e.g., the o in could).
3. Flashcard practice – Create flashcards using free printable resources from The Mum Educates or Twinkl.
4. Play memory games – Use the cut-out list as a concentration or “word snap” game.
5. Write sentences – Ask children to write a sentence for each word to reinforce meaning and spelling.
6. Test with a quiz – Use multiple-choice worksheets from EMILE Education.
7. Read daily – Regular reading of books that include these words builds natural familiarity.

Confirmed facts vs What’s unclear

For parents and teachers, the path to mastering these 64 words is clear: consistent, playful practice paired with phonics awareness. Without it, children risk struggling with spelling confidence in later years.

Teachers looking for a complete list of Year 2 common exception words can find a detailed guide at Year 2 common exception words.

Frequently asked questions