What is the Spache Words List?
The Spache readability formula uses a set of familiar words. The text is then scored against this, with unfamiliar words decreasing readability.
Spache scores are most useful for children up to grade four. Above this, the New Dale Chall formula is best for older children.
The Spache word list is as follows:
- a
- able
- about
- above
- across
- act
- add
- afraid
- after
- afternoon
- again
- against
- ago
- air
- airplane
- alarm
- all
- almost
- alone
- along
- already
- also
- always
- am
- among
- an
- and
- angry
- animal
- another
- answer
- any
- anyone
- appear
- apple
- are
- arm
- around
- arrow
- as
- ask
- asleep
- at
- ate
- attention
- aunt
- awake
- away
- b
- baby
- back
- bad
- bag
- ball
- balloon
- bang
- bank
- bark
- barn
- basket
- be
- bean
- bear
- beat
- beautiful
- became
- because
- become
- bed
- bee
- been
- before
- began
- begin
- behind
- believe
- bell
- belong
- bend
- bent
- beside
- best
- better
- between
- big
- bird
- birthday
- bit
- bite
- black
- blanket
- blew
- block
- blow
- blue
- board
- boat
- book
- boot
- born
- borrow
- both
- bother
- bottle
- bottom
- bought
- bow
- box
- boy
- branch
- brave
- bread
- break
- breakfast
- breath
- brick
- bridge
- bright
- bring
- broke
- broken
- brother
- brought
- brown
- brush
- build
- bump
- burn
- bus
- busy
- but
- butter
- button
- buy
- by
- c
- cabin
- cage
- cake
- call
- came
- camp
- can
- candle
- candy
- can't
- cap
- captain
- car
- card
- care
- careful
- carrot
- carry
- case
- castle
- cat
- catch
- cattle
- caught
- cause
- cent
- certain
- chair
- chance
- change
- chase
- chicken
- chief
- child
- children
- church
- circle
- circus
- city
- clap
- clean
- clever
- cliff
- climb
- clock
- close
- cloth
- clothes
- clown
- coat
- cold
- color
- come
- comfortable
- company
- contest
- continue
- cook
- cool
- corner
- could
- count
- country
- course
- cover
- cow
- crawl
- cream
- cry
- cup
- curtain
- cut
- d
- dad
- dance
- danger
- dangerous
- dark
- dash
- daughter
- day
- dear
- decide
- deep
- desk
- did
- didn't
- die
- different
- dig
- dinner
- direction
- disappear
- disappoint
- discover
- distance
- do
- doctor
- does
- dog
- dollar
- done
- don't
- door
- down
- dragon
- dream
- dress
- drink
- drive
- drop
- drove
- dry
- duck
- during
- dust
- e
- each
- eager
- ear
- early
- earn
- earth
- easy
- eat
- edge
- egg
- eight
- eighteen
- either
- elephant
- else
- empty
- end
- enemy
- enough
- enter
- even
- ever
- every
- everything
- exact
- except
- excite
- exclaim
- explain
- eye
- face
- fact
- fair
- fall
- family
- far
- farm
- farmer
- farther
- fast
- fat
- father
- feather
- feed
- feel
- feet
- fell
- fellow
- felt
- fence
- few
- field
- fierce
- fight
- figure
- fill
- final
- find
- fine
- finger
- finish
- fire
- first
- fish
- five
- flag
- flash
- flat
- flew
- floor
- flower
- fly
- follow
- food
- for
- forest
- forget
- forth
- found
- four
- fourth
- fox
- fresh
- friend
- frighten
- frog
- from
- front
- fruit
- full
- fun
- funny
- fur
- g
- game
- garden
- gasp
- gate
- gave
- get
- giant
- gift
- girl
- give
- glad
- glass
- go
- goat
- gone
- good
- got
- grandfather
- grandmother
- grass
- gray
- great
- green
- grew
- grin
- ground
- group
- grow
- growl
- guess
- gun
- h
- had
- hair
- half
- hall
- hand
- handle
- hang
- happen
- happiness
- happy
- hard
- harm
- has
- hat
- hate
- have
- he
- head
- hear
- heard
- heavy
- held
- hello
- help
- hen
- her
- here
- herself
- he's
- hid
- hide
- high
- hill
- him
- himself
- his
- hit
- hold
- hole
- holiday
- home
- honey
- hop
- horn
- horse
- hot
- hour
- house
- how
- howl
- hum
- hundred
- hung
- hungry
- hunt
- hurry
- hurt
- husband
- i
- ice
- idea
- if
- i'll
- i'm
- imagine
- important
- in
- inch
- indeed
- inside
- instead
- into
- invite
- is
- it
- it's
- its
- j
- jacket
- jar
- jet
- job
- join
- joke
- joy
- jump
- just
- k
- keep
- kept
- key
- kick
- kill
- kind
- king
- kitchen
- kitten
- knee
- knew
- knock
- know
- l
- ladder
- lady
- laid
- lake
- land
- large
- last
- late
- laugh
- lay
- lazy
- lead
- leap
- learn
- least
- leave
- left
- leg
- less
- let
- let's
- letter
- lick
- lift
- light
- like
- line
- lion
- list
- listen
- little
- live
- load
- long
- look
- lost
- lot
- loud
- love
- low
- luck
- lump
- lunch
- m
- machine
- made
- magic
- make
- man
- many
- march
- mark
- market
- master
- matter
- may
- maybe
- me
- mean
- meant
- meat
- meet
- melt
- men
- merry
- met
- middle
- might
- mile
- milk
- milkman
- mind
- mine
- minute
- miss
- mistake
- moment
- money
- monkey
- month
- more
- morning
- most
- mother
- mountain
- mouse
- mouth
- move
- much
- mud
- music
- must
- my
- n
- name
- near
- neck
- need
- needle
- neighbor
- neighborhood
- nest
- never
- new
- next
- nibble
- nice
- night
- nine
- no
- nod
- noise
- none
- north
- nose
- not
- note
- nothing
- notice
- now
- number
- o
- ocean
- of
- off
- offer
- often
- oh
- old
- on
- once
- one
- only
- open
- or
- orange
- order
- other
- our
- out
- outside
- over
- owl
- own
- p
- pack
- paid
- pail
- paint
- pair
- palace
- pan
- paper
- parade
- parent
- park
- part
- party
- pass
- past
- pasture
- path
- paw
- pay
- peanut
- peek
- pen
- penny
- people
- perfect
- perhaps
- person
- pet
- pick
- picnic
- picture
- pie
- piece
- pig
- pile
- pin
- place
- plan
- plant
- play
- pleasant
- please
- plenty
- plow
- picket
- point
- poke
- pole
- policeman
- pond
- poor
- pop
- postman
- pot
- potato
- pound
- pour
- practice
- prepare
- present
- pretend
- pretty
- princess
- prize
- probably
- problem
- promise
- protect
- proud
- puff
- pull
- puppy
- push
- put
- q
- queen
- queer
- quick
- quiet
- quite
- r
- rabbit
- raccoon
- race
- radio
- rag
- rain
- raise
- ran
- ranch
- rang
- reach
- read
- ready
- real
- red
- refuse
- remember
- reply
- rest
- return
- reward
- rich
- ride
- right
- ring
- river
- road
- roar
- rock
- rode
- roll
- roof
- room
- rope
- round
- row
- rub
- rule
- run
- rush
- s
- sad
- safe
- said
- sail
- sale
- salt
- same
- sand
- sang
- sat
- save
- saw
- say
- scare
- school
- scold
- scratch
- scream
- sea
- seat
- second
- secret
- see
- seed
- seem
- seen
- sell
- send
- sent
- seven
- several
- sew
- shadow
- shake
- shall
- shape
- she
- sheep
- shell
- shine
- ship
- shoe
- shone
- shook
- shoot
- shop
- shore
- short
- shot
- should
- show
- sick
- side
- sight
- sign
- signal
- silent
- silly
- silver
- since
- sing
- sister
- sit
- six
- size
- skip
- sky
- sled
- sleep
- slid
- slide
- slow
- small
- smart
- smell
- smile
- smoke
- snap
- sniff
- snow
- so
- soft
- sold
- some
- something
- sometimes
- son
- song
- soon
- sorry
- sound
- speak
- special
- spend
- spill
- splash
- spoke
- spot
- spread
- spring
- squirrel
- stand
- star
- start
- station
- stay
- step
- stick
- still
- stone
- stood
- stop
- store
- story
- straight
- strange
- street
- stretch
- strike
- strong
- such
- sudden
- sugar
- suit
- summer
- sun
- supper
- suppose
- sure
- surprise
- swallow
- sweet
- swim
- swing
- t
- table
- tail
- take
- talk
- tall
- tap
- taste
- teach
- teacher
- team
- tear
- teeth
- telephone
- tell
- ten
- tent
- than
- thank
- that
- that's
- the
- their
- them
- then
- there
- these
- they
- thick
- thin
- thing
- think
- third
- this
- those
- though
- thought
- three
- threw
- through
- throw
- tie
- tiger
- tight
- time
- tiny
- tip
- tire
- to
- today
- toe
- together
- told
- tomorrow
- too
- took
- tooth
- top
- touch
- toward
- tower
- town
- toy
- track
- traffic
- train
- trap
- tree
- trick
- trip
- trot
- truck
- true
- trunk
- try
- turkey
- turn
- turtle
- twelve
- twin
- two
- u
- ugly
- uncle
- under
- unhappy
- until
- up
- upon
- upstairs
- us
- use
- usual
- v
- valley
- vegetable
- very
- village
- visit
- voice
- w
- wag
- wagon
- wait
- wake
- walk
- want
- war
- warm
- was
- wash
- waste
- watch
- water
- wave
- way
- we
- wear
- weather
- week
- well
- went
- were
- wet
- what
- wheel
- when
- where
- which
- while
- whisper
- whistle
- white
- who
- whole
- whose
- why
- wide
- wife
- will
- win
- wind
- window
- wing
- wink
- winter
- wire
- wise
- wish
- with
- without
- woke
- wolf
- woman
- women
- wonder
- won't
- wood
- word
- wore
- work
- world
- worm
- worry
- worth
- would
- wrong
- x
- y
- yard
- year
- yell
- yellow
- yes
- yet
- you
- young
- your
- z
- zoo"
Updated on: 11/11/2020
Thank you!