Common Exception Words (CEW) for Year 1 to Year 6 – Complete Guide

In the journey of learning to read and write English, most words play by the rules of phonics. But what about rebels? They are known as common exception words. These words are taught to students who are in years 1 to 5, 6 students. They are year 1, year 2, and year 3 common exception words and year 5 and year 6. In this blog, you will learn about Common Exception Words (CEW) from Year 1 to Year 6. There are also some exceptions related to CWE, so this blog also covers these misconceptions and clears them. Read this blog to understand more about common exception words.

What Are Common Exception words?

Some words appear commonly in both texts and while speaking, which cannot be decoded using normal phonics rules. It is because they don't follow normal spelling rules that you use or contain unusual letter combinations. In the UK National Curriculum, they contain statutory words that children are taught to recognise and memorise by sight. They are also known as “tricky words” or “red words” in the classroom. To know about the importance, tricky words, examples, and misconceptions, continue reading the blog.  

What are the Misconceptions related to Common Exception words?

There are misconceptions related to exceptional words that you can learn via practice and following strategies.

• Exception words are always irregular and can't be broken down.
• Exception words can't be taught using phonics.
• All the exception words follow the same unusual rule.
• A child who struggles with exception words must have a learning disability.

These were some misconceptions related to common exception words, and for your information, you can also find the reality behind them.

• Many "exception" words still have parts that follow standard phonics rules. For example, in the word "they", the "th" and "y" graphemes follow a standard sound pattern, even though the "e" makes an "a" sound.
• These types of words are not impossible to teach; instead of being impossible to teach, they are exceptions to spelling rules that are taught through phonics.
• Different exception words have different types of irregularities. Some have sound mismatches, some have unusual vowel sounds, and some have unusual letter patterns.
• Many students find these words difficult because they don't follow the simple rules that are taught. So with target teaching, most children can learn these words accurately.

All these misconceptions can be tackled with reasons. These reasons should help you understand the reasons properly and help mitigate these misconceptions. If you want better quality content, try using Grammar Checker UK.

What Are the Common Exception Words in Distinct Years?

Distinct years (1-6) have different exception words. These words are of different difficulty levels. So, for your ease of learning, some CWEs of different classes are given below in table format. You can learn more by using the internet if you find these interesting. 

Common exception words year 1

Given below are common exception words for year 1. When you combine year 1 and year 2, you get KS1 common exception words.

Common exception words year 2

Given below are year 2 common exception words. These y2 common exception words are taught to children aged 6-7. According to the UK education system, young learners aged 6-7 are expected to master how to read and spell by the end of year 2. Therefore, these year 2 common exception words are taught.

Years 3 and 4 common exception words

In the UK's English national curriculum, year 3 common exception words are combined into a single, comprehensive spelling list for year 3/4 common exception words. Therefore, in the table you will be able to find year 4 common exception words as well. You can also find common exception words for year 3 in the table.

What Is the Importance of Common Exception Words?

• Like Practice vs Practise, it is important to understand common exception words. They are essential for literacy, so learning them is vital for forming coherent sentences and developing strong reading and writing skills.
• Understanding and knowing these words allows learners to access and understand more complex texts and stories.
• They provide a foundation to build more complex sentence structures, which is required to become a better writer.
• These words also help build a better foundation in English grammar. They also help you improve fluency.
• These words help prevent confusion and build confidence. They help children enhance writing skills by creating more complex sentence structures and expressing themselves more effectively.
• Years 1 and 2, common exception words can be considered as building blocks, helping students learn vocabulary faster and effectively.

How to Learn Common Exception Words? 

Tricky words are not easy to learn for many students, whether they're young or old. Old students can understand quite easily these common exception words, but young students, especially for year 1 common exception words, struggle, as they are just 5-6-year-old students. If you feel an issue writing a report or dissertation, feel free to use English Assignment Help services for good-quality content.

• Teaching them common exception words orally helps students increase retention power. Begin with smaller words. If these words are understandable by students, they know the common sounds of 2-3 words.
• Let students learn through charts containing the words, and teach them to make one so that they can revise.
• Give them time to remember and take tests when they are prepared to give a test, and this helps them learn better.
• Develop some games or use the ones seen online related to exception words in the class.

Final Thought 

Common exception words can be taught to students with no issue, but Year 1 common exception words take time, as the students are children of 5-6 years old. Some examples of year 1/2 common exception words are 'the', 'a', 'said', and 'says'. They are an essential bridge between foundational phonics instruction and true reading and writing fluency.

If you feel stuck solving questions, use the Assignment Writing Service that can provide you with expert-level content. Although they challenge the standard phonetic rules children learn early on, these high-frequency "tricky words" must be understood to achieve literacy. Understanding what these words are, the common misconceptions surrounding them, and the specific lists required by different educational stages provides a structured approach to teaching them effectively.