6th Grade Spelling Words

How to practice spelling words

• Hear it, then spell it. Spelling from a word you hear is the real skill. In Owl Test Prep, Owl-y says each word and uses it in a sentence, and you type it.
• Short and often. Ten words a day beats fifty on Friday night. Owl-y keeps a streak so the habit sticks.
• Missed words come back. A word you miss comes back later that day, then again over the next week, until it sticks.
• Look at the tricky part. Most misses are one spot: a double letter, a silent letter, an ending. Say it slowly and find that spot.

Animals (12)

• mosquitoa small flying insect that bites and sucks blood
• crustaceanan animal with a hard shell, like a crab or shrimp
• pheasanta large bird with a long, colorful tail
• albatrossa large seabird with very long wings
• millipedea long, crawling creature with many pairs of legs
• wildebeesta large antelope with curved horns and a shaggy mane
• nightingalea small brown songbird known for its beautiful nighttime song
• gazellea slender, fast antelope that lives on grassy plains
• kingfishera colorful bird that dives into water to catch fish
• anteatera mammal with a long snout that eats ants and termites
• meerkata small, social mongoose that stands upright on guard
• armadilloa mammal with a hard shell of bony plates

Food (12)

• cuisinea style of cooking, especially from one place
• vegetariana person who does not eat meat
• nutritiousfull of the vitamins and minerals your body needs
• marinadea seasoned liquid that flavors meat before cooking
• gourmetof the highest quality, especially in food
• appetizera small dish served before the main meal
• tablespoona large spoon used to measure cooking ingredients
• leftoversfood that remains after a meal is finished
• mayonnaisea thick, creamy sauce made from eggs and oil
• broccolia green vegetable with tight clusters of tiny buds
• pomegranatea round fruit with many red seeds inside a leathery skin
• croissanta buttery, flaky, crescent-shaped roll of pastry

Sports (12)

• triathlona race combining swimming, cycling, and running
• accelerateto speed up quickly
• decathlonan event with ten track and field contests
• racqueta sports tool with strings used to hit a ball
• staminathe energy needed to keep going during hard work
• rivalrya strong competition between two teams or players
• offensethe team trying to score points
• fencinga sport in which two athletes duel with thin swords
• racquetballa fast court game played with a small ball and a racket
• curlinga winter sport where players slide stones across ice
• handballa team sport in which players throw a small ball by hand
• penaltya punishment given for breaking the rules of a game

Space (12)

• cosmicrelating to the universe as a whole
• solsticethe day with the most or least sunlight in a year
• eccentricdescribing an orbit that is an oval rather than a circle
• ultravioletlight beyond violet that people cannot see
• infraredheat-carrying light that is invisible to human eyes
• orbitalrelating to the path that one object follows around another
• exospherethe outermost layer of a planet's atmosphere
• apogeethe point in an orbit farthest from the body being orbited
• pulsara spinning star that sends out regular beams of radio waves
• protostara young star that is still forming from gas and dust
• parallaxa shift in an object's apparent position when viewed from two spots
• gyroscopea spinning device that helps keep a spacecraft steady

Ocean (12)

• estuarya place where a river meets the sea
• maritimerelating to the sea and to ships
• buoyantable to float on water or in air
• marinera sailor, especially one who works on the sea
• barracudaa long, fierce fish with sharp teeth found in warm seas
• mackerela fast, oily sea fish often eaten grilled or smoked
• marlina large, fast sea fish with a long spear-like bill
• narwhala whale that lives in cold northern seas and has a long, spiral tusk
• porpoisea small, toothed whale with a blunt snout
• nautilusa sea creature with a spiral shell divided into chambers
• straita narrow strip of water connecting two larger bodies of water
• floundera flat fish that lies on the sandy sea floor

Nature and weather (12)

• chrysanthemuma flower with many layered petals that blooms in autumn
• precipitationrain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds
• marigolda bright orange or yellow flower
• germinateto begin to grow, as a seed does
• thicketa dense growth of bushes and small trees
• hailstorma storm that drops hard balls of ice
• stalactitean icicle-shaped rock hanging from a cave ceiling
• stalagmitea rock that rises from a cave floor, built by dripping water
• cyclonea large, spinning storm with very low pressure at its center
• typhoona powerful tropical storm with heavy rain and strong winds
• eucalyptusa tall evergreen tree with strong-smelling leaves
• magnoliaa tree or shrub with large, fragrant white or pink flowers

Home and family (12)

• householdall the people who live together in one home
• siblinga brother or sister
• nephewthe son of your brother or sister
• mortgagea loan used to buy a house over many years
• pajamasloose clothes worn to bed
• responsibilitya job or duty you are expected to do
• wardrobea large cabinet for storing clothes
• vestibulea small entrance hall between a door and the main room
• parlora formal sitting room for receiving guests
• appliancea machine in a home that does a task, like a toaster
• cellaran underground room used for storing food and jars
• ancestrythe family line you come from, going back many generations

School (12)

• bibliographya list of books and articles used in a report
• biographya book that tells the true story of a person's life
• thesaurusa book that lists words with similar meanings
• unnecessarynot needed or required
• procedurea set of steps followed to complete a task
• curriculumthe set of courses taught by a school
• substitutea person who teaches a class when the teacher is away
• essaya short piece of writing about one topic
• metaphora comparison that says one thing is another thing
• syntaxthe rules that arrange words into sentences
• diplomaan official paper showing that you finished school
• homonyma word that sounds like another but has a different meaning

Music and art (12)

• choreographythe planning of steps and movements in a dance
• rehearseto practice a play, song, or dance before a show
• balleta graceful style of dance performed on the toes
• acousticsthe science of how sound behaves in a space
• pianista person who plays the piano
• calligraphydecorative handwriting done with a special pen or brush
• ceramicmade from clay that has been baked in a kiln
• masterpiecean outstanding work of art made with great skill
• improviseto create music or a performance without planning it
• silhouettea dark outline of a shape against a light background
• oboea double-reed woodwind instrument with a sharp tone
• bassoona large woodwind instrument with a deep, low sound

Body and health (12)

• metabolismthe chemical processes that turn food into energy
• respiratoryrelating to breathing and the lungs
• cartilagea flexible tissue that cushions the joints
• immunitythe body's ability to resist a particular disease
• fracturea crack or break in a bone
• pharmacya store where medicines are prepared and sold
• hydrationkeeping enough water in your body
• stethoscopea tool doctors use to listen to the heart and lungs
• posturethe way you hold your body when sitting or standing
• antibodya protein that fights germs in the blood
• intestinea long, coiled tube in the body that digests food
• larynxthe voice box in the throat that makes sound

Places and travel (12)

• landscapethe natural scenery of an area of land
• populationthe total number of people living in one place
• itinerarya planned schedule for a trip
• canala man-made waterway for boats to travel through
• isthmusa narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas
• altitudehow high something is above sea level
• deltaa low, flat area where a river splits into many branches
• oasisa green spot with water in the middle of a desert
• atolla ring-shaped coral island that surrounds a lagoon
• bayoua slow, marshy creek with cypress trees and still water
• ravinea deep, narrow valley with steep sides cut by water
• steppea flat, dry grassland with few trees

Science (12)

• elementa pure substance made of only one kind of atom
• conductora material that lets electricity or heat pass through
• velocityspeed in a particular direction
• inertiathe tendency of an object to stay still or keep moving
• mixturea combination of two or more substances that are not chemically joined
• lasera narrow beam of concentrated light
• algorithma set of steps a computer follows to solve a problem
• osmosisthe movement of water through a membrane from less to more concentrated
• enzymea protein that speeds up a chemical reaction in living things
• protona positively charged particle found in an atom's nucleus
• nucleusthe central core of an atom or the control center of a cell
• penduluma weight hanging from a string that swings back and forth

People and feelings (12)

• perseverancesteady determination to keep going despite difficulty
• resilientable to recover quickly from difficulties
• hesitantunsure and slow to act
• architecta person who designs buildings
• veterinariana doctor who treats animals
• journalista person who writes news stories for newspapers
• reluctantunwilling to do something
• gratitudea thankful feeling for kindness received
• humilitya modest view of your own importance
• vigilantwatchful and careful to notice possible danger
• graciouspolite, kind, and generous in how you treat others
• disciplinedable to control yourself and keep working toward a goal

Adventure (12)

• prophecya prediction about what will happen in the future
• treacherousvery dangerous and difficult to cross or survive
• embarkto begin a journey
• ingeniousclever and inventive
• summonto call someone or something to come
• apprenticea person learning a craft from a skilled master
• dungeonan underground prison or hidden room in an old castle
• centaura mythical creature with a human upper body and a horse's body
• navigatora person who plans and steers the route of a ship or plane
• relican old object that is valued because of its history
• phoenixa mythical bird that bursts into flame and is reborn
• griffina mythical beast with an eagle's head and a lion's body

Tricky words (12)

• sincerelyin an honest and genuine way
• privilegea special right or advantage given to someone
• pseudonyma made-up name used by a writer
• saila large piece of cloth that catches wind on a boat
• stationerywriting paper and envelopes
• mischievousplayful and a little naughty
• accidentallyby chance and not on purpose
• daughtera female child of a parent
• possessionsomething that you own
• solemnserious and quiet, without much smiling
• yachta fancy sailboat or motorboat used for leisure
• wrestleto struggle with someone by grabbing and pushing

Questions people ask