Year 3 Spelling Detectives
Ages 7–8 • Beginner • UK National Curriculum
Instructions: Read each prompt carefully and write your answers in the boxes. Use the examples and word banks to help you spot spelling patterns. Check each word before moving on.
Build Words with Prefixes
Add the prefix in brackets to the root word to make a new word. The example shows how a prefix changes a word: un + kind = unkind. Write the complete word in each box.
Example: un + kind = unkind
1. dis + agree =
2. mis + spell =
3. re + paint =
4. pre + view =
5. sub + marine =
6. inter + act =
Choose the Right Prefix
Use the word bank to complete each word. Each prefix is used once. Read the whole word aloud to check that it makes sense, then write it in the box.
Word bank: super, anti, auto, un
1. A book about someone's own life is an ___biography.
2. A substance that works against poison is an ___dote.
3. A person who is not happy is ___happy.
4. A hero with extraordinary powers is a ___hero.
Suffix Spelling Workshop
Add the suffix shown to the root word. Keep the root word's spelling in mind: for example, quick + ly = quickly. Write each complete word in the box.
1. quick + ly =
2. kind + ly =
3. inform + ation =
4. explore + ation =
5. poison + ous =
6. danger + ous =
Homophones in Sentences
Choose the correct word from the pair in brackets to complete each sentence. Think about what the sentence means before you decide. Write the chosen word in the box.
1. I can ___ the birds singing outside. (hear / here)
2. We walked ___ the park after lunch. (through / threw)
3. The ___ of the hill was covered in snow. (peak / peek)
4. Please put the books over ___. (there / their)
5. I ate a ___ of toast for breakfast. (piece / peace)
Year 3/4 Statutory Words
Use the word bank to complete each sentence. Check the spelling carefully, especially any tricky letter patterns. Each word is used once.
Word bank: believe, calendar, describe, difficult, February, library
1. I ___ that we can finish the puzzle together.
2. Mark the school trip date on the ___.
3. Can you ___ the character in the story?
4. The last question was quite ___.
5. There are twenty-eight days in ___.
6. We borrowed a book from the ___.
Spelling Check: Spot and Correct
Each sentence contains one misspelt Year 3/4 statutory word. Find the misspelling and write the correct spelling in the box. Remember to check carefully rather than copying the word as it appears.
1. We had an acciddent on the playground, but nobody was hurt.
2. The museum is in the town sentre.
3. I will remmember to bring my reading book.
4. The magician performed a surprize trick.
Activity 1: disagree ; misspell ; repaint ; preview ; submarine ; interact
Activity 2: autobiography ; antidote ; unhappy ; superhero
Activity 3: quickly ; kindly ; information ; exploration ; poisonous ; dangerous
Activity 4: hear ; through ; peak ; there ; piece
Activity 5: believe ; calendar ; describe ; difficult ; February ; library
Activity 6: accident ; centre ; remember ; surprise
📚 Great books for English
Handpicked books to support learning at home · Amazon affiliate links

CGP KS2 English SATs Revision Book
Grammar, punctuation and spelling revision for Year 6
Usually ships in 24hrs

CGP KS1 English Workbook
Reading, writing and phonics practice for ages 5–7
Usually ships in 24hrs

English Age 5–7 - Carol Vorderman
Builds reading, writing and comprehension skills
Usually ships in 24hrs

Spelling Practice Workbook Ages 7–11
CGP spelling lists, word sorts and gap-fill activities
Usually ships in 24hrs