Spelling words wheel
Thirty words that second and third graders often misspell, such as because, friend and thought. Spin a word, say it, and the class spells it on whiteboards.
SpacespinCtrl+Enterspin while typingFfull screen
One entry per line. Add *3 after a name to give it three times the chance.
Winners show up here, newest first.
Colors
Ready-made list. Edit it to make it yours: changes stay on this device, and Reset brings the original back.Open in the main spinner →
Whiteboard spelling in 10 minutes
- Spin on your own laptop screen, not the projector, so students hear the word without seeing it.
- Say the word, use it in a sentence, and say it again. Students write it on a mini whiteboard and hold it up on your signal.
- Now project the wheel so everyone can check. Anyone who missed it writes the word correctly three times.
- Remove a word once most of the class spells it right, so the wheel narrows down to the tricky ones.
Other ways to practice
- Partner spelling: one student spins on a tablet and reads the word, the partner spells it aloud, then they swap.
- Sentence challenge: spin two words and write one sentence that uses both.
- Kind spelling bee: a miss doesn’t mean sitting out. The student writes the word on a whiteboard and rejoins next round.
- Word sort: spin five words and sort them by vowel sound or by number of syllables.
Use your own list
Most schools send a new list each week. Clear the wheel, paste that week’s words one per line, and save it as “Week 12” in My wheels. Keep a running “tricky words” wheel too: whenever a word trips up the class, add it.
The starter list suits grades 2–3. For grades 4–5, try necessary, separate, believe, February, government and library. Kindergarten and grade 1 classes do better with the sight words wheel.
Questions and answers
Why are “because” and “friend” on the starter list?
They are among the words young writers misspell most, because they aren’t spelled the way they sound. Saying the letters aloud and writing the word from memory helps more than copying it.
How many words should be on the wheel?
For a quick lesson, 10–20 is plenty. Once most students spell a word correctly, take it off.
Can my students practice at home?
Yes. Send the Share link home and the wheel opens with your words. A family member spins and reads the word aloud while the child writes it.