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Spelling Words with Apostrophes and Contractions

Teaching students about apostrophes and contractions is a fundamental part of English language instruction. These common contractions help students understand how words can be combined and shortened in everyday writing and speech. This comprehensive list of contraction spelling words focuses on common combinations using apostrophes to create contractions with pronouns and helping verbs.

Common Core Standards Alignment

These spelling words align with several Common Core Standards related to spelling and language conventions. The use of apostrophes and contractions specifically addresses:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.2: "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing"
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2.E: "Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words"

These standards are particularly relevant because contractions represent a key concept in English writing conventions, combining frequently used words into more efficient forms while maintaining their meaning. Understanding how apostrophes work in contractions helps students develop their grasp of standard English mechanics and spelling patterns.

Spelling Word List - Contractions with Apostrophes

Is/Has Contractions

  • it's
  • he's
  • she's
  • that's
  • who's
  • what's

Would Contractions

  • you'd
  • he'd
  • she'd
  • we'd

Will Contractions

  • he'll
  • she'll
  • we'll
  • you'll
  • they'll

Have/Are Contractions

  • we've
  • you've
  • we're
  • you're
  • they're

Teaching Tips for Apostrophe Words

When teaching these contraction spelling words, it's helpful to break down each word into its component parts. For example, "it's" combines "it" and "is," while "they're" combines "they" and "are." Understanding these relationships helps students grasp both the spelling and meaning of contractions.

Students often confuse possessive apostrophes with contractions, so it's important to emphasize the difference. In contractions, the apostrophe replaces missing letters, while in possessive forms, the apostrophe shows ownership.

Practice Activities

Regular practice with these contraction spelling words helps students internalize proper usage and spelling. Activities might include:

  1. Writing sentences using contractions
  2. Matching exercises connecting full forms to contractions
  3. Identifying correct and incorrect usage in text
  4. Creating their own contractions from given word pairs

Create a worksheet using words from this list

Additional Resources

Understanding contractions and apostrophes is an ongoing process that requires consistent practice and reinforcement. Our worksheet creator tool provides various exercise formats to help students master these important spelling patterns.

Remember that while contractions are common in casual writing and speech, students should also learn when it's more appropriate to use the full forms of these words in formal writing.

Keywords: spelling words, contractions, apostrophes, English language arts, grammar instruction, spelling practice, language conventions, Common Core Standards