3rd Grade  Vocabulary Words

Use this list of 200 3rd grade vocabulary words  throughout the year with the year with students in everyday conversations, in written assignments, and in subject-area instruction. Using these words regularly helps to enrich students' vocabularies.

Below my big list you'll find 100 of the words arranged in 10 categories and a second printable page.  I compiled these lists after consulting multiple textbooks and online resources. 

200   3rd Grade Vocabulary Words 

Printable list of 200  3rd grade vocabulary words

Teacher's Tips:

As a former elementary classroom teacher, here are my suggestions for using this great big word list:

• Introduce third graders to just 5-6 words at a time. Be sure to give plenty of context for each one.
• Use a lot of repetition! Keep the new words on a word wall or classroom display for several days. This will remind all of you to use the words again and again during the week. 
• Assign partners or small groups of students to learn about one word. Ask them to write 2-3 sentences using one of the vocabulary words to read to the rest of the class. Or, allow partners or small groups to present a mini-project centered around one of the words. For endangered, for example, they could list 10 endangered species and make a poster that includes pictures of the 10 animals.
• See more ideas for using these vocab words for individual students.

Shorter List of 100 3rd Grade Vocabulary Words 

I've selected 100 words from the big list above and arranged them in useful categories that will help students quickly understand their meanings. Print copies of this list so that students can keep one in their desks or at home to review at their leisure.

Here's a peek at the printable page. The full version also appears below. 

Transportation: tractor, wagon, ambulance, helicopter, submarine, spacecraft, vehicle, journey

Math: measurement, decimals, denominator, numerator, cylinder, sphere, cube, pyramid, prism, quotient

Science: predator, prey, endangered, decay, fossil, glacier, erosion, evaporation, climate, mineral

Human Body: tissue, organ, blood vessels, vertebrae, skull, kidneys, intestines, digestion, muscles, nerves, brain, spinal cord

Foods: pianist, neighbor, security guard, nurse, cashier, custodian, scientist, tourist, knight, magician

Places: carnival, cathedral, skyscraper, landmark, cellar, gallery, garden, balcony

Homophone Sets: allowed/aloud, peace/piece, close/clothes, heard/herd, main/mane, peer/pier, throne/thrown, paws/pause, pair/pear, foul/fowl, stair/state, threw/through 

Adjectives: brief, brilliant, clever, disappointed, loyal, rare, responsible, ridiculous, unusual, valuable 

Verbs: slumber, describe, repair, explore, wander, perform, avoid, recall, struggle, triumph 

Animals: caterpillar, jellyfish, chipmunk, rhinoceros, oxen, squirrel, cocoon, bison, antlers, camouflage 

Do you want MORE words?

This 3rd grade vocabulary word list is certainly not complete! Feel free to add even more 3rd grade homophones, math and science words, animal words and more! 

How to Use These Vocabulary Words:

Choose from these extension activities to give your child/students extra practice using words from the 3rd grade vocabulary word list. Add more activities of your own. 

1) Write three sentences to answer one or more of these questions:

• Write about a time when you triumphed over a difficulty.
• Write about your favorite neighbor. 
• Describe a fossil you have seen or would like to see. 
• Would you rather ride in a helicopter or a submarine? Why?

2) Work with a partner or family helper to write a story using at least 8 words on the list. Draw at least one picture about the story. 

3) Write one sensible sentence that uses three words from the list that begin with the same letter. 

More Third Grade Resources

Third Grade Writing Prompts, Set 1 - This list of twelve 3rd grade writing prompts include: What's the best way to spend one dollar? Write a short poem about a bear with a pear.  Why are you happy to hear someone's voice at your front door? Whose voice is it? 

Scrambled Animals - This puzzle is more fun than a barrel of monkeys! Simply unscramble each animal word and write it in the crossword.

Third Grade Worksheets

Put Words In Alphabetical Order with this pair of engaging worksheets. The first list features 25 fun foods that must be alphabetized by their first and second letters. The second page requires students to look at the third and fourth letters in a list of five letter words that all begin with W. Challenging!

Mystery In the Attic Spelling Worksheets:  Kids read a humorous story about a mysterious attic as they choose correctly/incorrectly spelled words.

See our entire collection of Phonics Games & Activities. You're sure to find something just right for the skills your kids need to practice!

All Vocabulary Lists

Kindergarten Vocabulary Words - 175 engaging, empowering vocabulary words, in alphabetical order, that every kindergartner should be learning. Use our convenient printable page. A second list features 100 of the words in helpful categories such as shapes, feelings, community helpers and more. 

First Grade Vocabulary Words - 175 great vocab words on a variety of topics for 1st grade students to learn to use in conversation, along with suggested activities. 100 words appear in meaningful categories including sports, animals, compound words and more. 

Second Grade Vocabulary Words : 200 words for 2nd grade students to learn and enjoy! 100 of the words are arranged in helpful categories and are arranged on an engaging printable for your students. Challenge your second graders with more words to use in their speaking and written vocabularies.

3rd Grade Vocabulary Words - 200 words to boost your child's spoken and written language skills, arranged alphabetically!  Print the complete list from the web page for best results. 100 of the words also appear in an engaging printable, arranged by helpful topics. 

4th Grade Vocabulary Words - 200 4th grade vocab words to keep your students on track all year long! Half of the words are also arranged in meaningful categories to help students with word meaning. 

5th Grade Vocabulary Words - Boost your fifth graders' spoken and written vocabularies with this BIG list of 200 words, arranged in alphabetical order. I've also selected 100 of these words to put into 10 engaging topics. Try the extension activities for best results!

6th Grade Vocabulary Words - Improve your students' understanding of LOTS of areas of learning by covering these 200 important words! I've included many ways to put these words into use, and I have links to other related pages, too!

7th Grade Vocabulary Words - Here are 240 challenging words to stretch your upper grade students this year! Follow all the tips and extra activities listed to get the most out of this mega list of vocabulary words!

NEW! 8th Grade Vocabulary Words - Stretch your own vocabulary as well as your students' with this challenging list of 250 words! Lots of extension activities are also included. 

These are lists of spelling words that you may wish to explore with your student. 

• 2nd grade spelling bee words
• Third grade spelling words
• 3rd grade spelling bee words
• Fourth grade spelling words
• Tricky elementary spelling words

Ann Richmond Fisher is a longtime published educational writer, a former classroom teacher and a former homeschool teacher. Ann's spelling bee resources, graded spelling word lists, spelling games, worksheets, and other language arts resources have become respected around the globe since she launched Spelling-Words-Well in 2010.

Ann is also the creator of www.word-game-world.com.

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