4th Grade Spelling Bee Words

• 4th grade
• 50 words, 3 levels
• Free printable list

Spelling bee words for 4th grade, in three levels: 20 easy, 20 medium and 10 hard words. They include silent letters, Greek word parts like tele and graph, and famous tricky words like rhinoceros.

Spelling bees in 4th grade

In 4th grade, spelling bee words come from many languages, and word origin starts to matter. Greek words often use ph and ch, French words end in -ette, and Latin words carry roots like port and struct. Spellers who know a few of these clues can work out words they've never seen.

The words

Start with the easy list and move up when your child spells most of the words without help. In a real bee, words usually get harder each round.

Easy words (20 words, Round 1)

• mystery
• history
• factory
• journey
• pyramid
• gravity
• island
• honest
• listen
• whistle
• rhyme
• knight
• wrinkle
• guess
• guard
• build
• tongue
• cough
• enough
• through

Medium words (20 words, Rounds 2 and 3)

• comfortable
• vegetable
• dangerous
• delicious
• mysterious
• curious
• nervous
• telescope
• photograph
• paragraph
• telephone
• microphone
• autograph
• astronaut
• skeleton
• satellite
• hurricane
• orchestra
• character
• chorus

Hard words (10 words, Final rounds)

• rhinoceros
• hippopotamus
• kaleidoscope
• silhouette
• camouflage
• chameleon
• pharmacy
• rhythm
• gymnasium
• parallel

How to study for a spelling bee

1. Five to ten words a day. Don't cram the whole list. Short daily sessions over two or three weeks work best.
2. Say, spell, write, check. Say the word, spell it out loud letter by letter, write it, then check it against the list.
3. Find the tricky part. In most hard words, only one or two letters are surprising. Point them out and make a memory trick, like those in commonly misspelled words.
4. Use the rules. Many words follow patterns: doubling, drop the e, i before e. Knowing the rule turns ten words into one idea.
5. Practice out loud. Bees are oral. Practice standing up, saying the word, spelling it clearly and saying the word again at the end.
6. Mock bee. A few days before, run a practice bee at home with the family. See how to run a home spelling bee.

Tip for 4th grade: 4th graders can use word origins: words from Greek often use ph for /f/ (photograph) and ch for /k/ (chorus).

Five words worth extra attention

These words from the lists trip up the most spellers at this level. The tricky part is explained for each.

• rhinoceros: rh at the start, -os at the end.
• silhouette: French spelling: -ette at the end.
• camouflage: the ou: cam-ou-flage.
• rhythm: no regular vowels at all: r-h-y-t-h-m.
• parallel: two l's in the middle, one at the end.

On the day of the bee

• Listen to the whole word before starting. Ask to hear it again if you're unsure.
• Ask for a sentence or definition if the bee allows it, especially for words that sound like other words.
• Picture the word written down before saying the first letter.
• Spell slowly and clearly. There's no prize for speed.
• If you're out, that's OK. Every speller misses a word eventually, even champions.

Practice quiz

Ten words from the medium and hard lists. Tap the right spelling.

1. 1.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   rhinoceros rhinocerous rinoceros
   Show answer

   rhinoceros.

2. 2.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   hippopotamus hippopotamous hipopotamus
   Show answer

   hippopotamus.

3. 3.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   kaleidoscope kaliedoscope kalidoscope
   Show answer

   kaleidoscope.

4. 4.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   silhouette silhouete silouette
   Show answer

   silhouette.

5. 5.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   camouflage camoflage camouflauge
   Show answer

   camouflage.

6. 6.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   chameleon chamelion cameleon
   Show answer

   chameleon.

7. 7.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   pharmacy farmacy pharmasy
   Show answer

   pharmacy.

8. 8.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   rhythm rythm rhythem
   Show answer

   rhythm.

9. 9.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   gymnasium gymnaisum jymnasium
   Show answer

   gymnasium.

10. 10.Which spelling is right?

    🔈
    parallel paralell parralel
    Show answer

    parallel.

Printable list

The free PDF has all 50 words on one US Letter page, grouped by level, so you can call out words for a practice bee or tick off the ones your child knows.

Other grades and practice

For weekly practice through the year, see the 4th grade spelling lists. Every rule is on the spelling page, and all spelling bee lists are on the spelling bee words page.

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask