LittleLearnersCommon Exception Words (Year 1 & Year 2)
The complete list of common exception words for Year 1 and Year 2, plus a free printable practice pack. These are the tricky words children need to learn by heart because they don't follow normal phonics rules.
Printable worksheets with 11 pages of activities
What are common exception words?
Sometimes called tricky words or red words, common exception words are words that don't follow the usual phonics rules. Your child can't simply "sound them out" — words like said (where "ai" makes an unusual sound) or was (which doesn't follow normal vowel patterns) just need to be learnt by heart.
They're called "common" because they appear so frequently in books and everyday reading. The sooner your child recognises them on sight, the more fluent their reading becomes.
Year 1 common exception words
Children learn these 45 words in Year 1 (ages 5–6), alongside their phonics:
Year 2 common exception words
Year 2 (ages 6–7) builds on Year 1 with 64 more words:
How to help your child learn them
Learn 5–10 words per week. Trying to learn them all at once doesn't work. Here's a method teachers recommend:
- Look at the word carefully
- Cover it with your hand
- Write it from memory
- Check — did you get it right?
Spot the tricky bit: Circle the part of each word that doesn't sound how you'd expect. In said, it's the "ai". In school, it's the "ch". Focusing on the unusual part helps it stick.
Questions parents ask
What's the difference between tricky words and common exception words?
They're the same thing! "Tricky words" is the informal name teachers use. "Common exception words" is the official UK curriculum term. Some schools also call them "red words".
How many should my child learn per week?
Aim for 5–10 new words per week. Quality over quantity — it's better to really know 5 words than to half-know 20.
My child keeps forgetting them — is this normal?
Completely normal. These words need lots of repetition because they can't be sounded out. Keep practising little and often rather than long sessions.
Are these the same as high frequency words?
Not quite. High frequency words are simply common words (many follow phonics rules). Common exception words are the subset that break the rules and must be memorised.