SEAG doesn't publish a spelling list, but its specification says exactly which kinds of spelling it tests. These are example words for each one, with free practice for every group.
Checked against the SEAG 2026 Specification and practice papers on 15 October 2026.
Each SEAG paper has a five-question spelling exercise, questions 11 to 15 of the English section. Each question is a sentence split into four groups of words, labelled A to D. Your child finds the group with the mistake, or marks N if there isn't one.
It's a proofreading task, so your child needs to spot a wrong spelling rather than write words from memory. SEAG only marks spelling in this exercise, and it must be UK spelling: "colour" is right, "color" is wrong.
Adding -ing and -ed, changing y to i, ie and ei, and suffixes such as -ful, -ly, -ous and -tion.
Words you can't spell by sound alone, including silent letters.
The right spelling depends on the meaning of the sentence.
SEAG marks the American version as a mistake.
Five or six words at a time is plenty. Ask your child to write each one in a sentence of their own, then check it letter by letter against the list. The words they get wrong become next week's list.
Because the test is about spotting mistakes, try it the other way round too: write a sentence with one word misspelled and let your child find it. Our proofreading for spelling questions use the same A to D layout as the real paper, and SEAG's free practice papers each have a full spelling exercise.
No. SEAG doesn't publish a word list. Its specification says the test covers common spelling rules, irregular spellings, homophones and similar-sounding words, and UK spelling. The list on this page is our own, built around those areas.
Each paper has a spelling exercise of five questions. Each one is a sentence split into four groups of words, A to D. Your child finds the group with the spelling mistake, or marks N if there is no mistake.
No. The SEAG specification says spelling tests UK English, not USA English. Its own example is that "colour" is correct and "color" is wrong.
No. SEAG says spelling is only assessed in the spelling exercise, not in the short written answers to the comprehension or maths questions.
The English gap check covers spelling, punctuation, grammar and comprehension, and shows which topics to practise first.
Free to start · no card needed
Checked against the SEAG 2026 Specification and practice papers on 15 October 2026. SEAG may change its arrangements, so always follow the latest guidance on seagni.co.uk and from your child's Assessment Centre.