10th Grade Spelling Words
Here’s a list of 80 different words suitable for a 10th-grade spelling level! Scroll down to the bottom of this post to obtain the free PDF!
- Acquiesce
- Belligerent
- Cacophony
- Debilitate
- Eccentricity
- Facetious
- Garrulous
- Hapless
- Incorrigible
- Juxtaposition
- Kowtow
- Languish
- Mellifluous
- Nebulous
- Ominous
- Pernicious
- Quixotic
- Resilient
- Serendipity
- Taciturn
- Ubiquitous
- Vexation
- Writhe
- Xenophobia
- Yarn
- Zealous
- Abscond
- Belie
- Capitulate
- Disparate
- Enervate
- Furtive
- Grandiose
- Hierarchy
- Ineffable
- Jettison
- Kinetoscope
- Lucid
- Maelstrom
- Nefarious
- Ostracize
- Proclivity
- Quotidian
- Reticent
- Sycophant
- Truncate
- Upbraid
- Vindicate
- Whimsical
- Xenial
- Yearn
- Zephyr
- Alacrity
- Bombastic
- Cacophony
- Disparate
- Ephemeral
- Fastidious
- Gratuitous
- Hyperbole
Ineffable
Juxtapose
Kowtow
Lament
Mellifluous
Nonchalant
Ostracize
Paragon
Quixotic
Rambunctious
Serendipity
Truncate
Ubiquitous
Vehement
Writhe
Xenophobia
Yearn
Zenith
Ambivalent
Diaphanous
Feel free to use these English words for spelling practice and vocabulary building! Get the FREE PDF below, highlight the hardest words, and practice the correct pronunciation of all of them.
Look It Up
Please make sure that the 10th-grade students read the word list carefully and understand the words. If there seem to be unfamiliar words, encourage them to look them up in a dictionary. Also, practice the pronunciation of each word until they can pronounce them correctly. Print the FREE 10th-grade words PDF below and have them improve their academic vocabulary in their free time too!
Having a list of words with difficult words in the English language will help tenth graders learn and understand hard words and increase their spelling skills. For variation, check my previous post about 9th-grade or 6th grade spelling words, Learning to Spell: 9th-grade spelling list (100 words), or 6th-grade spelling bee words.
Below, I will share the meaning of the first 40 vocabulary words on the list (10th grade words). I suggest that the students try to guess the meaning of the word and then look at the correct meaning to understand it correctly. Do not worry if your students are struggling with this! These are complex words, but as I usually tell my kids, nothing is hard until you know it. Soon enough, the new word will become an easy word!
Acquiesce – To accept or comply with something reluctantly but without protest.
Belligerent – Hostile, aggressive, or warlike in nature or attitude.
Cacophony – A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Debilitate – To weaken or impair the strength or vitality of someone or something.
Eccentricity – The quality of being unconventional, peculiar, or odd in behavior.
Facetious – Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
Garrulous – Excessively talkative, especially about trivial matters.
Hapless – Unfortunate, unlucky, or lacking in luck.
Incorrigible – Incapable of being corrected, reformed, or improved.
Juxtaposition – The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Kowtow – To act in an excessively subservient or obsequious manner; to bow down deeply.
Languish – To suffer from being forced to remain in a prolonged state of inactivity or neglect.
Mellifluous – Sweet or musical in sound; pleasant to hear.
Nebulous – Hazy, vague, or indistinct in form or outline.
Ominous – Giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening.
Pernicious – Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
Quixotic – Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.
Resilient – Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.
Serendipity – The occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
Taciturn – Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
Ubiquitous – Present, appearing, or found everywhere.
Vexation – The state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried.
Writhe – To make continual twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the body.
Xenophobia – Dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
Yarn – A long, often elaborate narrative of real or fictitious adventures; a story.
Zealous – Having or showing great enthusiasm or fervor for a cause, belief, or purpose.
Abscond – To leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection or arrest.
Belie – To fail to give a true notion or impression of something; to contradict or misrepresent.
Capitulate – To surrender or yield to an opponent or demand.
Disparate – Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.
Enervate – To weaken or drain of energy or vitality.
Furtive – Attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble.
Grandiose – Impressive or imposing in appearance or style, especially pretentiously so.
Hierarchy – A system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.
Ineffable – Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words; beyond expression.
Jettison – To throw or drop something from an aircraft or ship; to abandon or discard as no longer useful or viable.
Kinetoscope – An early motion-picture device for individual viewing, consisting of a box with a narrow slit through which a continuous loop of film moved horizontally.
Lucid – Expressed clearly; easy to understand; mentally sound or rational.
Maelstrom – A powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river; a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.
Nefarious – Wicked, villainous, or criminal in nature or intent.
