Transition Word List for Elementary and Middle School Students
Transition words connect ideas within a text. They show the relationship between words, sentences, and paragraphs. Transition words can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. There are many different categories of transition words. Eight types are listed below.
List/Add: Transition words used to introduce new ideas or expand on a topic
Time/Order: Transition words used to show when something happened or will happen
Cause/Result: Transition words used to show the cause or result of a specific action
Compare/Contrast: Transition words used to show similarities and differences
Example: Transition words used to identify evidence or an example
Clarify: Transition words used to emphasize or further explain an idea
Conclude: Transition words used to summarize or restate ideas
Location: Transition words used to show the where something is located or the physical relationship between two things
Click the button below to download a FREE printable PDF list of over 100 transition words!
| first, second, third | to begin with | in addition |
| additionally | another | next |
| also | furthermore | equally important |
| too | finally | lastly |
| first of all | now | while |
| once | later | after |
| afterwards | earlier | following |
| suddenly | today | soon |
| then | meanwhile | before |
| at the same time | presently | initially |
“This was GREAT for my 5th graders who were trying desperately to write good summaries! I can’t wait to use the others as the year goes on! Great to have these all in one place! Thank you!” -Melissa R.
| eventually | occasionally | finally |
| immediately | at last | until now |
| sometimes | so far | previously |
| as a result | therefore | since |
| accordingly | because | consequently |
| unlike | despite | although |
| but | conversely | however |
| in contrast | on the other hand | regardless |
| otherwise | even though | while |
| nevertheless | in the same way | likewise |
Are your students confused about placing commas with transition words? Click here to read a great article from Grammar Girl about punctuation and transition words.
| as well as | similarly | for example |
| for instance | according to | as stated |
| to illustrate | in other words | to clarify |
| again | in fact | especially |
| to explain | in conclusion | to conclude |
| in summary | to summarize | clearly |
| all in all | overall | in short |
| above | among | around |
| behind | below | beyond |
| nearby | in front of | next to |
Are you teaching your students to write an organized paragraph? Click here to read through the paragraph writing lesson plan and worksheet ideas!
Last Updated on June 11, 2024 by Brooke Khan, M.Ed
