How many Dolch sight words are there?

220 service words in five levels (pre-primer 40, primer 52, first grade 41, second grade 46, third grade 41), plus 95 nouns.

What is the difference between Dolch and Fry sight words?

Dolch is 220 service words and 95 nouns from children's books of the 1930s and 40s. Fry is a longer list of 1,000 words ordered by how often they appear. They overlap a lot; use whichever your child's school uses.

Should sight words be sounded out?

Where they can be, yes: many sight words are partly regular, and noticing the regular part helps. The goal is still instant recognition, so finish with quick practice.

Are these sight word worksheets free?

Yes. The online flash cards, printable cards, tracing sheets, word searches and tests are all free, with no sign-up.

pre-K to 3rd grade · free

Sight words: lists, flash cards and worksheets

Every Dolch sight word list, from pre-primer to 3rd grade, with online flash cards that read each word aloud, and printable cards, tracing sheets, word searches and spelling tests for every list.

Sight word flash cards

Word list

0 of 40 known · 40 to go

What are sight words?

Sight words are the small, common words that appear again and again in everything children read: the, and, said, was, you. Some can be sounded out, but many have tricky spellings (said, was, of), and all of them come up so often that reading flows only when they are recognized instantly. Learning them by sight frees a beginning reader to spend their effort on the new words in a sentence.

The Dolch sight word lists

Edward Dolch put together his lists in the 1930s and 1940s from the words that appeared most in children's books. There are 220 "service words", in five levels from pre-primer to 3rd grade, plus 95 nouns. Together they still make up more than half of the words in a typical children's book. Another well-known list, the Fry words, goes further, ordered by how often each word appears; many schools use one list or the other.

Dolch sight word lists

Pre-K and kindergarten · 40 words

Pre-primer sight words

🖨️ Word cards ✏️ Tracing sheet 🔎 Word search 📝 Spelling test 🔊 Test on screen

Kindergarten · 52 words

Primer sight words

🖨️ Word cards ✏️ Tracing sheet 🔎 Word search 📝 Spelling test 🔊 Test on screen

1st grade · 41 words

First grade sight words

🖨️ Word cards ✏️ Tracing sheet 🔎 Word search 📝 Spelling test 🔊 Test on screen

2nd grade · 46 words

Second grade sight words

🖨️ Word cards ✏️ Tracing sheet 🔎 Word search 📝 Spelling test 🔊 Test on screen

3rd grade · 41 words

Third grade sight words

🖨️ Word cards ✏️ Tracing sheet 🔎 Word search 📝 Spelling test 🔊 Test on screen

Kindergarten to 2nd grade · 95 words

Dolch nouns

🖨️ Word cards ✏️ Tracing sheet 🔎 Word search 📝 Spelling test 🔊 Test on screen

Dolch's list has "Santa Claus"; it is shortened to Santa here so every card is one word.

Tap any word to hear it, using your device's own voice.

How to teach sight words

A few at a time: three to five new words a week, mixed with words already known.
See it, say it, spell it out loud, write it, then read it in a sentence.
Point out the part that follows the usual rules and the tricky part. In "said", s and d are as expected; the "ai" is the tricky bit.
Play: flash cards, a word search, bingo, or hunting for the word in a picture book.
Little and often: two or three minutes a day works better than a long session once a week.

How many sight words should my child know?

As a rough guide, many schools aim for the pre-primer and primer lists (92 words) by the end of kindergarten, the first grade list by the end of 1st grade, and the second and third grade lists by the end of 3rd grade. Every child moves at their own pace, and knowing the words in real reading matters more than speed on flash cards.

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Questions parents ask

How many Dolch sight words are there?: 220 service words in five levels (pre-primer 40, primer 52, first grade 41, second grade 46, third grade 41), plus 95 nouns.
What is the difference between Dolch and Fry sight words?: Dolch is 220 service words and 95 nouns from children's books of the 1930s and 40s. Fry is a longer list of 1,000 words ordered by how often they appear. They overlap a lot; use whichever your child's school uses.
Should sight words be sounded out?: Where they can be, yes: many sight words are partly regular, and noticing the regular part helps. The goal is still instant recognition, so finish with quick practice.
Are these sight word worksheets free?: Yes. The online flash cards, printable cards, tracing sheets, word searches and tests are all free, with no sign-up.

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