Dolch sight words by grade

Questions

What are sight words?

Common words that children learn to recognise at a glance instead of sounding out, because they appear on almost every page (the, and, said) or don't follow the usual spelling rules (of, once, were).

What is the Dolch list?

In 1936 Edward Dolch collected the words that came up most in children's books of the time: 220 "service words" in five levels, plus 95 nouns. Schools still use it from preschool to third grade.

Which list should my child start with?

Pre-primer for preschool and kindergarten, then primer, first, second and third grade. If a child already reads most words of a level, move on to the next.

What about the Fry list?

The Fry Instant Words are still published under copyright, so we don't reproduce them. You can type any list into the worksheet, bingo or flashcard makers yourself.