Dolch sight words
Dolch Sight Words List
The Dolch sight words are 220 common words, such as “the”, “said”, and “because”, that children are taught to recognize on sight, plus a separate list of 95 nouns. The 220 words are split into five levels: pre-primer, primer, first grade, second grade, and third grade. Every list is below in full, with a free printable PDF of all the words and a trace-and-copy handwriting worksheet for each level.
Pre-primer
40 words · Preschool and kindergarten
- a
- and
- away
- big
- blue
- can
- come
- down
- find
- for
- funny
- go
- help
- here
- I
- in
- is
- it
- jump
- little
- look
- make
- me
- my
- not
- one
- play
- red
- run
- said
- see
- the
- three
- to
- two
- up
- we
- where
- yellow
- you
Primer
52 words · Kindergarten
- all
- am
- are
- at
- ate
- be
- black
- brown
- but
- came
- did
- do
- eat
- four
- get
- good
- have
- he
- into
- like
- must
- new
- no
- now
- on
- our
- out
- please
- pretty
- ran
- ride
- saw
- say
- she
- so
- soon
- that
- there
- they
- this
- too
- under
- want
- was
- well
- went
- what
- white
- who
- will
- with
- yes
First grade
41 words · First grade
- after
- again
- an
- any
- as
- ask
- by
- could
- every
- fly
- from
- give
- going
- had
- has
- her
- him
- his
- how
- just
- know
- let
- live
- may
- of
- old
- once
- open
- over
- put
- round
- some
- stop
- take
- thank
- them
- then
- think
- walk
- were
- when
Second grade
46 words · Second grade
- always
- around
- because
- been
- before
- best
- both
- buy
- call
- cold
- does
- don't
- fast
- first
- five
- found
- gave
- goes
- green
- its
- made
- many
- off
- or
- pull
- read
- right
- sing
- sit
- sleep
- tell
- their
- these
- those
- upon
- us
- use
- very
- wash
- which
- why
- wish
- work
- would
- write
- your
Third grade
41 words · Third grade
- about
- better
- bring
- carry
- clean
- cut
- done
- draw
- drink
- eight
- fall
- far
- full
- got
- grow
- hold
- hot
- hurt
- if
- keep
- kind
- laugh
- light
- long
- much
- myself
- never
- only
- own
- pick
- seven
- shall
- show
- six
- small
- start
- ten
- today
- together
- try
- warm
Nouns
95 words · Kindergarten to second grade
- apple
- baby
- back
- ball
- bear
- bed
- bell
- bird
- birthday
- boat
- box
- boy
- bread
- brother
- cake
- car
- cat
- chair
- chicken
- children
- Christmas
- coat
- corn
- cow
- day
- dog
- doll
- door
- duck
- egg
- eye
- farm
- farmer
- father
- feet
- fire
- fish
- floor
- flower
- game
- garden
- girl
- goodbye
- grass
- ground
- hand
- head
- hill
- home
- horse
- house
- kitty
- leg
- letter
- man
- men
- milk
- money
- morning
- mother
- name
- nest
- night
- paper
- party
- picture
- pig
- rabbit
- rain
- ring
- robin
- Santa Claus
- school
- seed
- sheep
- shoe
- sister
- snow
- song
- squirrel
- stick
- street
- sun
- table
- thing
- time
- top
- toy
- tree
- watch
- water
- way
- wind
- window
- wood
What are Dolch sight words?
Edward William Dolch, an education professor at the University of Illinois, published the list in the 1930s. He collected the words that appeared most often in children's reading books of the time and left out nouns, which he listed separately. Most of the 220 words are pronouns, verbs, prepositions, and connecting words that cannot be pictured, and many, like said, once, and their, cannot be sounded out with early phonics. That is why they are practiced until they are read on sight.
The lists are still widely used in US schools, often alongside a phonics program, and many kindergarten and first grade word lists are drawn from them.
Dolch word list by grade
The levels follow the order the words are usually taught. Schools vary, so treat the grades as a guide rather than a rule.
| Level | Usually taught in | Words | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primer | Preschool and kindergarten | 40 | a, and, away, big |
| Primer | Kindergarten | 52 | all, am, are, at |
| First grade | First grade | 41 | after, again, an, any |
| Second grade | Second grade | 46 | always, around, because, been |
| Third grade | Third grade | 41 | about, better, bring, carry |
| Nouns | Kindergarten to second grade | 95 | apple, baby, back, ball |
How to practice sight words
- Introduce three to five new words at a time, mixed with words the child already knows.
- Say the word, point to it, and use it in a short sentence.
- Trace it, then write it from memory. Writing a word letter by letter makes children look at every letter, which helps with the irregular ones.
- Read the words in short daily reviews, and move a word to the "known" pile once it is read without hesitation on several days.
- Find the words in real books. Spotting them in a story shows why they matter.
Dolch or Fry?
The Fry Instant Words, published by Edward Fry, are a longer list of 1,000 words ranked by how often they appear in reading material, and they include nouns. The Dolch lists are shorter and grouped by grade. Both cover the same core words, so either works; many schools use Dolch in kindergarten and first grade and move to Fry's later hundreds for older readers.
Keep practicing
Questions
- How many Dolch sight words are there?
- There are 220 Dolch sight words in five levels (pre-primer, primer, first, second, and third grade), plus a separate list of 95 nouns, for 315 words in all.
- Is the Dolch sight words list free to print?
- Yes. The complete list and the noun list are free PDFs in US Letter or A4, with no account and no watermark. The sample worksheet on each level page is free as well.
- Why are there no nouns in the 220 words?
- Dolch kept nouns in their own list because they change with the topic of a book, while the service words appear in almost every text. The 95 nouns are everyday words like apple, house, and school.
- Which Dolch list should my child start with?
- Start with pre-primer, the shortest and simplest level, and move on once your child reads most of its words without hesitation. Many children work through pre-primer and primer in kindergarten.