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Sight Words List: Dolch & Fry

A free, complete reference to the two sight-word lists American classrooms actually use: all 220 Dolch words, split into the five grade bands Edward Dolch published in 1936, and the Fry first 100 — the hundred most frequent words in written English, in frequency order. Both lists are public domain. Print this page for a wall reference, or turn any list into a practice sheet with the free sight words worksheet generator.

Dolch sight words (220 words, by grade)

The Dolch list is 220 high-frequency "service" words — pronouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositions — banded into five grade levels from pre-kindergarten through third grade. It deliberately excludes nouns. Learn all five bands and a child recognizes most of the running words in typical children's books.

Dolch Pre-Primer — Preschool / Pre-K, 40 words

The 40 first sight words most children learn before kindergarten.

  1. a
  2. and
  3. away
  4. big
  5. blue
  6. can
  7. come
  8. down
  9. find
  10. for
  11. funny
  12. go
  13. help
  14. here
  15. I
  16. in
  17. is
  18. it
  19. jump
  20. little
  21. look
  22. make
  23. me
  24. my
  25. not
  26. one
  27. play
  28. red
  29. run
  30. said
  31. see
  32. the
  33. three
  34. to
  35. two
  36. up
  37. we
  38. where
  39. yellow
  40. you

Dolch Primer — Kindergarten, 52 words

The 52 kindergarten-level Dolch service words.

  1. all
  2. am
  3. are
  4. at
  5. ate
  6. be
  7. black
  8. brown
  9. but
  10. came
  11. did
  12. do
  13. eat
  14. four
  15. get
  16. good
  17. have
  18. he
  19. into
  20. like
  21. must
  22. new
  23. no
  24. now
  25. on
  26. our
  27. out
  28. please
  29. pretty
  30. ran
  31. ride
  32. saw
  33. say
  34. she
  35. so
  36. soon
  37. that
  38. there
  39. they
  40. this
  41. too
  42. under
  43. want
  44. was
  45. well
  46. went
  47. what
  48. white
  49. who
  50. will
  51. with
  52. yes

Dolch First Grade — 1st grade, 41 words

The 41 Dolch sight words taught in first grade.

  1. after
  2. again
  3. an
  4. any
  5. as
  6. ask
  7. by
  8. could
  9. every
  10. fly
  11. from
  12. give
  13. going
  14. had
  15. has
  16. her
  17. him
  18. his
  19. how
  20. just
  21. know
  22. let
  23. live
  24. may
  25. of
  26. old
  27. once
  28. open
  29. over
  30. put
  31. round
  32. some
  33. stop
  34. take
  35. thank
  36. them
  37. then
  38. think
  39. walk
  40. were
  41. when

Dolch Second Grade — 2nd grade, 46 words

The 46 Dolch sight words taught in second grade.

  1. always
  2. around
  3. because
  4. been
  5. before
  6. best
  7. both
  8. buy
  9. call
  10. cold
  11. does
  12. don't
  13. fast
  14. first
  15. five
  16. found
  17. gave
  18. goes
  19. green
  20. its
  21. made
  22. many
  23. off
  24. or
  25. pull
  26. read
  27. right
  28. sing
  29. sit
  30. sleep
  31. tell
  32. their
  33. these
  34. those
  35. upon
  36. us
  37. use
  38. very
  39. wash
  40. which
  41. why
  42. wish
  43. work
  44. would
  45. write
  46. your

Dolch Third Grade — 3rd grade, 41 words

The 41 Dolch sight words taught in third grade.

  1. about
  2. better
  3. bring
  4. carry
  5. clean
  6. cut
  7. done
  8. draw
  9. drink
  10. eight
  11. fall
  12. far
  13. full
  14. got
  15. grow
  16. hold
  17. hot
  18. hurt
  19. if
  20. keep
  21. kind
  22. laugh
  23. light
  24. long
  25. much
  26. myself
  27. never
  28. only
  29. own
  30. pick
  31. seven
  32. shall
  33. show
  34. six
  35. small
  36. start
  37. ten
  38. today
  39. together
  40. try
  41. warm

Fry first 100 sight words (frequency order)

Edward Fry ranked the 1,000 most common words in written English by frequency and grouped them in hundreds. The first 100 words below make up roughly half of everything in print, which is why they are the highest-leverage words a beginning reader can learn. They are numbered here in frequency order, most common first.

  1. the
  2. of
  3. and
  4. a
  5. to
  6. in
  7. is
  8. you
  9. that
  10. it
  11. he
  12. was
  13. for
  14. on
  15. are
  16. as
  17. with
  18. his
  19. they
  20. I
  21. at
  22. be
  23. this
  24. have
  25. from
  26. or
  27. one
  28. had
  29. by
  30. word
  31. but
  32. not
  33. what
  34. all
  35. were
  36. we
  37. when
  38. your
  39. can
  40. said
  41. there
  42. use
  43. an
  44. each
  45. which
  46. she
  47. do
  48. how
  49. their
  50. if
  51. will
  52. up
  53. other
  54. about
  55. out
  56. many
  57. then
  58. them
  59. these
  60. so
  61. some
  62. her
  63. would
  64. make
  65. like
  66. him
  67. into
  68. time
  69. has
  70. look
  71. two
  72. more
  73. write
  74. go
  75. see
  76. number
  77. no
  78. way
  79. could
  80. people
  81. my
  82. than
  83. first
  84. water
  85. been
  86. called
  87. who
  88. oil
  89. its
  90. now
  91. find
  92. long
  93. down
  94. day
  95. did
  96. get
  97. come
  98. made
  99. may
  100. part

How to use this list

Sources & licensing

The Dolch list (Edward W. Dolch, "A Basic Sight Vocabulary," 1936) and the Fry instant word list (Edward B. Fry, 1957/1980) are both public domain — word lists are uncopyrightable facts. The grade banding and frequency ordering here follow the canonical groupings used in US schools. This reference is free to print, share, and cite; a link back is always appreciated.