Sight Words by Grade — Free Dolch & Fry Lists to Print
Sight words are the common words children learn to read at a glance. There are two standard lists: Dolch, with 220 service words plus 95 nouns in five levels, and Fry, with 1,000 words ranked by how often they appear in print. Pick a grade or a list below — each one prints free as a list or as flash cards.
Watch how it works (video: Print sight words by grade)0:58Sight words by grade
Grade pairings are what schools commonly use, not an official standard. If your school sends home its own list, use that one.
Every list at a glance
| List | Words | Commonly taught in |
|---|---|---|
| By grade | ||
| Kindergarten Sight Words | 92 | Kindergarten |
| First Grade Sight Words | 123 | First grade |
| Second Grade Sight Words | 133 | Second grade |
| Third Grade Sight Words | 130 | Third grade |
| Dolch lists | ||
| Dolch Pre-Primer Sight Words | 40 | Pre-K and kindergarten |
| Dolch Primer Sight Words | 52 | Kindergarten |
| Dolch First Grade Sight Words | 41 | First grade |
| Dolch Second Grade Sight Words | 46 | Second grade |
| Dolch Third Grade Sight Words | 41 | Third grade |
| Dolch Noun Sight Words | 95 | Pre-K to grade 2, alongside the levels |
| Complete Dolch Sight Word List | 220 | Pre-K to grade 3 |
| Fry lists | ||
| First 100 Fry Sight Words | 100 | First grade, often started in kindergarten |
| Second 100 Fry Sight Words | 100 | Second grade |
| Third 100 Fry Sight Words | 100 | Third grade |
Dolch vs Fry: what's the difference?
Dolch sight words
Edward Dolch published his list in 1936 and in his 1948 book, built from the children's books of the time. It has 220“service words” — the little words that hold sentences together — in five levels from pre-primer to third grade, plus a separate list of 95 nouns such as apple, dog and school.
Fry sight words
Edward Fry's Instant Words rank 1,000 words by how often they appear in print, and are taught a hundred at a time. Fry includes nouns and verbs in the same list. The first 300 are on this site; many schools use Dolch in kindergarten and switch to Fry from first grade.
Most sight words can be partly sounded out. Teaching the regular part with phonics and pointing out the one tricky letter works better than memorising the word's shape.
How to teach sight words
1.Three-pile sort
Flash each card. Words read instantly go in a Know pile, slow ones in Almost, missed ones in Not Yet. Five minutes a day on the Almost and Not Yet piles is enough.
2.A word ring
Punch a hole in each card and put three to five words on a binder ring. Add a new word when one is read on sight for three days running.
3.Sound out what you can
Most sight words are partly regular. Sound out the regular part together and point out the tricky bit — the ai in said, the o in of — so the word is learned, not guessed.
4.Sight word hunt
Pick three words and hunt for them in a picture book, a cereal box or a street sign. Keep a tally and see which word turns up most.
5.Games with the same words
Use the list for bingo, a word search or a game of slap: lay out a few cards, call a word, and the first hand on it keeps the card.
Want your own words instead? The flash card maker takes any list you type.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Dolch sight words are there?
Dolch published 220 service words in five levels — 40 pre-primer, 52 primer, 41 first grade, 46 second grade and 41 third grade — plus a separate list of 95 nouns, so 315 words in all.
How many Fry sight words are there?
Edward Fry's Instant Words run to 1,000, ranked by how often they appear in print and taught in hundreds. Fry reported that the first 100 make up about half of all the words in typical reading material. This site covers the first 300.
What is the difference between Dolch and Fry sight words?
Dolch is a shorter list of 220 service words plus 95 nouns, drawn from children's books of the 1930s and split into five levels from pre-primer to third grade. Fry is a longer list of 1,000 words ranked by how often they appear in print and taught a hundred at a time. Most schools use one or the other, and many use Dolch in kindergarten and Fry from first grade.
Which sight words should my child learn first?
Start with the 40 Dolch pre-primer words or the first 25 Fry words — both begin with the most common words in English, like the, and, a, to and is. If your child's school sends home a list, use that one.
Which sight words are taught in each grade?
Commonly: kindergarten learns the Dolch pre-primer and primer words (92), first grade the Dolch first-grade words and Fry 1–100, second grade the Dolch second-grade words and Fry 101–200, and third grade the Dolch third-grade words and Fry 201–300. This is what schools often do, not an official standard.
Are these sight word lists free?
Yes. Every list on these pages is free to read and free to print, and the flash card, word search and bingo makers print them free with a small PuzzlePage credit in the footer.
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