This sight words game helps kindergarten and first grade children learn to read the 100 most common words by playing: listen and tap, pop balloons, flip memory cards, race cars or sprint through true and false sentences. The game says a word aloud, and children find it among four written words, so they match the sound to the spelling without sounding it out. It is free, needs no sign-up, works on phones and tablets, and comes with a printable checklist of all 100 sight words.
Sight words game: see how it plays
The game below has four modes. Press Listen to hear a word, then choose the same word from the choices. The printable checklist has all 100 words with a tick box each, and the pictures show Answer Race, Memory Match and Balloon Pop on this page.
How the sight words game works
- Answer Race: every right answer moves your car forward, and you race three computer cars to the finish flag. The first to 15 wins, and wrong taps cost time, not places.
- Balloon Pop: answers float up on balloons, and you pop the right one before it drifts off the top. Press Listen to hear the word, then pop the balloon that shows it. The wrong balloons are words of about the same length, so children must read, not guess. The game speeds up as your score climbs, and three misses ends the round.
- Memory Match: twelve face-down cards hide six spoken words, hidden behind a Listen button, and their six answers. Flip two at a time and match each one to its answer in as few moves as you can.
- True or False: sixty seconds on the clock. Decide whether each match, such as hearing “said” while the card shows “said”, is right or wrong. A streak of five or more scores double.
The sight words game reads each word aloud with your device’s built-in voice, so check that the sound is on. If you hear nothing, raise the volume and make sure the browser is allowed to play speech.
Sight word games: the 100 words in the game
The words come from the first 100 high-frequency words taught in early reading programmes such as the Letters and Sounds programme published by England’s Department for Education. They make up a large share of the words in simple books, so children who know them by sight read much more smoothly, and a sight words game is a good way to learn them. The list is shown here in the order it is usually taught, in four sets of 25:
| Words | Sight words |
|---|---|
| 1 to 25 | the, and, a, to, said, in, he, I, of, it, was, you, they, on, she, is, for, at, his, but, that, with, all, we, can |
| 26 to 50 | are, up, had, my, her, what, there, out, this, have, went, be, like, some, so, not, then, were, go, little, as, no, mum, one, them |
| 51 to 75 | do, me, down, dad, big, when, it’s, see, looked, very, look, don’t, come, will, into, back, from, children, him, Mr, get, just, now, came, oh |
| 76 to 100 | about, got, their, people, your, put, could, house, old, too, by, day, made, time, I’m, if, help, Mrs, called, here, off, asked, saw, make, an |
High frequency words game: sight words list printable by length
Short words make up most of the list: 58 of the 100 words have three letters or fewer. Because the choices in the game are words of about the same length, children compare words of similar shape and so must look at the letters, not just the outline:
| Letters | Number of words | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | a, I |
| 2 | 24 | to, in, he, of, it, on, is, at, we, up, my, be, so, go, as, no, do, me, Mr, oh, by, I’m, if, an |
| 3 | 32 | the, and, was, you, she, for, his, but, all, can, are, had, her, out, not, mum, one, dad, big, it’s, see, him, get, now, got, put, old, too, day, Mrs, off, saw |
| 4 | 31 | said, they, that, with, what, this, have, went, like, some, then, were, them, down, when, very, look, don’t, come, will, into, back, from, just, came, your, made, time, help, here, make |
| 5 | 6 | there, about, their, could, house, asked |
| 6 | 4 | little, looked, people, called |
| 8 | 1 | children |
Tricky words that cannot be sounded out
Many sight words follow the usual sounds and can be built up from letters, such as it, can and went. Others are irregular, which means they do not sound the way they look, and these are the ones to learn by sight: said, was, you, they, are, were, what, there, some, come, one, do, have, their, people and could. Spend extra time on them, point out the tricky part (the “ai” in said, the “o” in one) and check them with Memory Match.
Wikipedia’s sight word article explains the idea in more detail, and England’s Letters and Sounds guidance lists the words by phase.
Sight words checklist: 100 sight words to tick off
The sight words checklist has all 100 sight words in the order they are taught, each with a tick box. Print the sight words list printable once for each child, read the words aloud together, and tick a word only after three days in a row of reading it quickly. The checklist shows clearly which of the 100 sight words are known, and the sight words game on this page fills the gaps with listening practice.
How to teach sight words in five minutes a day
- Pick five words. Choose a set from the checklist, mixing easy and tricky words.
- Say, read and spell. Say the word, point to each letter and say it again.
- Use it in a sentence. Ask for a short sentence, such as “I can see a big dog.”
- Play the game. Use Balloon Pop or Answer Race to practice the five words and the older ones.
- Tick the checklist only after three days in a row of reading a word without sounding it out.
Kindergarten sight words game: listen and find
For a kindergarten sight words game, begin with Answer Race and the first 25 words, which are the, and, a, to and the rest of the first set. The listen and find idea is simple: hear the word, then find it among the choices. When all 25 are quick, add the next set. A sight word games session should be short and happy, so stop while the child still wants more.
Where sight words fit at school
| Level | What children are expected to do |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten (US) | Read common high-frequency words by sight, such as the, of, to, you, she, my, is and are (RF.K.3.c) |
| Grade 1 (US) | Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words (RF.1.3.g) |
| Year 1 (England) | Read common exception words, such as the, said and were |
The Common Core kindergarten foundational skills standards name these skills. Pair the sight words game with the sight words typing game, which asks children to type the same words. The guide to sight words and the sight word worksheets add reading and writing practice.
Sight words game: frequently asked questions
What are sight words?
Sight words are common words that children learn to read at a glance, so they can concentrate on the harder words in a sentence.
How many sight words does a first grader need to know?
Many programmes set about 100 words for the end of kindergarten and first grade. This game covers 100.
Does the sight words game need sound?
Yes, because it says each word aloud. Turn the volume up on the device, and give the game permission to play speech if the browser asks.
Are sight word games based on Dolch or Fry words?
They overlap a lot. This list follows the high-frequency words of the Letters and Sounds programme, and many of its words also appear on the Dolch and Fry lists.
Is the sight words game free, and do kids need an account?
Yes, it is free, and no account is needed. Best scores are saved only in the browser on this device.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Every game is built for touch first and also works with a mouse on a computer.