Tracing words worksheets help children move from tracing single letters to writing whole words. Each word appears as a dark model, then in gray to trace, on blue, dashed and red handwriting lines, with an empty row to write it alone. These word tracing worksheets include the first 92 sight words, plus color words, number words, family words, days of the week and farm animals.
Quick answer: Tracing words worksheets are printable pages where a child traces gray words on handwriting lines and then writes each word alone. This page has 8 free word tracing PDFs: pre-primer sight words (40), primer sight words (52), color words, number words, short CVC words, family words, days of the week and farm animals, plus a maker for any word list of up to 40 words. Updated October 2026.
Ready-to-print samples
A few of the ready PDFs on this page. The full list is under Ready-to-print worksheets.
Each set is a ready PDF. Start with the sight word sets, which are the most common words in early reading, and move to the topic sets for variety:
Set
Words
Best for
Pre-primer sight words
40
The first words in reading, ages 4 to 6
Primer sight words
52
The next step, ages 5 to 7
Color words
10
Reading and spelling color names
Number words
10
Linking numerals to words
CVC words
12
Three-letter words that sound out
Family words
8
Words from home
Days of the week
7
Capital letters and longer words
Farm animal words
8
Short topic words
How long are the words children trace first?
Sight words are mostly short. We counted the letters in the 92 pre-primer and primer words:
Word length
Words in the two lists
Examples
1
2
a, I
2
17
go, in, is, it, me
3
31
and, big, can, for, not
4
30
away, blue, come, down, find
5
8
funny, three, where, black, brown
6
4
little, yellow, please, pretty
About 54% of these words have three letters or fewer, which is why tracing them is a good first step for young writers. Longer words, such as yellow, little and please, come after the short ones.
Word tracing worksheets and trace words worksheets
This page is also searched as tracing words worksheets, trace words worksheet, traceable words, word trace, word tracing and trace words. All are the free PDFs above, in US Letter or A4, with no sign-up. To trace your own words, such as a spelling list, type them into the maker, one per line or separated by commas, and the page is ready to print. A good routine is to say the word, trace it, cover it and write it from memory.
A weekly plan for tracing words
Day
Focus
Suggested block
Monday
Six pre-primer sight words
10 min
Tuesday
Six more sight words, and review of Monday
10 min
Wednesday
A topic set: colors, numbers or animals
10 min
Thursday
Write the week’s words from memory
10 min
Weekly total
Four short sessions
40 min
How to learn a word: look, trace, cover, write, check
Tracing a word works best as part of a short routine. The same five steps work for sight words, color words and spelling words, and they take only a minute a word:
Step
What the child does
1. Look
Look at the word and say it aloud
2. Trace
Trace the gray word with a finger, then a crayon
3. Cover
Cover the word with a piece of paper
4. Write
Write the word from memory on the empty line
5. Check
Uncover the word and check each letter
About the sight word lists
The pre-primer and primer lists on this page come from the Dolch sight word list, which has 220 common words in five levels: pre-primer (40 words), primer (52), first grade (41), second grade (46) and third grade (41). Together, the pre-primer and primer lists give the 92 words that most children learn first. The sight word worksheets has the other levels, and flash cards for each word.
Printing tracing words worksheets
Print on US Letter or A4 at 100% scale. The sets with 40 and 52 words have several pages, so print one or two pages a week. Use the maker to trace your own list, for example this week’s spelling words, and use a sheet protector and a dry-erase marker for extra practice.
Tracing words and early reading
Writing a word helps a child read it, because it forces a close look at every letter. That is why many reading programs include tracing and copying. The key is to say the word aloud, point to each letter and then read the word again. A child who can read and write a small set of sight words can start to read simple sentences.
How many words a week?
A good starting pace is five to six new words a week, with a review of the previous week’s words. At that pace, the 40 pre-primer words take about seven weeks, and the 52 primer words about nine more. Children who learn faster can double the pace, and children who need more time can halve it. The aim is to read and write the words with ease, not to finish the list.
Frequently asked questions
7 quick answers
Where can I download free tracing words worksheets?
Open any worksheet in the Ready-to-print list on this page, choose US Letter or A4, then print or save the PDF. They are free, and no account is needed.
What words should children trace first?
Start with short sight words such as a, I, go, up, in and to, then move to longer ones. Three-letter CVC words such as cat and sun are also good first words.
Can I trace my own list of words?
Yes. Type up to 40 words into the maker, choose the size and the font, and download the PDF.
How many sight words should a preschooler trace?
A preschooler can start with just a few words that matter to them, such as their name, mom and dad. The pre-primer list is better suited to older preschoolers and kindergartners.
What is the difference between sight words and CVC words?
Sight words are common words that children learn to recognize on sight, some of which cannot be sounded out. CVC words are three-letter words with a consonant, a vowel and a consonant that can be sounded out, such as cat and sun.
Do I need to trace sight words or can I copy them?
Tracing gives support for the first few tries, and copying from a model is the next step. Each row on our sheets goes from a dark model to a faded trace to an empty line.
How do I make a spelling tracing sheet?
Type the spelling words for the week into the maker, one per line, choose a size, and download the PDF. You can print one page for each week.
