Sight words are the small, very common words that children learn to recognize instantly, like the, said and was. Many of them do not follow regular phonics rules, so reading them “by sight” frees children to focus on meaning. Use the generator above to print free sight word worksheets for all 220 Dolch sight words (pre-primer to third grade) or your own list: a sight word of the day page for each word, sight word flash cards, sight word bingo cards with a caller list, and an assessment checklist.
New: ready to sound out words? Try the word family worksheets for -at, -ip, -ug and 30 more families, with word wheels, sorts and a real-or-silly word game.
New: make bingo with any words using the bingo card generator.
Play the sight word flash cards game
Read the word on the card. Know it? Press I know it! Not sure yet? Press Practice again and the word comes back later. Tap the card to hear the word read aloud. The green bar fills as your child masters the list.
Ready-to-print sight word worksheets (PDF)
Seven samples covering all four kinds of page, each ready as a PDF. With Customize you can switch to another Dolch list, type your own words or print more pages.
What is on a sight word of the day page?
- Read it: the word in big, clear letters.
- Trace it: gray letters to trace on handwriting lines.
- Write it: a line to write the word on their own.
- Color it: the word in bubble letters to color in.
- Find it: a grid of words where the child circles every copy of the sight word and counts them.
- Use it: lines to write a sentence with the word.
Print one of these sight word worksheets a day and your child meets each word six different ways: reading, tracing, writing, coloring, searching and using it. Five pages a week covers the whole pre-primer list in two months.
The Dolch sight words, list by list
| List | Words | Typical level | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primer | 40 | Preschool and early kindergarten | a, and, can, go, look, see, the |
| Primer | 52 | Kindergarten | all, are, came, like, said, was, with |
| First grade | 41 | Grade 1 | after, could, from, know, once, some, were |
| Second grade | 46 | Grade 2 | always, because, does, many, their, which, would |
| Third grade | 41 | Grade 3 | about, bring, done, laugh, myself, together, warm |
Together these 220 “service words” make up a large share of the words in children’s books. Edward William Dolch published the lists in 1936, and they are still used in classrooms today; the Dolch word list article on Wikipedia has the full history. Pick any list in the generator and our sight word worksheets cover every word on it.
Games to play with sight word worksheets and flash cards
- Sight word bingo: print a different card for every player. Read words from the caller list and let children cover them. Every card is shuffled, so no two are the same.
- Flash card slap: lay out sight word flash cards, call a word, and see who taps it first.
- Word hunt: give children a highlighter and a page from a favorite book, and hunt for this week’s sight words.
- Rainbow words: trace each word in three colors (try our spelling worksheet generator for a rainbow writing page).
- Build it: spell each word with magnetic letters, then mix the letters up and build it again.
How to teach with sight word worksheets
- A few at a time. Introduce three to five new words a week and keep reviewing the old ones.
- See it, say it, spell it. Say the word, spell it aloud letter by letter, then say it again.
- Mix in phonics. Many sight words are partly decodable. Point out the parts that follow the rules, like the s and d in said.
- Read in context. Children remember words they meet again and again in real sentences and stories. Reading common high-frequency words by sight appears among the kindergarten goals of the Common Core foundational skills (RF.K.3c).
- Track progress. Use the checklist page of the sight word worksheets to tick off words your child reads quickly and correctly, and celebrate each new list.
Practice it as a game
Free online games for the same skill: balloon pop, memory match, races and more. No sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
7 quick answers
What are sight words?
Sight words are common words that readers recognize instantly without sounding them out. Many, like the, of and said, have irregular spellings, so they are practiced until they are known “by sight”.
What are the Dolch sight words?
The Dolch sight words are 220 common words organized into five lists (pre-primer, primer, first, second and third grade), plus a separate list of 95 nouns. They were published by Edward William Dolch in 1936.
How many sight words should a kindergartner know?
Many kindergarten programs aim for the 40 pre-primer words and some or all of the 52 primer words by the end of the year. Every child moves at their own pace.
What is the difference between Dolch and Fry sight words?
Both are lists of high-frequency words. Dolch has 220 words grouped by grade level, while Fry lists the 1,000 most common words in order of frequency. There is a lot of overlap between them.
Can I make sight word worksheets with my own words?
Yes. Choose “My own words” and type your list. Every activity, including bingo and the checklist, works with your words.
How do I play sight word bingo?
Print a card for each player and the caller list. Cut out the caller words and put them in a bag. Draw a word, read it aloud, and players cover it on their card. The first to cover a full row, column or diagonal wins.
Are these sight word worksheets free?
Yes. Print all the sight word worksheets, flash cards and bingo cards you need for home or school, and you never have to make an account.
More reading and writing printables
- What Are Sight Words? Lists, Examples and How to Teach Them: the full guide behind this page
- Spelling worksheet generator with nine activities for any word list.
- Letter tracing worksheets for A to Z.
- Name tracing worksheets.
- Kindergarten math worksheets.
- Handwriting paper for kindergarten.