Change the numbers, layout and number of problems, then download a new PDF with its answer key.
These free first grade sight words worksheets cover all 41 words on the Dolch first grade list. 14 of the 41 words are action words that a child can act out, so this list is a good place to practice with movement.
First Grade sight words worksheets to print (PDF)
These four pages are the printables for the first grade sight words: a word of the day page for “thank”, flash cards, a bingo card and the checklist. Click a picture for the PDF.
Word of the day“thank”, with six boxes.PDFFlash cards12 cards on a page.PDFBingo cardsWith a caller list.PDFChecklistTick each word known.PDF
The Dolch first grade sight words list
The Dolch first grade sight words list has 41 words. The first grade sight words are:
after
again
an
any
as
ask
by
could
every
fly
from
give
going
had
has
her
him
his
how
just
know
let
live
may
of
old
once
open
over
put
round
some
stop
take
thank
them
then
think
walk
were
when
For the history of the lists, see Wikipedia’s Dolch word list article. Most of these words are “service words” that do work in a sentence, such as after, know and when, and not names of things, so a child cannot learn them from a picture.
First Grade sight word worksheets: what is in the PDF
The generator prints four kinds of first grade sight words worksheets. This table shows the number of pages for this list, counted from the real PDFs:
What you print
Pages in the PDF
Details
Sight word of the day
41 pages (one for each word)
Six boxes: read it, trace it, write it, color it, find it and circle it, use it in a sentence
Flash cards
4 pages
12 cards on a page, in 3 columns and 4 rows, with dashed cut lines
Bingo cards and caller list
3 pages for 4 cards
2 cards on a page, with a caller page to cut apart. Each card is 5 by 5 with a free space
Assessment checklist
2 pages
26 words on a page, with four date columns to tick when a child reads the word right
First grade sight words by length and first letter
The shortest first grade sight words have 2 letters, such as an, as, by, of, and the longest is after with 5 letters. The average length is 3.7 letters. Here is how the 41 words divide by length:
Letters in the word
Words
Examples
2
4
an, as, by, of
3
13
any, ask, fly, had, has, her
4
16
from, give, just, know, live, once
5
8
after, again, could, every, going, round
The most common first letters are a (6), h (6), o (5), t (5), w (3), f (2).
Dolch first grade sight words that do not follow the rules
Many of the first grade sight words can be sounded out, but some break the usual rules. These are the ones to teach by sight, with attention to the tricky part:
Word
What is tricky
of
The f says “v”
give
The silent e does not make the i long
live
As a verb it has a short i
walk
The l is silent and the a says “aw”
could
The l is silent and the ou says “oo”
once
It starts with a “w” sound, but is spelled with an o
know
The k is silent
any
The a says “e”
were
The ere says “er”
again
The ai says “eh”
Start with “of”: the f says “v”. Ask the child to write it three times, saying it aloud, then find it in a sentence.
The first grade sight words sorted by job
Sorting the 41 words by what they do in a sentence turns a long list into 7 small groups. The biggest group is the action words, with 14 words, so most of the first grade sight words can be acted out or used in a sentence the child already says.
Job
Count
Words
How to teach them
Action words
14
ask, fly, give, going, know, let, live, open, put, stop, take, thank, think, walk
Fourteen verbs. “Going” is the only one with an ending, so it also helps with -ing words.
Helper words
5
could, had, has, may, were
Read each one inside a sentence: “She could go”, “They were here”.
Words for people
4
her, him, his, them
Swap a name for him or her in a sentence the child already knows.
Time words
6
after, again, once, then, when, just
Put them in order on a strip: after, then, again, once, when.
Describing and amount words
5
any, every, old, some, round
Use real objects: some blocks, every block, any block.
Question word
1
how
Ask how questions about a picture.
Small connecting words
6
an, as, by, from, of, over
Teach inside phrases such as “from the box” and “over the top”.
Sight word flash cards: a 13-week plan for the first grade sight words
Four new cards a week, with a review week after every fourth, teach all 41 words in 13 weeks. Look-alike words never share a week, and the sight word flash cards print from the generator above.
Week
New cards
Words known by the end of the week
1
an, as, by, any
4
2
ask, fly, had, her
8
3
has, him, how, let
12
4
his, may, old, put
16
5
Review week: read all 16 cards, two piles
16
6
from, give, just, know
20
7
live, once, open, over
24
8
stop, take, them, when
28
9
then, after, again, every
32
10
Review week: read all 32 cards, two piles
32
11
going, round, thank, of
36
12
think, some, walk, were
40
13
could
41
Sight word bingo: look-alike words in the first grade sight words list
These are the 7 groups in the first grade sight words list that cause the most mix-ups at the bingo table.
Look-alike words
What to notice
were, when
Both start with w. Were sounds like “fur”; when asks about time.
then, them
They differ only in the last letter. Then is time, them is people.
think, thank
Only the vowel changes. Say both with the vowel stressed: thi-nk, tha-nk.
has, had
Has is now, had is then. Read “She has a cat” and “She had a cat”.
his, him, her
All three start with h. His ends in s, him ends in m, and her ends in r.
live, give
They look like a rhyming pair, but live can say “liv” or “lyve”, and give always says “giv”.
of, over
Both start with o. “Of” is two letters and says “uv”.
Practice sentences with the first grade sight words
These ten sentences use 32 different words from the 41 on the list, shown in bold. Read them aloud, then write a sentence of your own for any word that was hard.
After lunch, we are going to walk to the park.
Onceanold man gave her a round red apple.
Can you askhimhow birds fly?
Stop and think before you open the box.
Letthemtake the ball over there.
Thank you for helping every one of us.
When did she know that he had left?
We liveby the sea, and birds flyover it.
They putsome books on his desk.
May I have an apple from your bag?
How long does it take to teach the first grade sight words?
Three to five new words a week works well for most children. For the 41 words on this list, that means the following time, with or without a review week after every fourth week:
New words each week
Weeks to teach the list
With a review week after every 4 weeks
3
14
17
4
11
13
5
9
11
It follows the Primer list of 52 words. The five lists together hold 220 words. With this one a child has met 133 of them. After this list, the second grade list adds 46 words, including verbs such as buy, sing, wash and write, and the question words which and why.
First grade sight words worksheets: frequently asked questions
How many words are on the first grade list?
There are 41 words, from “after” to “when”. The longest are “after” and “again” and “could” and “every” and “going” and “round” and “thank” and “think”, with 5 letters each.
Which first grade sight words should I teach first?
Start with short, regular words such as an, as, by, any. Leave the trickier ones (of, could, were, some) until the child is reading the easy words with confidence.
Which first grade sight words do children mix up?
The groups that cause most mistakes are were/when; then/them; think/thank.
What comes after the first grade list?
After this list, the second grade list adds 46 words, including verbs such as buy, sing, wash and write, and the question words which and why.
How do I print a sheet for just the hard words?
Open the generator at the top of the page, choose “My own words” and type the words you want, for example of, could, were, some, walk.
