Change the numbers, layout and number of problems, then download a new PDF with its answer key.
These free second grade sight words worksheets cover all 46 words on the Dolch second grade list. 17 of the 46 words are action words that a child can act out, so this list is a good place to practice with movement.
Second Grade sight words worksheets to print (PDF)
These four pages are the printables for the second grade sight words: a word of the day page for “because”, flash cards, a bingo card and the checklist. Click a picture for the PDF.
Word of the day“because”, with six boxes.PDFFlash cards12 cards on a page.PDFBingo cardsWith a caller list.PDFChecklistTick each word known.PDF
The Dolch second grade sight words list
The Dolch second grade sight words list has 46 words. The second grade sight words are:
always
around
because
been
before
best
both
buy
call
cold
does
don’t
fast
first
five
found
gave
goes
green
its
made
many
off
or
pull
read
right
sing
sit
sleep
tell
their
these
those
upon
us
use
very
wash
which
why
wish
work
would
write
your
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 always, or and your, and not names of things, so a child cannot learn them from a picture.
Second Grade sight word worksheets: what is in the PDF
The generator prints four kinds of second 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
46 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
Second grade sight words by length and first letter
The shortest second grade sight words have 2 letters, such as or, us, and the longest is because with 7 letters. The average length is 4.2 letters. Here is how the 46 words divide by length:
Letters in the word
Words
Examples
2
2
or, us
3
6
buy, its, off, sit, use, why
4
22
been, best, both, call, cold, does
5
12
don’t, first, found, green, right, sleep
6
3
always, around, before
7
1
because
The most common first letters are w (7), b (6), f (4), t (4), g (3), s (3).
Dolch second grade sight words that do not follow the rules
Many of the second 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
would
The l is silent and the ou says “oo”
because
The au says “u”
been
The ee says “i”
does
The oe says “u”
wash
The a says “o”
work
The or says “er”
write
The w is silent
buy
The u is silent
your
The our says “or”
their
The eir says “air”
Start with “would”: the l is silent and the ou says “oo”. Ask the child to write it three times, saying it aloud, then find it in a sentence.
The second grade sight words sorted by job
Sorting the 46 words by what they do in a sentence turns a long list into 8 small groups. The biggest group is the action words, with 17 words, so most of the second grade sight words can be acted out or used in a sentence the child already says.
Seventeen verbs, more than any other group. Practice them in past and present: gave and give.
Helper words
4
been, does, don’t, would
“Don’t” is the only contraction on any Dolch list, so use it to introduce the apostrophe.
Describing words
7
best, cold, fast, green, very, many, right
Pair opposites: hot with cold, slow with fast.
Number and order words
2
first, five
First belongs to the order words: first, second, third.
Time and place words
5
always, around, before, off, upon
Use a story map: always, before, around, upon.
Words for people and owners
4
their, its, your, us
Compare their and your with a picture of a family.
Linking and question words
5
which, why, because, both, or
Answer why questions with because.
Pointing words
2
these, those
Point to near objects with these and far objects with those.
Sight word flash cards: a 14-week plan for the second grade sight words
Four new cards a week, with a review week after every fourth, teach all 46 words in 14 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
or, us, buy, its
4
2
off, sit, use, why
8
3
best, call, fast, five
12
4
both, cold, gave, made
16
5
Review week: read all 16 cards, two piles
16
6
many, pull, read, sing
20
7
tell, upon, very, wash
24
8
wish, work, your, don’t
28
9
first, found, green, right
32
10
Review week: read all 32 cards, two piles
32
11
sleep, these, which, write
36
12
those, always, before, been
40
13
around, does, their, would
44
14
goes, because
46
Sight word bingo: look-alike words in the second grade sight words list
These are the 9 groups in the second grade sight words list that cause the most mix-ups at the bingo table.
Look-alike words
What to notice
their, these, those
All three start with th. Their ends in ir and shows ownership; these and those end in e.
goes, does
Both end in es, but goes starts with g and says “oh” while does starts with d and says “uh”.
write, right
Same sound, different spelling. Write has the silent w; right is also the opposite of left.
which, why
Both start with wh and ask a question. Which asks “what one”, why asks “for what reason”.
made, many
They share the first two letters. Many asks “how much”, so link it with a number.
off, or
Off has a double f. Or is a connecting word.
best, both
Both start with b. Best ends in st, both ends in th, and both means two.
cold, call
Both start with c and have an l. Cold ends in ld, call ends in ll.
always, around
Both start with a and have six letters. Read them in a sentence.
Practice sentences with the second grade sight words
These ten sentences use 34 different words from the 46 on the list, shown in bold. Read them aloud, then write a sentence of your own for any word that was hard.
Why do you alwayssitright here?
Because it was cold, we sat around the fire.
Tell me which one you wouldbuy.
Many of thosegreen frogs sing at night.
The baby does not sleep when it is cold.
First, pulloffyour coat. Then writeyour name.
He madefive cards and gave them to us.
Don’tcall me beforework.
She readboth books before bed.
I wish I could useyour pen to write.
How long does it take to teach the second grade sight words?
Three to five new words a week works well for most children. For the 46 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
16
20
4
12
15
5
10
12
It follows the First Grade list of 41 words. The five lists together hold 220 words. With this one a child has met 179 of them. After this list, the third grade list adds 41 words, including verbs such as bring, carry, grow and try, and number words such as six, seven, eight and ten.
Second grade sight words worksheets: frequently asked questions
How many words are on the second grade list?
There are 46 words, from “always” to “your”. The longest is “because” with 7 letters.
Which second grade sight words should I teach first?
Start with short, regular words such as or, us, buy, its. Leave the trickier ones (does, goes, would, because) until the child is reading the easy words with confidence.
Which second grade sight words do children mix up?
The groups that cause most mistakes are their/these/those; goes/does; write/right.
What comes after the second grade list?
After this list, the third grade list adds 41 words, including verbs such as bring, carry, grow and try, and number words such as six, seven, eight and ten.
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 does, goes, would, because, their.
