Sight Words

Sight words, also called high frequency words, are words that appear in up to 75% of the texts we read. They are words that cannot be pronounced phonetically and have non-standard spelling patterns. They also cannot be represented in pictures. Beginning readers will memorize these words by sight, enabling them to concentrate on comprehension as they grow in their reading skills. Advanced readers, and/or those in upper elementary grades, benefit from these words as well, enriching their vocabulary and comprehension skills simultaneously.

220+ resources

CCSS  RF.K.3c, RF.K.4, RF.1.3g, RF.2.3f, RF.3.3d, RF.4.3a & RF.5.3a, and SL.K.5

Go to this page to choose from all our language arts resources.

pre-primer dolch word list - alphabetical order

Dolch Sight Words

Dolch sight words are the 220 words that are used most frequently in our English language. Kids need to learn them by sight because they can’t be easily sounded out. Yes, that means kids need to memorize these words and recognize them just by seeing them (hence the wording “sight words”). Dolch words are divided by grade – pre-primer through third grade – into smaller lists of 41 to 52 words that are grade level appropriate.

82 resources color-coordinated by grade level


fry list - the first 100

Fry High-Frequency Words

Fry high-frequency words are made up of 1,000 most frequently used words in the English language. Similar to Dolch sight words, Fry words are comprised mostly of words that need to be learned by sight (memorized) because they can’t be phonetically sounded out. They don’t fit common spelling patterns and most can’t be represented by pictures. Unlike the Dolch words, these lists include nouns. Fry’s 1,000 words are divided into 10 lists of 100 words each that are recommended for kindergarten through fifth grade. They are listed in the order in which they are most frequently used.

58 resources


Emergent Reader - My Book of Blue Things - Sight Word Book

Kindergarten Sight Words

Kindergarten sight words are the words that are recommended for kindergarteners to learn first. They include Fry words and Dolch sight words. You will find one section dedicated to Dolch words and one to Fry words. The other sections are a compilation of these sight words used in a variety of sight word worksheets, color by sight word worksheets, and emergent reader booklets. Dolch words have a list of 40 words called pre primer sight words. Those are included in this kindergarten sight words section as well.

110+ resources


1st grade dolch word list - alphabetical order

First Grade Sight Words

Our first grade sight words include Dolch sight words and Fry high frequency words. Even though some of the sight words appear on both lists, if you include the Dolch nouns, that’s well over 100 sight words for kiddos to master in first grade! So get out those flash cards (of which we have many!), and start your daily practice. Check off the kid’s progress on the assessment sheets. Practice the sight word phrases, too. You might even want to play sight word bingo for a bit of fun!

36 resources


2nd grade dolch word list - alphabetical order

Second Grade Sight Words

If you’re like me, you like to have your lists to check off. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction and completion. In this section you will find two lists of second grade sight words, Dolch sight words and Fry high-frequency words. Between the two of them that’s about 150 words it’s recommended your kids learn by the end of second grade. However, with your curriculum added to these, your kids will come out far above that number. Just remember, numbers aren’t the goal. Fluent grade level appropriate reading is. Hope these resources help!

34 resources


3rd grade dolch word list - alphabetical order

Third Grade Sight Words

Need some third grade sight words? Here’s where you’ll find a rich supply. We have both Dolch and Fry words that are appropriate for third grade right here. With nearly 150 words for kids to learn you’ll be a busy bee pollinating all your kid’s minds with these all-important words. If you print out all flash cards in this section (there’s a lot of them), pass them out to all your kids, have them learn them and switch with their table mates, they’ll have them down in no time. I know…keep dreaming. Nothing is ever that easy! Hope you enjoy these resources!

36 resources


fry list - the fourth 100

Fourth Grade Sight Words

Here is our selection of fourth grade sight words. There are lots of resources in this section. Where there were both Dolch sight words and Fry sight words for grades kindergarten through third grade, there are now only Fry words. But the amount of Fry words has increased significantly. The fourth 100 Fry words through the tenth 100 Fry words (that’s 500 words!) are appropriate for both fourth and fifth grade. Look for Fry lists, flash cards, assessment sheets, and phrases.

37 resources


fry list - the fourth 100

Fifth Grade Sight Words

Appreciate you checking out our fifth grade sight words. There are lots of resources in this section that will hopefully be very beneficial to you. They reflect the large jump in the number of high-frequency words suggested for fifth graders. No more Dolch sight words! For fourth and fifth grade there are only Fry high-frequency words. The fourth 100 Fry words through the tenth 100 Fry words (that’s 500 words!) are appropriate for both fourth and fifth grade. We have lots of Fry lists, flash cards, assessment sheets, and phrases.

37 resources