Sight words

Dolch Sight Words

The Dolch service words from pre-primer to third grade, with the history behind the list, a difficulty score for each word and hangman to practice.

Dolch Sight Word

Guesses left 8 Misses — Time 0:00

Read the word list

Edward Dolch, an education professor, published his sight word list in 1936 and wrote it up in the book Problems in Reading in 1948. He built it from the vocabulary of children's books of his time, picking the words that appeared again and again. The result is 220 service words that make up the glue of ordinary sentences, split into five levels: pre-primer, primer, first grade, second grade and third grade.

The version on this site has 221 words, because it includes don't at second grade. Nouns were kept apart in a separate list of 97 words, which has its own page. Put together, the levels run 40, 52, 41, 47 and 41 words.

Dolch lists are in the public domain, so you can copy, print and adapt them freely. They remain the most widely used sight word sets in classrooms, which is why this page plays all five levels at once. If you want one level at a time, each has its own page.

221 entries. Our solver needed 5.7 wrong guesses on average: 21 easy, 64 medium and 136 hard. The toughest is be (16 misses), the quickest a (0).

Difficulty from our solver:Easy 0–1 missesMedium 2–4Hard 5+

Pre-primer

a Easy · 0
and Medium · 4
away Medium · 2
big Hard · 12
blue Hard · 5
can Hard · 7
come Hard · 9
down Hard · 6
find Hard · 9
for Hard · 11
funny Hard · 5
go Hard · 11
help Hard · 6
here Easy · 1
I Easy · 0
in Hard · 5
is Hard · 6
it Medium · 4
jump Hard · 12
little Easy · 0
look Hard · 5
make Hard · 8
me Hard · 11
my Hard · 12
not Medium · 2
one Medium · 3
play Hard · 7
red Hard · 6
run Hard · 7
said Medium · 2
see Medium · 4
the Hard · 5
three Easy · 0
to Easy · 1
two Hard · 7
up Hard · 11
we Hard · 14
where Medium · 2
yellow Medium · 4
you Hard · 14

Primer

all Hard · 5
am Hard · 11
are Easy · 1
at Easy · 1
ate Easy · 0
be Hard · 16
black Hard · 5
brown Hard · 7
but Medium · 4
came Hard · 5
did Hard · 5
do Hard · 7
eat Easy · 0
four Hard · 5
get Hard · 9
good Hard · 9
have Hard · 9
he Hard · 7
into Medium · 2
like Hard · 7
must Hard · 6
new Hard · 7
no Medium · 3
now Hard · 7
on Medium · 3
our Medium · 2
out Medium · 3
please Medium · 2
pretty Easy · 1
ran Medium · 3
ride Medium · 4
saw Hard · 11
say Hard · 12
she Hard · 6
so Medium · 4
soon Medium · 4
that Medium · 4
there Easy · 1
they Hard · 7
this Medium · 3
too Easy · 1
under Hard · 6
want Hard · 8
was Hard · 10
well Hard · 8
went Hard · 7
what Hard · 5
white Medium · 4
who Hard · 6
will Hard · 12
with Hard · 8
yes Hard · 8

First grade

after Medium · 2
again Medium · 3
an Medium · 3
any Hard · 8
as Medium · 4
ask Hard · 5
by Hard · 15
could Hard · 5
every Medium · 2
fly Hard · 10
from Hard · 5
give Hard · 8
going Hard · 6
had Hard · 6
has Medium · 4
her Medium · 4
him Hard · 11
his Hard · 5
how Hard · 12
just Hard · 9
know Hard · 5
let Hard · 6
live Hard · 6
may Hard · 13
of Hard · 10
old Medium · 4
once Medium · 2
open Hard · 6
over Medium · 3
put Hard · 12
round Medium · 4
some Hard · 6
stop Hard · 6
take Hard · 7
thank Medium · 4
them Hard · 6
then Hard · 5
think Hard · 7
walk Hard · 9
were Medium · 3
when Medium · 4

Second grade

always Medium · 4
around Medium · 2
because Medium · 2
been Hard · 9
before Medium · 3
best Hard · 7
both Hard · 10
buy Hard · 10
call Hard · 5
cold Hard · 7
does Medium · 2
don't Hard · 5
fast Hard · 5
first Medium · 3
five Hard · 7
found Hard · 7
gave Hard · 8
goes Medium · 4
green Medium · 3
its Medium · 3
left Medium · 3
made Hard · 5
many Hard · 8
off Hard · 6
or Hard · 5
pull Hard · 9
read Easy · 1
right Hard · 6
sing Medium · 3
sit Medium · 4
sleep Medium · 2
tell Medium · 3
their Medium · 2
these Easy · 0
those Medium · 2
upon Hard · 5
us Hard · 6
use Medium · 3
very Hard · 10
wash Hard · 6
which Hard · 7
why Hard · 10
wish Hard · 6
work Hard · 9
would Hard · 8
write Hard · 6
your Hard · 7

Third grade

about Medium · 2
better Easy · 1
bring Hard · 6
carry Medium · 4
clean Medium · 2
cut Hard · 11
done Hard · 6
draw Hard · 8
drink Hard · 5
eight Medium · 2
fall Hard · 7
far Hard · 8
full Hard · 8
got Hard · 10
grow Hard · 5
hold Hard · 6
hot Medium · 4
hurt Hard · 7
if Hard · 10
keep Hard · 5
kind Hard · 5
laugh Hard · 5
light Hard · 7
long Hard · 6
much Hard · 10
myself Easy · 1
never Easy · 1
only Medium · 4
own Medium · 3
pick Hard · 9
seven Easy · 1
shall Medium · 4
show Hard · 8
six Hard · 10
small Hard · 5
start Easy · 1
ten Medium · 3
today Medium · 4
together Easy · 1
try Hard · 8
warm Hard · 6

Words worth a closer look

saidOften the first irregular word children meet.
theirSounds like there but is spelled differently, a classic mix-up.
don'tThe one contraction in this version of the list.
couldThe silent l is the part to flag.

Teaching it

Because these words come from books written many decades ago, the list has gaps. It has no computer or phone words, and the nouns include kitty and Santa Claus. Treat it as a solid starting set, not a complete picture of modern reading.

The levels are a guide, not a rule. A child who reads second-grade books may still stumble over a primer word like was or what, and these small words matter most. Use the all-levels game for review, and the single-level pages when you want a clear target for the week.

Print a Dolch Sight Hangman worksheet

Dolch Sight Hangman printable hangman worksheet: eight puzzles with letter blanks, a drawing frame and an alphabet strip

Eight puzzles on one US Letter page, with a clue, letter blanks, an empty frame to draw in, an alphabet strip to cross off and circles to count misses. Page two is the answer key.

Download PDF Answer key

Need another sheet?

Draw eight different words from this list, right here. Same layout, new answer key.

Snowman version