Sight words
Pre-Primer Sight Words
The 40 Dolch pre-primer words, the first level of the list, with hangman, difficulty scores and a printable worksheet and answer key.
Read the word list
Pre-primer is the entry level of the Dolch list: 40 words such as a, and, big, can, look, play, red and the. They are the words in the very first books a child reads, which is why a handful of them let a student make real sentences quickly. Read the words aloud together first, then play.
The list mixes three kinds of word. Some follow simple phonics patterns, like big, can, red and run. Some are colors and numbers, such as blue, yellow, one, two and three. A few are plain irregular: said, the, you and where need a closer look.
Short words are tricky in hangman. Our data shows that three-letter words cost the solver more wrong guesses on average than long ones, so expect words like the, you and big to take several tries even though they feel easy to read.
40 entries. Our solver needed 6.0 wrong guesses on average: 6 easy, 9 medium and 25 hard. The toughest is we (14 misses), the quickest a (0).
- 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
Words worth a closer look
- saidThe ai makes the short e sound, so it is a heart word to learn on sight.
- whereStarts like when and what: a good cue for the wh pairs.
- yellowThe double l and the w ending make it one of the longer words on the list.
- funnySound it out in two chunks, fun and ny.
Teaching it
Introduce four or five words at a time, no more. Sort them into words you can sound out (can, run, red) and words that need a flag (said, you, the). For the first group, sound each letter and blend. For the second, point out the one tricky part, such as the ai in said, and let the rest be regular.
In hangman, ask the player to say the word before guessing a letter, then to say the letters in order once it is complete. That small habit makes the game a spelling exercise rather than a guessing contest. Keep rounds to a few minutes at this age.
Print a Pre-Primer Sight Hangman worksheet
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.
Need another sheet?
Draw eight different words from this list, right here. Same layout, new answer key.
Keep going
- Dolch Sight WordsThe 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.
- Primer Sight WordsAll 52 Dolch primer words, from all and am to who and yes, with hangman, per-word difficulty and a printable worksheet.
- First Grade Sight WordsThe 41 Dolch first-grade words, from after and again to walk and when, with hangman, difficulty scores and a worksheet.
- Second Grade Sight WordsThe 47 Dolch second-grade words, including because, their, would and don't, with hangman, difficulty scores and a printable.
- Third Grade Sight WordsThe 41 Dolch third-grade words, such as laugh, light, together and myself, with hangman, difficulty scores and a printable worksheet.
- Dolch NounsThe 97 Dolch nouns, from apple and baby to window and wood, with hangman, difficulty scores and a printable worksheet and answer key.