Dolch Sight Words

The Dolch sight words list contains 220 different words that a child must be able to recognize in order to read.

Many of the words cannot be sounded out which is why they must be recognized "by sight".

These are often referred to as "High-Frequency" words as well. In our school system, they like to use the term "Popcorn Words".

The list is divided up into 5 different categories: Pre-Primer, Primer, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade. For the purposes of this website, Pre-Primer and Primer will both be found under Kindergarten Sight Words. There is a lot of crossover though between the levels. Children read, recognize, and sound out words at different speeds. Some students read above their level, while others may struggle to keep up with their peers. Be sure to work at your child's level. If words are too hard, scale down their word list or drop down a level to a different set of words.

Some primer words are found in Kindergarten and 1st Grade homework. If you are interested in seeing how the words are divided, you can check out the lists below.

The original list that Dolch released was based on words found in children's books of his era which is why some nouns appear on the list instead of more high-frequency words. There is a separate Dolch nouns list that was released with 95 nouns. You can see it below too.

Printable Dolch Sight Words Worksheets

Each category (Pre-Primer, Primer, etc.) has been divided into smaller groups that introduce about five words at a time. Start with the Pre-Primer #1 series and be sure your child has mastered one series before moving on to the next. Don't try to throw too much at them at once. And most importantly, have fun.

If you are looking for some fun ways to introduce the material to your child, be sure to check out the Sight Words Word Search for printable activity sheets. Our youngest daughter has always enjoyed the "Roll A Sight Word' game. It's a fun way to practice learning sight words and writing.

I have also included some links to affiliate products that offer board games that focus on sight words. You can also find more work books and activity sheets covering popcorn words in the online store.

For practice on the go, you can print out the Dolch sight words flash cards I made. I recommend laminating them so they last longer or print them out on card stock if your printer can handle the thicker paper.