Sight words: those essential building blocks that make up the foundation of early reading skills.
Dolch sight words, developed by educator Edward William Dolch, are some of the most commonly used words in children’s books and daily reading. These words often can’t be “sounded out” easily, making them crucial for young learners to memorize.
In this post, we’ll cover 300 Dolch sight words, complete with examples and exercises.
Pre-Kindergarten Sight Words
Let’s start with the basics for our youngest learners. These words are foundational for kids just beginning to read, helping them understand simple instructions and basic sentences.
Here are essential Dolch sight words for Pre-K:
- a
- and
- away
- big
- blue
- can
- come
- down
- find
- for
- funny
- go
- help
- here
- I
- in
- is
- it
- jump
- little
- look
- make
- me
- my
- not
- one
- play
- red
- run
- said
- see
- the
- three
- to
- two
- up
- we
- where
- yellow
- you
Example Exercise
Match the Word: Show students a picture or flashcard and ask them to pick the matching word from the list above.
Kindergarten Sight Words
Moving up a level, these words are suitable for kindergarteners who are building their vocabulary.
These sight words allow young readers to start forming simple sentences.
- all
- am
- are
- at
- ate
- be
- black
- brown
- but
- came
- did
- do
- eat
- four
- get
- good
- have
- he
- into
- like
- must
- new
- no
- now
- on
- our
- out
- please
- pretty
- ran
- ride
- saw
- say
- she
- so
- soon
- that
- there
- they
- this
- too
- under
- want
- was
- well
- went
- what
- white
- who
- will
- with
- yes
Example Exercise
Fill-in-the-Blank: Present simple sentences with missing words, and have students fill in the blanks using words from the list.
First Grade Sight Words
Now we’re getting into slightly more complex vocabulary for first graders. These Dolch words are essential for forming longer sentences and recognizing more advanced ideas.
- after
- again
- an
- any
- as
- ask
- by
- could
- every
- fly
- from
- give
- going
- had
- has
- her
- him
- his
- how
- just
- know
- let
- live
- may
- of
- old
- once
- open
- over
- put
- round
- some
- stop
- take
- thank
- them
- then
- think
- walk
- were
- when
Example Exercise
Word Hunt: Create a word search puzzle including these sight words. Encourage students to circle the words they find.
Second Grade Sight Words
For second graders, sight words help develop reading fluency and comprehension skills.
These words will challenge students while expanding their reading confidence.
- 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
Example Exercise
Flashcard Drill: Show a flashcard of each word and have students say the word aloud. This reinforces recognition and pronunciation.
Third Grade Sight Words
The third-grade sight word list introduces students to more complex and abstract vocabulary.
Mastering these Dolch sight words helps students build skills in comprehension and reading fluency.
- about
- better
- bring
- carry
- clean
- cut
- done
- draw
- drink
- eight
- fall
- far
- full
- got
- grow
- hold
- hot
- hurt
- if
- keep
- kind
- laugh
- light
- long
- much
- myself
- never
- nine
- only
- own
- pick
- seven
- shall
- show
- six
- small
- start
- ten
- today
- together
- try
Example Exercise
Sentence Challenge: Ask students to create sentences using one or more words from the list. This exercise promotes sentence structure and usage.
Fourth Grade Dolch Words
By fourth grade, students are expected to recognize a wider range of sight words that support more advanced reading and comprehension skills.
These words are crucial as they appear frequently in both educational and recreational reading materials.
- able
- across
- area
- become
- behind
- better
- brought
- build
- certain
- change
- close
- consider
- contain
- course
- develop
- different
- enough
- entire
- exactly
- explain
- follow
- form
- further
- government
- happen
- heavy
- however
- include
- known
- listen
- material
- measure
- middle
- natural
- necessary
- notice
- order
- passage
- prepare
- present
These Fourth Grade Dolch Words help learners expand vocabulary beyond basic sight words, enabling them to better understand content across various subjects.
Fifth Grade Dolch Sight Words
In fifth grade, students encounter a more advanced set of sight words that often appear in subject-specific texts and literature.
Mastery of these words enhances comprehension of more sophisticated materials.
- according
- activity
- agree
- argument
- attempt
- beautiful
- consider
- continue
- create
- determine
- discover
- effect
- encourage
- experience
- general
- important
- interest
- knowledge
- language
- major
- material
- movement
- nation
- object
- opinion
- particular
- provide
- purpose
- recognize
- research
- result
- separate
- specific
- suggest
- symbol
- system
- technology
- therefore
- understand
- value
Fifth Grade Dolch Words allow students to better interpret informational texts and follow more advanced reading material, solidifying their reading fluency and comprehension.
Advanced Dolch Sight Words
Finally, we come to advanced sight words.
These words are helpful for students who are ready to expand their vocabulary even further. This final list includes dolch words that build reading comprehension and fluency.
- across
- afraid
- agree
- along
- also
- apart
- begin
- believe
- below
- between
- build
- busy
- certain
- clear
- consider
- country
- decide
- different
- difficult
- direction
- during
- either
- enough
- example
- explain
- famous
- favorite
- finally
- follow
- forget
- forward
- gather
- general
- happen
- important
- improve
- instead
- interesting
- introduce
- language
- less
- letter
- might
- minute
- moment
- notice
- often
- once
- order
- perhaps
- phrase
- possible
- present
- problem
- question
- reach
- reason
- receive
- remember
- respect
- return
- sentence
- special
- suppose
- surface
- system
- teach
- though
- through
- together
- understand
- upon
- usually
- view
- voice
- visit
- weather
- whether
- whole
- wonder
Example Exercise
Story Time: Have students create a short story using at least 10 words from this advanced list. This activity encourages creative writing and deeper understanding.
Watch this Dolch sight word video:
Dolch Word Sentence Examples (Simple, Intermediate, and Advanced)
Here’s a selection of 50 Dolch-word sentences, divided by difficulty level: Simple, Intermediate, and Advanced.
These sentences gradually increase in complexity to support learners at different stages.
Simple Dolch Word Sentences
These sentences are basic and focus on using just one or two Dolch words at a time, perfect for beginners.
- I see the cat.
- Go to the park.
- We like to play.
- Look at the sun.
- She is my friend.
- The dog can run.
- Can you jump?
- He has a toy.
- You are here.
- I want a snack.
- My dad is big.
- We will go.
- Come with me.
- They like red.
- This is fun.
- I am up.
- We can help.
- Run to me.
- Look at me.
- Find the ball.
- The sun is up.
- I like to run.
- He can read.
- Look at the dog.
- She is here.
- We play outside.
- My hat is red.
- Go to the door.
- I see a car.
- Can you help?
- He is funny.
- Find my book.
- Come to play.
- This is my pet.
- Jump up high!
- I like you.
- Run and play.
- The dog is big.
- This is fun.
- My friend is nice.
These simple sentences use one or two Dolch words in a clear, basic structure, making it easy for early readers to follow along and practice recognizing words.
Intermediate Dolch Word Sentences
In this category, sentences are slightly more complex and use a mix of Dolch words.
These are great for students ready to tackle short sentences that combine multiple sight words.
- She will come to my house.
- We go to school each day.
- I like to play with my friend.
- He wants to look at the book.
- They can jump very high.
- You are my good friend.
- The boy ran up the hill.
- I want to see the red car.
- My mom and dad love me.
- We went to find some toys.
- The cat is on the chair.
- She can sing a song.
- Look, a dog is here with us!
- I need to go home now.
- They will come with us.
- Can you make a cake?
- We have three books.
- He went out to play.
- The little bird is blue.
- She is funny and kind.
- My mom and dad like to sing.
- She has a red ball for us to play with.
- We look at the stars at night.
- He likes to read funny books.
- They go to the park each day.
- Can you make a cake for me?
- She said we will go home now.
- I need to find my blue toy.
- He will come to play with us today.
- I want to help my friend with her work.
- We went to see a big tree.
- Look at the bird in the sky.
- I will come with you to the store.
- They have a new toy to show us.
- My cat likes to sleep a lot.
- We play and sing every day.
- The boy is jumping very high.
- She saw a little dog in the yard.
- I like to go to the park with my friends.
- The girl has a red dress and blue shoes.
These intermediate sentences add more Dolch words to the mix, helping students build their vocabulary and confidence with slightly longer phrases.
Advanced Dolch Word Sentences
Advanced sentences use multiple Dolch words and introduce a bit more complexity.
These sentences challenge students to read, comprehend, and recognize several sight words in a single sentence.
- I always go out to play after school.
- My friend will come with me to the park.
- She is going to make a big red cake.
- We saw the little blue bird fly away.
- I found a pretty flower in the yard.
- Can you help me read this funny book?
- He will play with us after he eats lunch.
- The boy will jump up and down to play.
- My friend and I like to sing songs together.
- They went to find some toys for us to play.
- My friend and I went to the big park where we saw a funny dog.
- She always likes to bring her little red toy when we play outside.
- They went to the new store to find something special for their mom.
- He wanted to read a big book about animals that live in the sea.
- We have three dogs, and they like to jump and run around together.
- My dad will help us make a cake for our mom’s birthday tomorrow.
- She asked if I would come over to play with her and her brother.
- The boy saw a bird fly away, and he wanted to follow it.
- They always come to our house on weekends to play games with us.
- We need to go home soon because it is almost time for dinner.
These sentences help reinforce Dolch words in sentences that mimic real-life usage, promoting better reading comprehension and fluency.
Final Thoughts: Dolch Sight Words
Mastering Dolch sight words equips young readers with the tools they need for reading comprehension and fluency.
By breaking down these words into grade levels, we help learners take manageable steps toward recognizing and using each word with confidence. With practice, exercises, and some repetition, these sight words will become second nature.
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Sources
Edward Dolch — The originator of sight words and many of the words in these lists.