Reading benchmarks · sight words
Sight words by grade: the Dolch lists
The best-known sight word lists are Edward Dolch's: 220 "service words" in five levels, usually taught from preschool through 3rd grade, plus 95 common nouns. By level: pre-primer 40, primer 52, first grade 41, second grade 46, third grade 41. Most of the words can be sounded out, so they're best learned alongside phonics, not by memorising shapes.
The Dolch lists by grade
Word counts are the canonical Dolch lists; "usually taught" is the grade each list is traditionally published for.
| List | Usually taught | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-primer | Preschool to kindergarten | 40 |
| Primer | Kindergarten | 52 |
| First grade | First grade | 41 |
| Second grade | Second grade | 46 |
| Third grade | Third grade | 41 |
| Nouns | Kindergarten to second grade | 95 |
There's no official target for how many sight words a child should know by a given date. The grade names show when each list is traditionally taught.
Which list is your child on?
Your child reads a short sample from each Dolch list, pre-primer to third grade. You tap right or not yet, and you see the highest list they know and which list to practise next.
Sit side by side, then start
Your child reads; you tap Read it or Not yet. Don't help during the check. It goes list by list — dolch pre-primer, dolch primer, dolch first grade, dolch second grade, dolch third grade — and stops by itself when a list is clearly too hard.
A few minutes · No email needed to see the result
If they're below their grade's list
Start at the list after the highest one they know, not at their grade's list. Keep a small pile of words they know and a small pile they're learning, and move cards over as they get them.
Sound out the parts of each word that follow the usual rules (most do) and point out only the tricky part. A word is learned for good when your child reads it in a story without stopping.
This is not a diagnosis
This is not a diagnosis or an assessment, and a reassuring result doesn't rule anything out. Children learn to read on different timelines. If you're worried about your child's reading, talk to your child's teacher. The figures on this page describe groups of children, not a line your child has to cross by a certain date.
Frequently asked questions
Why the Dolch lists?
They're the best-known high-frequency word lists, they're grouped by grade, and they're old enough to be in the public domain, so every list here is free to print for home or classroom use.
How many sight words should my child know by the end of each grade?
There's no official target. As a guide, the first grade list (41 words) is traditionally taught in 1st grade, the second grade list (46) in 2nd and the third grade list (41) in 3rd.
Should my child memorise sight words?
Not as shapes. Most Dolch words can be sounded out, and children learn them best with phonics plus practice. Point out only the part that doesn't follow the usual rules (the ai in said, for example).
Free: the 10-minute daily phonics routine
Four short steps you can do with your child every day: sounds, blending, reading and a quick chat about the story. One printable page.
We'll email you the 10-minute daily phonics routine, a few short reading tips over the next month, then at most one monthly roundup of new guides. Unsubscribe anytime.
Where the numbers come from
- Dolch, E. W. (1936). A basic sight vocabulary. The Elementary School Journal.
- Dolch, E. W. (1948). Problems in Reading. Champaign, IL: Garrard Press.