Free home check · a few minutes

Dolch sight word check

Your child reads a short sample of words from each Dolch sight word list, from pre-primer to third grade. You tap right or not yet for each one. You'll see the highest list your child already knows 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

This is not a diagnosis

This is an informal home check we designed, not a validated assessment. It samples each Dolch list rather than testing every word, and it gives no reading level, grade level or age equivalent. 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.

How to run the check

Sit side by side with the screen where your child can see the word. You hold the device and tap; they just read. It takes a few minutes.

Show one word at a time and ask your child to read it.
Tap ✓ if they read it correctly straight away. Tap ✗ if they guess, stall or need a long struggle.
Don't help or correct during the check — practise afterwards.
The lists go in Dolch's order, pre-primer first. The check stops by itself when a list is clearly too hard; you can keep going if you want to see more.

What the Dolch words are

In 1936 the education researcher Edward W. Dolch published a list of 220 "service words" — the small, very common words (the, and, said, because) that make up a large share of the words in children's books. The list leaves out nouns. It is usually printed in five lists, from pre-primer to third grade, by the stage at which children in Dolch's day were expected to learn them.

The list names describe when the words were taught, not a reading level. A child who knows the second-grade list isn't "reading at a second-grade level" — they just know those common words.

Sight words and phonics work together

"Sight word" means a word your child reads instantly, without having to work it out. It doesn't mean a word that has to be memorised as a picture. Many Dolch words are perfectly regular — and, can, big, run, stop — and the quickest way to make them instant is to sound them out until they're easy.

The rest usually have just one tricky part: the ai in said, the o in come. Show your child the part that doesn't follow the usual sounds, sound out the rest, and practise the word a few times a day. That's how a word moves from "worked out" to "known on sight".

What the result means — and what it doesn't

The result is the highest Dolch list your child read with at least 8 of 10 sample words right, on the day. The next list is the one to practise. Because each list is checked with a sample of 10 words, a child can know the sample and still miss a few other words on the same list — use the full list for practice.

Children have off days. If a result surprises you, run it again another day. If even the first list stays hard after several weeks of practice, check letter sounds and blending with the phonics skill check and mention it to your child's teacher.

Frequently asked questions

What age is the Dolch sight word check for?

Any child who is learning to read, or an older child who still stumbles over common words. Beginners will often stop at the first list, which is expected.

How many Dolch words are there?

Dolch's basic sight vocabulary has 220 words, split into five lists from pre-primer to third grade. There is also a separate Dolch list of common nouns, which this check doesn't use.

Should my child memorise sight words?

Not as shapes. Most Dolch words can be sounded out, and the rest usually have only one tricky part. Teaching the sounds and pointing out the tricky part makes the word stick far better than drilling it as a whole picture.

Is this the same as the Fry word list?

No. This check uses only the Dolch lists. The Fry list is a different, longer list of common words, and its levels don't line up with Dolch's.

Should I correct my child during the check?

Not during the check — just tap right or not yet and move on, so the result shows what they can read on their own. Practise the words they missed afterwards.

Where the numbers come from

Dolch, E. W. "A Basic Sight Vocabulary." The Elementary School Journal, vol. 36, no. 6 pp. 456–460 — the 220-word basic sight vocabulary (nouns excluded). Source
Dolch, E. W. Problems in Reading. Champaign, IL: The Garrard Press pp. 99–106 — the basic sight vocabulary as reprinted in the book. Source

Our rule of thumb for an informal check, not a published cut-off: a list counts as known when your child reads at least 80% of its sample (8 of 10 words) on sight, coming along from 50% to 79%, and not yet below 50%. The result is the highest list, in order, that counts as known; the check stops at the first not-yet list. Each list is checked with a fixed sample of 10 of its words, not the whole list.