Kindergarten sight words: the Dolch primer list
The Dolch primer list is the second set of sight words, 52 words such as are, was, they, have and what. It is the list most often used for kindergarten. Hear every word, read the sentences and play the game at the bottom.
Kindergarten sight words list (52 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
Group 1 (all to came)
Group 2 (did to like)
Group 3 (must to ran)
Group 4 (ride to this)
Group 5 (too to yes)
Kindergarten sight words game: listen and find
Hear a word from the list and pick it from four look-alike words. Eight rounds, about two minutes.
Short answer
What are kindergarten sight words?
Kindergarten sight words are usually the 52 words of the Dolch primer list, including all, are, he, she, they, was, have, what, there, want and yes. Together with the 40 pre-primer words they make up the 92 words many US kindergartens aim for by the end of the year. Many are regular, such as at, did, get, but, went and yes, and the irregular ones, such as was, they and have, are best learned by sounding out the regular letters and learning the odd part by heart.
- The Dolch primer list has 52 words, from all to yes.
- Regular primer words include am, at, but, did, get, ran, went, well, will and yes.
- Heart words on the primer list include are, was, they, have, there, what, want, who, do and four.
- Many kindergartens combine the pre-primer and primer lists, 92 words, as the year's goal.
About kindergarten sight words
The primer list is Dolch's second level: 52 words that turn the tiny sentences of the pre-primer stage into real stories. Pronouns (he, she, they), verbs (are, was, have, went, saw, ate) and question words (what, who) let a child read something like They went out and saw a white cat. Most US kindergarten programmes teach this list after, or alongside, the pre-primer words.
Sort the list by how it is spelled and it becomes much smaller to learn. A good share of the words are plain phonics: am, at, but, did, get, must, on, ran, well, went, will and yes are CVC or blend words. Another group uses patterns children meet in kindergarten phonics: ate, came, like, ride and white end in silent e; he, she, be, no and so have an open vowel that says its name; eat, please, soon, too, saw, say, now and out use vowel teams; that, this, with and she use digraphs. The true heart words are fewer: are, was, they, have, there, what, want, who, do, four, our and pretty each have one part that breaks the usual rule. In have, for example, h, a and v are regular, and the e is there only because English words do not end in v.
Mapping the sounds to the letters is what makes these words stay put. When a child sounds out w-e-n-t and then meets went three more times that week, the spelling becomes something they recognise at a glance (share1995). For heart words, say the word, count its sounds, and mark the letters that surprise: the a in was says /u/, the ey in they says /ay/. Keep sessions short and bring old words back every few days; spaced review helps them last (cepeda2006).
Kindergarten sight words in sentences
Practice sentences built from words on this list.
- They went out to play.
- She saw a black and white cat.
- What did he say?
- We will be there soon.
- I like to ride my new bike.
- Who ate it? Not me!
- That is too pretty. I want it.
- He was under the bed.
- Please come into our house.
Common mix-ups with kindergarten sight words
Was and saw
They use the same three letters in reverse order, so children flip them, especially when reading quickly. This is a common early reading error, not a sign of seeing letters backwards. Point to the first letter and say its sound: /w/ for was, /s/ for saw.
There and they
Both start with the and are common in the same sentences. Have your child look past the first three letters: re at the end makes there, y makes they. Read each one in its own sentence: There is my hat. They are here.
What, want and went
These three start with w and look alike. The vowel is the clue: e in went is regular, and the a in what and want is the heart part. Read them in pairs and ask which vowel your child sees.
Kindergarten sight words activities
Sort the list into three piles
Write the words on cards and sort them: words you can sound out (at, did, went), words with a pattern you know (ride, she, soon) and heart words (was, they, have). Reading each card aloud as it goes down shows the child that most of the list is not hard.
Heart word map
Draw a box for each sound in a heart word. For was: /w/ /u/ /z/. Write w, a, s in the boxes, and draw a heart over a and s because a says /u/ and s says /z/. Say the word while sweeping a finger under the boxes.
Sentence strips
Write a short sentence from this page on a strip of paper and cut it into words. Your child puts the words back in order and reads the sentence. Swap in a new word to make a new sentence: They saw a cat. They saw a dog.
Say it, spell it, write it
Say a word aloud. Your child repeats it, says each letter name while tapping it on the table, then writes the word while saying the sounds. Spelling a word and reading it strengthen the same memory.
Kindergarten sight words: frequently asked questions
How many sight words should a kindergartner know?
It depends on the school, but a common goal is the pre-primer and primer Dolch lists, 92 words, by the end of kindergarten. Some programmes set a smaller target of 25 to 50 words and focus more on decoding.
What are the 52 kindergarten sight words?
They are the Dolch primer words listed on this page, from all, am and are to will, with and yes. You can hear each one by tapping it in the word grid.
How do you teach kindergarten sight words?
A few words at a time. Say the word, map its sounds to its letters, mark any heart part, then read it in sentences. Short daily practice with regular review of older words works best.
My kindergartner forgets sight words from one day to the next. Is that normal?
Some forgetting is normal, and linking letters to sounds instead of drilling whole-word shapes usually helps. If a child still cannot hold on to words after months of steady practice, a reading screening can show whether something else is making it hard.
Practise next
- Pre-k sight wordsThe Dolch pre-primer list is the first set of 40 sight words, including a, the, I, you and said. It is often used as the pre-k and preschool sight words list. Hear every word, read the sentences and play the game at the bottom.
- First grade sight wordsThe Dolch first grade list has 41 sight words, such as after, could, every, of, once and were. Hear every word, read the sentences, and play the listening game at the bottom.
- Silent e wordsIn silent e words, the e at the end makes no sound but changes the vowel before it: cap becomes cape, kit becomes kite. Hear every word, read the sentences, and play the game.
- Dolch nounsAlongside the 220 service words, Dolch published a list of 95 common nouns, such as apple, bird, house, mother and water. Here they are grouped by topic, with audio for every word, sentences and a listening game.