Second grade sight words: the Dolch list
The Dolch second grade list has 46 sight words, such as always, because, does, their, which and would. Hear every word, read the sentences and play the listening game at the bottom.
Second grade sight words list (46 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
Group 1 (always to does)
Group 2 (fast to off)
Group 3 (or to those)
Group 4 (upon to don't)
Second grade 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 second grade sight words?
Second grade sight words are usually the 46 words of the Dolch second grade list, including always, around, because, been, does, don't, first, their, these, very, which, would and write. By second grade most of these can be decoded with vowel teams, r-controlled vowels and silent letters, while a few, such as does, been, buy, their and would, keep an irregular part that is learned by heart.
- The Dolch second grade list has 46 words, from always to your.
- It is the only Dolch list with a contraction: don't, short for do not.
- Silent letter words on the list include write (silent w) and right (silent gh).
- Heart words include does, been, buy, their, would, many and because.
About second grade sight words
The second grade list is Dolch's fourth level, 46 words that show up constantly in chapter books and school texts: because, before, around, always, which, would, their. The list also contains don't, the only contraction on any Dolch list, shown at the end of the word grid. It is worth practising alongside do and not so your child sees that the apostrophe stands for the missing o, and that don't still says /d/ /ล/ /n/ /t/ with a long o.
By second grade most children have learned the patterns that unlock nearly all of this list. Best, fast, sit, us, tell, wish, sing and off are short vowel words with blends and digraphs. Five, gave, made, these, those and use use silent e. Green, sleep, found, around, right and goes use vowel teams, and first, or, before and work use r-controlled vowels (in work, or says /er/). Write and right sound the same but are spelled differently; the w in write and the gh in right are silent. Cold follows the pattern where o says its name before ld. That leaves a short list of heart words: does (oe says /u/), been (in American English it usually rhymes with pin), buy (uy says /ฤซ/), their, would, many (a says /e/) and because.
Read also needs a note: it is pronounced reed in I read every day and red in I read it yesterday, so only the sentence can tell your child which to say. As with earlier lists, the goal is instant recognition, and the route there is connecting letters to sounds until the spelling is stored (share1995). A second grader who still reads pre-primer and primer words slowly and with effort may need more support with decoding itself, not more sight word drill.
Second grade sight words in sentences
Practice sentences built from words on this list.
- Which one is your best book?
- Wash your hands before you eat.
- Why does the cat always sleep?
- I found five green frogs.
- Would you read to us, please?
- Call me when you are cold.
- These cars are very fast.
- First sing, then write your name.
- Many birds sit in the tree.
Common mix-ups with second grade sight words
Their and there
They sound the same, so the spelling has to carry the meaning. Their means belonging to them (their dog); there is a place (over there). A helpful clue: there contains here, and both are places.
Its and it's
Its (the dog wagged its tail) is on this list. It's with an apostrophe means it is. If your child can say it is in the sentence and it still makes sense, it needs the apostrophe.
Write and right
Same sound, different spelling. Write is something you do with a pencil, and the silent w is a heart part. Right uses igh, the same pattern as light on the third grade list.
Second grade sight words activities
Pattern sort
Sort the word cards by spelling pattern: silent e (five, made, these), vowel teams (green, sleep, found), r-controlled (first, or, work) and heart words (does, been, buy). Your child reads each card and explains why it belongs in its pile.
Homophone pictures
Take the sound-alike pairs, write and right, their and there, buy and by. Your child draws a quick picture for each meaning and writes the word under it. Linking a spelling to a meaning and an image helps keep the pair apart.
Word ladder race
Write ten words in a column. Your child reads down the ladder while you time them, then reads it again to beat the time. Keep only words they can already decode, so the race builds speed, not guessing.
Write a silly sentence
Pick three words from the list and ask your child to write one sentence that uses all of them, such as The five green frogs always sing. Saying each sound while spelling a word strengthens reading it too.
Second grade sight words: frequently asked questions
How many second grade sight words are there?
The Dolch second grade list has 46 words, all shown in the grid on this page, including the contraction don't.
What sight words should a second grader know?
Many programmes expect second graders to read the pre-primer, primer, first grade and second grade Dolch lists, 179 words, by the end of the year. Many also expect them to spell the most common ones.
Why is been hard for children?
Been looks like it should rhyme with seen, but in American English it usually rhymes with pin. The ee is the heart part.
What if my second grader still struggles with kindergarten sight words?
Go back to the earlier lists and check that your child can sound out regular words. Ongoing trouble with both decoding and sight words at this age is a good reason to try a reading screening.
Practise next
- 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.
- Third grade sight wordsThe Dolch third grade list is the last of the five service word lists: 41 words such as about, laugh, eight, together and myself. Hear every word, read the sentences and play the game at the bottom.
- Vowel teamsA vowel team is two or more letters that work together to spell one vowel sound, like ai in rain, ee in tree and igh in night. Hear every word, read the sentences, and try the game.
- R-controlled vowelsWhen a vowel is followed by r, the r changes the vowel's sound: cat becomes cart, fist becomes first. Hear the words for ar, or, er, ir and ur, read the sentences, and play the game.