Dolch pre-primer sight words (40 words)
The first and shortest of the five Dolch word lists: 40 of the most common words in early reading, such as the, and, said and look. Nearly all are one syllable, and several (the, said, you, to) do not follow the sounds a beginner knows yet, so they are learned by sight alongside letters.
Keys: right arrow or Space for the next word, left arrow for the previous, S to shuffle, R to start over, K to tick a word as known, F for full screen.
How to use it
- Start in Flash cards and press Full screen: the word fills the projector.
- Use the right arrow or Space for the next word; K ticks a word as known, S shuffles.
- Use the Checklist to see what is left, or print flash cards or the list for home.
Ideas for class
- Teach five words a week and keep the earlier ones in the flash mode as a warm-up.
- Pair each new word with a sentence the class says together, then point to it in a big book.
- Tape the printed list inside each child's reading folder and tick words as they are read quickly.
- Colour words are on this list (blue, red, yellow): hide a coloured object under the matching word card.
Related
- Dolch primer sight words (52 words)
- Dolch first grade sight words (41 words)
- Dolch second grade sight words (46 words)
- Dolch third grade sight words (41 words)
- Dolch noun list: 95 common nouns for beginning readers
- Reading passages with questions
- Read-aloud books for the projector
- Sight word lists and flash cards
- Decodable sentences by phonics pattern
- Readability checker
Questions
Who is the pre-primer list for?
Pre-K and kindergarten. The grade levels are Dolch's traditional ones and approximate: move on when the child reads nearly all of the list at a glance, not on a date.
Can I print the 40 words?
Yes. Choose Print flash cards for eight cards to a page, or Print list for one page with a tick box beside each word, then press Print.
Does it remember which words a child knows?
On this device, in this browser, one checklist for this list. Nothing is sent anywhere. Press Clear all before the next child.
Why is a word in the wrong list for my school?
The words are Dolch's own lists as published. Schools and programmes move words between levels, and many use other lists as well, so treat the grade as a guide.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. Names, lists and settings stay in this browser. No sign-in, no ads.