Dolch vs Fry Sight Words by Grade Level (Lists + How to Teach Them)

The Dolch list has 220 high-frequency “service words” (plus 95 nouns) grouped from pre-primer to 3rd grade, while the Fry list has 1,000 words ranked by frequency and usually taught about 100 per year; both are lists of common words, not a teaching method. The real question isn’t which list to choose, it’s how to teach the words. Many of them are decodable with phonics, and the rest can be learned by mapping sounds to letters rather than memorizing shapes. Below you’ll find how each list is organized, sample words by grade, and a teaching routine that fits the science of reading.

Dolch vs Fry at a glance

Dolch words by grade level

The full pre-primer list (40 words): a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little, look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow, you.

Fry words by grade level

Fry’s list is ranked by frequency rather than grade. A common (but not official) way to spread it out:

The first 25 Fry words: the, of, and, a, to, in, is, you, that, it, he, was, for, on, are, as, with, his, they, I, at, be, this, have, from. Just these 25 make up a large share of the words in typical text.

Which list should you use?

• If your school’s phonics program has a high-frequency word sequence, use that. It’s designed to match the decodable texts.
• For K–2 without a program, Dolch’s grade groups are easy to manage.
• For 3rd grade and up, or for intervention, Fry’s longer list helps you find gaps beyond the basics.

Whichever list you choose, reorganize it by phonics pattern when you teach. “Can,” “ran” and “man” belong in a short-a lesson, not on a random flashcard ring.

Many “sight words” are decodable

A common misunderstanding is that every word on these lists has to be memorized. In fact, many are fully decodable once students know basic phonics:

Teach the decodable words during phonics lessons when their pattern comes up. Teach the tricky ones as heart words: map the sounds, spell the regular parts, and put a heart over the part students need to remember. Our article on heart words vs sight words explains this approach in detail.

A 5-step routine for high-frequency words

1. Say it and use it. “The word is said. ‘She said hi.’”
2. Tap the sounds. /s/ /e/ /d/. Three sounds.
3. Map the letters. Write the word under sound boxes: s | ai | d.
4. Mark the heart part. “Which part doesn’t follow the rule we know? ai says /e/ here. We’ll learn that part by heart.”
5. Write and read it. Students spell the word from memory, then read it in a sentence and in decodable text.

Keep it to 2–3 new words a week in kindergarten and 3–5 in 1st grade, with constant review.

Practice ideas (beyond flashcards)

• Word chains: connect a sight word to decodable words with the same pattern (can → man → ran).
• Sentence building: students build short sentences with known words on cards.
• Read the room: students find this week’s words in charts and books.
• Spelling dictation: spelling a word strengthens its mapping more than just reading it.
• Decodable text: practice the words in context right away. See what is a decodable text.
• Quick games: Bingo, “slap it,” or a timed partner read of a word list.

Example: reorganizing a list by pattern

Here’s how a kindergarten teacher might take the Dolch pre-primer and primer words and sort them into phonics lessons instead of teaching them in alphabetical or list order:

Suddenly the “list of 92 words to memorize” becomes a smaller set of true heart words plus words students can decode as soon as they learn the pattern. It also means fewer flashcards and more reading.

What to tell families

Families often receive a sight word list and drill it at home. Share a few tips:

• “Ask your child to tap the sounds in the word before saying it.”
• “Point out the tricky part we’re learning by heart.”
• “Read the words in a book together, not only on cards.”
• “Short and fun: five minutes is plenty.”

Checking progress

Every few weeks, have each student read the words learned so far. Mark:

• Instant (under about 1 second): the word is stored.
• Slow but correct: the student is still decoding; keep practicing in text.
• Incorrect: reteach with mapping.

Spelling checks tell you even more. A student who can spell “said” correctly almost always reads it instantly.

Common mistakes

• Teaching words as shapes. Students need to connect letters to sounds.
• Too many new words at once. Students confuse them.
• Ignoring phonics. Many “sight words” are just early phonics words.
• Only flashcards. Students need to read words in sentences and books.
• Lists with no connection to texts. Match high-frequency words to the decodables students will read.

A note on lists and copyright

The Dolch list is in the public domain. Fry’s list has been published in many versions; check the source your school uses. Free printable lists are easy to find, but organizing words by your phonics sequence matters more than which printout you use.

High-frequency words are one small part of early reading. For phonics, phonemic awareness, decodable text and fluency, explore our science of reading guide.