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Sight word and spelling lists, free to print
Dolch sight words
The 220 words that make up around half of everything a child reads, plus 95 picture nouns. Most cannot be sounded out — they have to be known on sight, which is why they turn up in spelling homework year after year.
- Dolch pre-primer40 words · ages 4–5 · pre-K and receptionThe first forty. Where sight reading starts.
- Dolch primer52 words · ages 5–6 · kindergarten and Year 1Fifty-two words, and the first ones that break the rules — was, said, they.
- Dolch first grade41 words · ages 6–7 · 1st grade and Year 2Forty-one, including the ones that sound nothing like they look — could, know, of.
- Dolch second grade46 words · ages 7–8 · 2nd grade and Year 3Forty-six words a child reads every day and spells wrong twice a week.
- Dolch third grade41 words · ages 8–9 · 3rd grade and Year 4The last forty-one. Finish these and the whole 220 are done.
- Dolch nouns95 words · ages 5–8The 95 picture words that go with the sight words — the things in the pictures.
Compiled by Edward William Dolch in 1936 from the words most common in children's books. Long out of copyright and in the public domain.
Fry sight words
The most common words in English, in the order they are most common. The first hundred alone account for about half of all written English.
- Fry's first hundred100 words · ages 5–7The hundred most common words in English. Half of everything written is these.
- Fry's second hundred100 words · ages 6–8Words 101 to 200 — where the spellings start getting awkward.
- Fry's third hundred100 words · ages 7–9Words 201 to 300 — two syllables arrive, and so do thought, enough and important.
- Fry's fourth hundred100 words · ages 8–10Words 301 to 400 — usually, measure, remember: the spellings stop being guessable.
- Fry's fifth hundred100 words · ages 9–11Words 401 to 500 — halfway to a thousand, with government, language and equation.
Edward Fry's Instant Words, first published in 1957 and updated in 1980, drawn from a frequency count of American English. Published for classroom use and freely reproduced.
National Curriculum spelling lists
The words English primary schools are required to teach. Year 1 and 2 are the common exception words — the ones that break the phonics rules — and Years 3 to 6 are the statutory lists.
- Year 1 common exception words45 words · ages 5–6 · Year 1The words that break the phonics rules a child has just been taught.
- Year 2 common exception words62 words · ages 6–7 · Year 2Sixty-four more exceptions, and the first properly hard ones — beautiful, because.
- Year 3 and 4 statutory words108 words · ages 7–9 · Years 3 and 4The words every English school must teach by the end of Year 4.
- Year 5 and 6 statutory words104 words · ages 9–11 · Years 5 and 6The last statutory list — and the ones adults still get wrong.
The statutory word lists from the English National Curriculum (Department for Education, 2013), published under the Open Government Licence.
Themed spelling lists
Words grouped by the theme a classroom is doing — a holiday, a season, a topic. Not a published curriculum: a ready-made list for the week the homework names a subject and leaves the word-picking to you.
- Halloween spelling words32 words · ages 5–11Pumpkins, witches and cobwebs — the October list, from bat to broomstick.
- Christmas spelling words30 words · ages 5–11From elf to gingerbread — the December list for cards, letters and homework.
- Thanksgiving spelling words25 words · ages 5–11Turkey, harvest and grateful — the November list.
- Winter spelling words30 words · ages 5–11Ice, mittens and blizzards — the cold-weather list for the long term.
- Animal spelling words34 words · ages 6–12From lion to hippopotamus — the animal names children most want to write.
- Ocean spelling words30 words · ages 6–12Waves, reefs and jellyfish — the under-the-sea topic week, spelled out.
- Space spelling words32 words · ages 6–12Rockets, planets and the whole solar system — from sun to constellation.
- Weather spelling words30 words · ages 6–12Drizzle to hurricane — the weather-topic list, and the double letters in it.
Compiled by SpellChirp from common classroom themes. These are our own lists, and like everything else on these pages they are free to read, copy and print.
Looking for your child’s year instead?
The spelling words by grade pages are our own list, grouped by the pattern each word teaches, with a definition a child can read for every word.