2nd grade sight words

What is this skill?

Second grade sight words are the ones that have to come quickly as books fill up with longer sentences: always, around, because, first, those, their, does, right, which, sleep, work. Many can be sounded out, at least in part, but they appear so often that a child should not have to. Others have a part that does not follow the usual sounds, such as the g-h in right or the way does does not rhyme with goes.

Most questions say a word and ask a child to tap it from four look-alikes, like these, those, their and there. Others show a word and ask if it says a given word, including the classic trap of write and white. A question type new at this level puts the word in a sentence: "Please ___ your hands before dinner." Then a child has to read for sense, and choosing wash means passing over wish and work. A few questions build a sentence from loose words.

Why it matters

By second grade, children are expected to read for meaning, and that depends on not having to think about words like because and which. These little words carry the logic of a sentence: because gives a reason, which points back to something, first gives an order. A child who stumbles on them can lose the point of the whole thought.

Words like their, there, right and write also matter for spelling, since the mistakes start to show up in a child's writing now. The earlier a child sees that two words can sound alike or nearly alike and still be different words, the easier it is when homophones are taught directly in third grade.

Common mistakes

• Mixing look-alikes: those and these, their and there, write and white. Have your child say the word they think it is, then spell it aloud from the page. Saying the letters makes the difference easier to see.
• Trusting the sound over the spelling, especially with the silent letters in right or write. Show the odd letters and treat them as something special about that word.
• Reading a word correctly but picking a choice that does not make sense in the sentence. When a fill-in question stumps your child, have them read the sentence aloud with each choice and listen for the one that sounds right.

How to help at home

• Use a card game like memory with pairs that are easy to confuse. Reading both cards aloud at each turn does the work for you.
• Ask your child to write a sentence with because in it each day this week. One sentence is enough, and the word sticks faster when they use it.
• During reading, listen for the small words. If your child skips or swaps one, wait until the end of the sentence, then ask, "Did that make sense?"
• For paper practice, try the Dolch list and flash cards linked on this page, and pull out just the words your child still hesitates on.

Worked examples

These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus 2nd grade sight words practice, with the answers worked out.

1. Example 1

   Does this say 'their'?

   their

   Answer: Yes. T-h-e-i-r spells "their," as in "their dog."

2. Example 2

   Make the sentence.

   The pieces, mixed up: their / ball. / We / green / found

   Answer: We found their green ball. The sentence is "We found their green ball."

3. Example 3

   Which word fits? Turn ___ the light.

   Choices: us, off, or

   Answer: off. Off fits. You turn off the light.

This practice is best on a screen, because the word is said aloud. For paper, the printable word lists and flash cards are here: Dolch 2nd grade sight words.