Dolch list · 41 words · usually 1st grade

Dolch 1st grade sight words

The first grade Dolch list has 41 words, from after and again to were and when. It is the level most first grade classrooms send home, often a few words a week, and it is where children start meeting the small words that make longer sentences hang together: of, from, could, once, over.

By now your child probably reads the pre-primer and primer words without thinking. This list asks for more: the words are longer, several have silent letters, and a few look nearly identical.

All 41 1st grade sight words, A to Z

  • after
  • again
  • an
  • any
  • as
  • ask
  • by
  • could
  • every
  • fly
  • from
  • give
  • going
  • had
  • has
  • her
  • him
  • his
  • how
  • just
  • know
  • let
  • live
  • may
  • of
  • old
  • once
  • open
  • over
  • put
  • round
  • some
  • stop
  • take
  • thank
  • them
  • then
  • think
  • walk
  • were
  • when

Printable list and flash cards (PDF) — page 1 is all 41 words as a checklist with three tick boxes each; the next pages are flash cards to cut out. Free to print, no sign-up.

About this list

First grade is also when phonics lessons pick up speed, so a good share of this list becomes decodable during the year: ask, just, let, stop, think and thank all follow patterns your child will be taught. Others stay stubborn. "Of" sounds like "uv", "once" starts with a w sound, "could" has a silent l, and "know" has a silent k. Those are the ones to spend time on.

The list has a group of pronouns, her, him, his and them, and a group of time words, after, again, once, then and when. Children who read these quickly can follow who did what, and in what order, which is most of what an early chapter book asks of them.

There is one -ing word on the list, "going". If your child reads "go" easily, show them that "going" is just "go" with an ending, and look for other -ing words in the books you read together.

This is also a good time to start writing a few sight words. Teachers usually begin with the short regular ones. Reading still comes first, though: if your child can read a word but not yet spell it, that is normal.

How to practice at home

  • Silent letter spotting: write know, could and walk large and let your child cross out the letter that makes no sound with a light pencil line.
  • Memory match: make two cards for each of six words, lay them face down and take turns finding pairs, reading each card aloud as it turns over.
  • Story order: give your child after, then and when cards and ask them to tell you about their day, using each word once.
  • Sticky note trail: put a few sight words on sticky notes around the house; your child collects one only after reading it out loud.
  • Quick check: once a week go through the checklist from the printable and tick the words read without a pause.

Words that trip kids up

  • "Then", "them" and "when" differ by a single letter or two; give each its own sentence before you mix them.
  • "Were" and "where" are easy to swap. "Where" asks about a place, and it has "here" inside it.
  • "Of" and "off" (on the 2nd grade list) are often confused; one f sounds like "uv", two f’s sound like "off".
  • "Any" and "every" both point at a whole group; reading them inside short phrases (any day, every day) makes them stick.

More sight word lists