Free sight word games · ages 3–7

Sight Word Games for Little Readers

Pull carrots, chase crows and hop lily pads with Bramble the rabbit. Every word is read aloud, so children can play before they can read.

Play free Dolch word lists

See it in action

Sight word game for kids: Carrot Pull, pull the carrot wearing the word you heardSight word practice: Kite Flight, tap to lift the kite into the right cloudSight words in context: Missing Word, drag the word into the sentence

How it works

  1. Listen. Each round says a word and uses it in a short sentence. The speaker button repeats it as often as your child likes.
  2. Find it. Pull the carrot, tap the crow or hop onto the lily pad with that word. The wrong choices look alike on purpose (was and saw, then and them), because that's where early readers slip.
  3. The game finds their level. It starts with the first Dolch words and moves up only when a child reads the harder ones quickly and correctly.
  4. Use your own list. Paste the words from school into the list maker, or print flash cards and bingo.

Fourteen games, one skill

Each game has its own action: pull, swipe, hop, drag, hold. Every one of them runs on reading a word.

Carrot PullHear the word, then pull the carrot wearing it
Burrow RunPick the right hole before Bramble reaches the fork
Snail MailSwipe the snail: does its sign say the word you heard?
Crow ChaseTap the crow holding your word. First to four wins
Seed SowPlant the letters in order and watch them sprout
Lily Pad HopHop across the pond on the pads with your words
Bee LineCatch the letter bees in the right order
Root CellarMole flashes a label. Find the matching jar
Kite FlightTap to lift the kite into the cloud with your word
Missing WordDrag the right word into a storybook sentence
Veggie BasketDrop the grabber on three right vegetables
Giant PumpkinThree words, three pumpkins, and a prize at the end
Wishing WellHold to lower the bucket and catch three right apples
Burrow DoorSpell three words on the lock to open the door

Dolch sight words by level

All 220 Dolch words and 95 nouns, each with its own page and game.

40Pre-primer words52Primer words41First grade words46Second grade words41Third grade words95Dolch nouns

Guides for parents & teachers

TeachingHow to teach sight wordsA five-step routine that links each word's sounds to its letters. ActivitiesSight word activitiesFifteen ideas with little or no prep, sorted by energy level. At homeHow to learn sight words at homeA five-minute daily routine for busy families. Tricky wordsWhat are heart words?Why said and was are hard, and which part to learn by heart.

All guides →

Questions parents ask

What age is Wordburrow for?

Children aged about 3 to 7, from first words through 3rd grade Dolch lists. Every word is read aloud, so a child who can't read yet can still play.

Does it read the words aloud?

Yes. Every word is spoken and a speaker button repeats it. The voice is a real recording, so it sounds the same on every device.

What are sight words?

Words so common that children need to read them instantly, without stopping to sound them out. Many are also irregular, like said and was. See the Dolch lists.

Can I use my child's list from school?

Yes. Paste the words into the list maker and all fourteen games play with that list. You'll get a link to bookmark or share.

Can teachers use Wordburrow in class?

Yes, and it's free for classroom use: no accounts, no ads, and it runs on Chromebooks, iPads and the board. You can also embed it on your class site.

Is Wordburrow really free?

Yes. The whole game plays free in your browser, with no signup, no ads and no time limit. An iPhone app is in the works, and the web game stays free.

Ready when they are

Play free

An app is on the way

We're building a Wordburrow app for iPhone. The plan is everything you can play here, plus offline play and a parent view of the words that have stuck. It isn't out yet. The whole game is free here in the meantime.

Coming soon on theApp Store