Dolch list · Kindergarten
Dolch Primer Sight Words
52 words, kindergarten's core words. Tap any word for its own page.
The 52 primer words
all · am · are · at · ate · be · black · brown · but · came · did · do · eat · four · get · good · have · he · into · like · must · new · no · now · on · our · out · please · pretty · ran · ride · saw · say · she · so · soon · that · there · they · this · too · under · want · was · well · went · what · white · who · will · with · yes
What this list covers
The primer list often lines up with kindergarten. It adds the words that hold sentences together (are, was, they, have, with), and it's where the classic mix-ups begin: was and saw, on and no, there and they.
How to teach the primer words
Don't teach was and saw in the same week. Get one solid first, then bring in the other.
In was, the a sounds like u, and the s sounds like z. Pointing that out helps more than repeating the word.
Ask your child to spot a word on the page. Finding they in a real story is what makes it stick.
Play the primer words
Every word in this game comes from this list, and each one is read aloud.
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Quick quiz: which word do you hear?
Dolch primer questions
How many Dolch primer words are there?
52, out of 220 Dolch service words.
What grade is the primer list for?
It's usually taught around Kindergarten, but use the list that matches your child, not their age. Some children need an earlier list, and some are ready for the next.
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