Dolch second grade · 2nd grade

The Sight Word "don't"

Hear it, read it in a sentence, then play it.

don't

Please don't feed the bears.

How to teach "don't"

  1. Say it. Read the sentence together, then say don't on its own.
  2. Good to know. It's short for do not. The apostrophe shows where the o was taken out.
  3. Spell it. It has 4 letters. Say them aloud while tracing them on the table with a finger.
  4. Find it. Hunt for don't in a book you're reading. Then play a round of the game below.

Words it gets mixed up with

Early readers often confuse don't with words that look like it: down, does, draw, drink. The game uses these on purpose, so children learn to look at every letter.

Play "don't"

"don't" shows up in every question

Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers

Open the game full screen

Quick quiz: which word do you hear?

Questions

Is "don't" a sight word?

Yes. It's on the Dolch second grade list, usually taught around 2nd grade.

What's a good sentence for "don't"?

Try this one: Please don't feed the bears.