All 40 words are listed below. In the game above, type each word as it comes up: twelve words a lap, in a new order every time.
The 40 pre-primer sight words
a and away big blue can come down find for funny go help here I in is it jump little look make me my not one play red run said see the three to two up we where yellow you
This is the first of the five Dolch levels.
The same words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 letter | 2 | a I |
| 2 letters | 9 | go in is it me my to up we |
| 3 letters | 12 | and big can for not one red run see the two you |
| 4 letters | 12 | away blue come down find help here jump look make play said |
| 5 letters | 3 | funny three where |
| 6 letters | 2 | little yellow |
The game uses 38 of the words. The game leaves out "a" and "I", which are not typed as a plain small word.
Where the list comes from
Edward William Dolch published a list of frequently used words in 1936, in an article called "A Basic Sight Vocabulary" in The Elementary School Journal, and again in 1948 in his book Problems in Reading. The list is usually given in five levels, from pre-primer to third grade, with the nouns as a separate list. We read the lists in the Wikipedia article Dolch word list on 3 October 2026.
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Other sight word lists
Primer sight words · Kindergarten sight words · First grade sight words · Second grade sight words · Third grade sight words · Dolch nouns · All sight word lists · Dolch sight words A to Z · Sight word games · Sight word phrases · Sight words typing practice
Questions
How many pre-primer sight words are there?
40 on this page, from the Dolch list.
Is this the same list my school uses?
It may not be. Schools choose their own sight word lists. Ask the teacher for the class list.
How does the practice game work?
Each word appears as tiles on a road. Type the lit key, and the hands show which finger to use. A lap is twelve words, and every lap is in a new order.