Dolch first grade sight words

This list has more of the words that trip up first graders in real books: of, once, could and any. These are among the least regular words in English, and they're common enough that students need them early.

Could is a good example of what the table shows. The c and the d are regular. The oul in the middle is not; it makes the same sound as the oo in book, and no lesson teaches oul as a spelling. So the heart part is three letters, not the whole word. Would and should work the same way, which is a good reason to teach them as a family.

Many words on this list are plain decodable words. Had, him, his, just, let, stop and them can all be sounded out within the first half of the sequence. A first grader reading "Stop, let him in" doesn't need flash cards for any of those words.

1. Teach could alongside would and should. Write all three, underline oul, and say: "Same heart part, same sound."
2. Teach of early and say the irregular part out loud: "The f says /v/ in this word."
3. Let decodable words wait for their lesson if it's close. Old, kind and find come with a lesson on that pattern.
4. Use the practice sentences for a one-minute read each day for a week and note which words still cause a pause.

• Once, an old man sat on a wall.
• Could you give him some of the gum?
• Walk to the shop and ask how much it is.
• Thank them when they let you in.
• Every week we stop by the bank.
• Were they going to fly the flag?
• Take the ring off and put it in the bag.
• I think she may live on the next road.

Every word comes from the public-domain Dolch lists (Dolch, 1936 and 1948). We do not use the Fry list. Each word was run through our decodability engine, which checks the word's spelling units against a pronouncing dictionary and against the lesson in which each spelling and sound is taught.

"Readable by sound from" is the earliest lesson at which every part of the word has been taught. "Heart word at" is the lesson where the sequence teaches it as a heart word. Irregular letters are the ones whose spelling and sound the sequence never teaches. Contractions and words missing from our lexicon are marked to check by hand.