1st Grade Sight Words List — Dolch & Fry (Free Printable)
The complete first-grade sight word list, free to print. See all 41 Dolch first-grade words — or Fry's First Hundred, split into words 1–50 and 51–100 — as a printable checklist, then make flash cards, a word search, fill-in-the-blank sentences, or trace-and-write practice from the same set. No signup.
Aligned to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3g · Read grade-level irregular words
Already reading these on sight? The 2nd grade sight words list picks up with the next 46 Dolch words and Fry 101–200.
Dolch First Grade Sight Words — Word List
Aligned to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3g · 41 words
Name: ___________________________ Date: _____________
Read each word. Check the box once you can read it on sight.
How to print these worksheets
- Choose a word set and format, then press Print for your browser's print dialog, or Download PDF to save a copy.
- Set your printer to Actual size (100%) — “fit to page” shrinks the writing lines and the trace guides.
- Flash cards print 12 to a sheet: print every sheet on cardstock, cut along the dashed lines, and keep the shaky words in their own pile.
- Press Generate New for a fresh word search, set of sentences, or practice page from the same list.
Dolch or Fry — which list should we use?
Pick one and stay with it for the year. The Dolch first-grade list is a 41-word set that assumes the pre-primer and primer words are already known, so nothing on it repeats what was covered in kindergarten. The Fry First Hundred is ranked by how often a word appears in print rather than by grade, so it starts at the, of, and and includes words a child likely already reads — which makes it a gentler place to start and a quick way to spot gaps.
The two overlap heavily, so mastering either one carries most of the way through the other. To see all five Dolch lists side by side, use the K–2 sight words worksheets hub. To drill a word set of your own — a spelling list, a book's tricky words — type it into the sight word practice sheet generator.
Which standard these worksheets cover
Every sheet on this page practices CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3g— “recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.” That is the first-grade phonics standard for words a child cannot reliably sound out: could, were, again, of. They have to be recognized instantly, which is why the checklist and the flash cards come first and the writing practice comes after.
The fill-in-the-blank sentences put each word back into context, which is how RF.1.3g feeds RF.1.4a — reading grade-level text with purpose and understanding. For the words that can be sounded out, work through the 1st grade phonics worksheets and 1st grade spelling worksheets instead — sight-word drilling is the slower tool for anything that follows a pattern.
More 1st Grade Worksheets
FAQ
What sight words should a first grader know?
First graders are expected to read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3g). The Dolch first-grade list has 41 words (after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could…), and most children master the kindergarten and first-grade Dolch lists — roughly 130 high-frequency words — across the year. On the Fry list, the first-grade target is the First Hundred, split on this page into words 1–50 and 51–100.
What is the difference between Dolch and Fry words?
Both are lists of the most common words in English. Dolch lists are grouped by grade level, and this page uses the 41-word first-grade set. Fry's “Instant Words” are ranked purely by frequency — the first 100 make up about half of everything we read, which is why they are the first-grade band. The two lists overlap heavily, so a child who knows one is already close to knowing the other. Switch between them with the word-set control.
How do I make sight word flash cards?
Choose a word set, pick the flash cards format, and print. Each sheet holds 12 cards, so the 41 Dolch first-grade words fill four sheets and each Fry tier fills five — use the card-sheet control to move through them. Print on cardstock, cut along the dashed lines, and keep the words your child still hesitates on in a separate pile.
How do the word search and fill-in-the-blank pages work?
Both are built from the word set you selected. The word search hides eight words of three letters or more, across and down only — no diagonals or backwards words, which first graders find hard to track. The fill-in-the-blank page gives a word bank and one sentence per word, so the child reads the sentence for meaning instead of matching letter shapes. Press Generate New for a different set of words.
Are these sight word worksheets free?
Yes — completely free, no signup. Print the checklist, the flash cards, a word search, fill-in-the-blank sentences, or trace-and-write practice, all from the same word set.