2nd Grade Sight Words List — Dolch & Fry (Free Printable)
The complete second-grade sight word list, free to print. See all 46 Dolch second-grade words (or Fry's Second Hundred, words 101–200) as a printable checklist — then make double-sided flash cards, matching, missing-letter, and trace-and-write practice pages from the same set. No signup.
Aligned to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3f · Read grade-level irregular words
Coming from the 1st grade sight words list? These are the next 46 Dolch words. To build a deck from your own words instead, use the flash card generator.
Dolch Second Grade Sight Words — Word List
Aligned to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3f · 46 words
Name: ___________________________ Date: _____________
Read each word. Check the box once you can read it on sight.
The Dolch second-grade word list — all 46 words
Edward Dolch's second-grade list is 46 words that a child should read without stopping to decode. Each one is shown here with the sentence that prints on the back of its flash card — read the sentence aloud when a word stalls, so the child hears it in context instead of guessing at the letters. The 13 words marked Fry also appear in Fry 101–200, so they are worth learning first.
| # | Word | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | always | We always brush our teeth before bed. |
| 2 | aroundFry | The dog ran around the tree. |
| 3 | becauseFry | I wore boots because it rained. |
| 4 | been | I have been to the beach twice. |
| 5 | beforeFry | Wash your hands before dinner. |
| 6 | best | This is my best drawing yet. |
| 7 | both | Both of my shoes are muddy. |
| 8 | buy | We will buy milk at the store. |
| 9 | call | Please call me when you get home. |
| 10 | cold | The pond water is very cold. |
| 11 | doesFry | Does the bus stop here? |
| 12 | don't | I don't like cold soup. |
| 13 | fast | That horse can run very fast. |
| 14 | first | She was first in line. |
| 15 | five | I have five crayons left. |
| 16 | foundFry | I found a penny on the rug. |
| 17 | gave | Grandma gave me a warm hat. |
| 18 | goes | This puzzle piece goes here. |
| 19 | green | The frog is bright green. |
| 20 | its | The cat licked its paw. |
| 21 | made | We made cookies after school. |
| 22 | many | How many apples are left? |
| 23 | offFry | Please turn off the light. |
| 24 | or | Do you want juice or milk? |
| 25 | pull | Pull the wagon up the hill. |
| 26 | readFry | I read two books this week. |
| 27 | rightFry | Turn right at the corner. |
| 28 | sing | We sing that song at school. |
| 29 | sit | Please sit next to me. |
| 30 | sleep | The puppies sleep in a box. |
| 31 | tellFry | Tell me about your day. |
| 32 | their | The twins packed their bags. |
| 33 | these | These grapes are sweet. |
| 34 | those | Those birds built a nest. |
| 35 | upon | Once upon a time, a fox met a crow. |
| 36 | usFry | Come with us to the park. |
| 37 | use | May I use your markers? |
| 38 | veryFry | The soup is very hot. |
| 39 | wash | Wash your hands with soap. |
| 40 | which | Which hat is yours? |
| 41 | whyFry | Tell me why you are smiling. |
| 42 | wish | I wish it would snow. |
| 43 | workFry | We work on math after lunch. |
| 44 | would | I would like more water. |
| 45 | write | Write your name on the line. |
| 46 | your | Where is your coat? |
To print this list as a checklist, leave the word set on Dolch Second Grade above and press Print. The earlier Dolch lists — pre-primer, primer, and first grade — are on the K–2 sight words hub.
Fry words 101–200 — the second-grade tier
Fry's Instant Words are ranked by how often a word turns up in print rather than sorted by grade. The first hundred make up about half of everything we read and are the first-grade tier; words 101–200 — the Second Hundred — are the second-grade tier, and that is the set in the word-set control above. They are taught in frequency order, usually a block of 25 at a time, so the words that pay off fastest come first.
| Words | In frequency order |
|---|---|
| 101–125 | over, new, sound, take, only, little, work, know, place, year, live, me, back, give, most, very, after, thing, our, just, name, good, sentence, man, think |
| 126–150 | say, great, where, help, through, much, before, line, right, too, means, old, any, same, tell, boy, follow, came, want, show, also, around, form, three, small |
| 151–175 | set, put, end, does, another, well, large, must, big, even, such, because, turn, here, why, ask, went, men, read, need, land, different, home, us, move |
| 176–200 | try, kind, hand, picture, again, change, off, play, spell, air, away, animal, house, point, page, letter, mother, answer, found, study, still, learn, should, America, world |
Pick one list and stay with it for the year rather than running both. Dolch is the better fit if the kindergarten and first-grade Dolch lists are already done, because nothing on the second-grade list repeats them. Fry is the better fit if you want the highest-value words first and do not mind that a few — around, because, before, does — are already familiar. To drill a list of your own instead, type it into the sight word practice sheet generator.
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 trace guides.
- Portrait suits the checklist and practice pages; switch to landscape for wider writing lines.
- Flash cards print 12 to a sheet on cardstock. Print the Front side, then print the Back side of the same sheet number onto the other face — flipping on the long edge — and cut along the dashed lines. The backs are already laid out in mirror order, so each sentence lands behind its own word.
- Only want plain word cards? Print the front sides on their own and skip the backs.
Which standard these worksheets cover
Every sheet on this page practices CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3f — “recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words” — the last strand of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3, “know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.” It covers the words a second grader cannot reliably sound out: because, been, would, their. They have to be recognized instantly, which is why the checklist and the flash cards come first and the writing practice comes after.
For the words that can be sounded out — long vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, two-syllable words — work through the 2nd grade phonics worksheets instead; sight-word drilling is the slower tool for anything that follows a pattern. Once a word is read on sight, spelling it is the next step, which the 2nd grade spelling worksheets cover under L.2.2d. If more than a handful of words on the checklist are shaky, back up to the 1st grade sight words worksheets before starting here.
Print this — and make the cards last
Flash cards on copy paper curl after a week in a backpack; 65 lb cardstock cuts clean and survives the year, and a double-sided print needs paper heavy enough that the sentence does not show through the front. Our guide to the best printing supplies for charts and worksheets compares the cardstock, ink, laminating pouches, and sheet protectors worth buying.
More 2nd Grade Worksheets
FAQ
What are second grade sight words?
Sight words are high-frequency words a child reads instantly instead of sounding out. Second grade uses two standard lists: the 46-word Dolch second-grade list (always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy…) and Fry's Second Hundred — words 101–200 of his frequency-ranked Instant Words (over, new, sound, take, only…). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3f asks second graders to recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
How many sight words should a second grader know?
By the end of second grade most children can read every Dolch list up to their grade — pre-primer (40 words), primer (52), first grade (41), and second grade (46) — which is 179 words in total. Working from the Fry lists instead, the equivalent target is the first 200 Instant Words. The two lists overlap heavily, so a child who knows one is already close to knowing the other.
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 — 220 words across five lists, plus 95 nouns — and this page uses the 46-word second-grade set. Fry's Instant Words are ranked purely by frequency: the first 100 make up about half of everything we read, and the second hundred (101–200) is the band usually taught in second grade. Thirteen words sit on both second-grade lists: around, because, before, does, found, off, read, right, tell, us, very, why, and work.
How do I make second grade sight word flash cards?
Pick a word set, choose the flash cards format, and print. Each sheet holds 12 cards: the 46 Dolch words fill four sheets and Fry 101–200 fills nine. Every sheet has a front side with the word and a back side with that word used in a sentence, and the backs are printed in mirror order so a double-sided print lands each sentence behind its own word. Use cardstock, cut along the dashed lines, and keep the words your child still hesitates on in their own pile.
How do I use these worksheets?
Start with the word list — print it and check off each word your child can read on sight, so you know exactly which ones to work on. Then pick a practice format for the words that are still shaky: flash cards for quick drills, matching and fill-in-the-missing-letters for recognition, and trace or write-three-times for spelling and handwriting.
Are these sight word worksheets free?
Yes — completely free, no signup. Print the list, make double-sided flash cards, or generate matching, fill-in, and trace-and-write practice pages, all from the same word set.