First Grade Sight Words (Full Dolch Grade 1 List)
Quick answer
The 41 first grade sight words are the Dolch grade 1 list, the high-frequency words a child learns to read on sight in first grade: after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, going, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then, think, walk, were, when. They build on the 40 pre-primer and 52 primer words from Pre-K and kindergarten; a child who masters this set knows about 133 Dolch words (40 pre-primer + 52 primer + 41 first grade). Below is the full list with a sample sentence for each.
First Grade Sight Words
All 41 Dolch first-grade sight words, with a simple example sentence and pronunciation for each. Native-audio flashcards with spaced repetition — buy once, no subscription.
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All 41 first grade sight words (Dolch grade 1)
Each word with a simple example sentence.
| Sight Words | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| after | af-ter | We play after school. | |
| again | uh-gen | Let us play again. | |
| an | an | I ate an egg. | |
| any | en-ee | Do you have any cats? | |
| as | az | He is as tall as me. | |
| ask | ask | Ask your mom for help. | |
| by | bye | Sit by the window. | |
| could | kood | I could run very fast. | |
| every | ev-ree | Every dog can run. | |
| fly | fly | Birds fly in the sky. | |
| from | frum | I am from a big town. | |
| give | giv | Give the ball to him. | |
| going | goh-ing | We are going to school. | |
| had | had | I had a red ball. | |
| has | haz | He has a big dog. | |
| her | hur | This is her book. | |
| him | him | Give the ball to him. | |
| his | hiz | This is his hat. | |
| how | how | How do you fly a kite? | |
| just | just | I just want one. | |
| know | noh | I know my name. | |
| let | let | Let me help you. | |
| live | liv | We live in a house. | |
| may | may | May I go now? | |
| of | uv | I want a cup of milk. | |
| old | ohld | My dog is old. | |
| once | wunss | I saw it once. | |
| open | oh-pen | Open the door for her. | |
| over | oh-ver | The bird flew over us. | |
| put | poot | Put the book on the desk. | |
| round | rownd | The ball is round. | |
| some | sum | I want some milk. | |
| stop | stop | Stop at the red light. | |
| take | tayk | Take your book to school. | |
| thank | thangk | Thank you for the gift. | |
| them | them | Give the books to them. | |
| then | then | We ate, then we played. | |
| think | thingk | I think it may rain. | |
| walk | wawk | We walk to school. | |
| were | wur | We were at the park. | |
| when | wen | When do we go home? |
Frequently asked questions
How many sight words should a first grader know?
First graders learn the 41 Dolch first-grade words on top of the 92 pre-primer and primer words from Pre-K and kindergarten, so by the end of first grade a child typically reads about 133 Dolch words on sight.
What are the hardest first grade sight words?
Words that break phonics rules give kids the most trouble: could, once, some, were, and know cannot be sounded out letter by letter, so they need to be recognized on sight through repeated practice.
What is the best way to practice first grade sight words?
Short daily sessions beat long drills: a few minutes a day where the child sees the word, hears it, says it, and reads it in a simple sentence. Spaced repetition, which returns to a word just before it is forgotten, makes the words stick fastest.
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