Pre-K Sight Words (Full Dolch Pre-Primer List)
Quick answer
The 40 Pre-K sight words are the Dolch pre-primer list, the very first words a child learns to recognize on sight: 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. These are the foundation set introduced in preschool and Pre-K, before the kindergarten (primer) words. Below is the full list with a simple sentence for each.
Pre-K Sight Words
The 40 Dolch pre-primer sight words every preschooler learns to read on sight, with a simple example sentence and pronunciation for each. Native-audio flashcards with spaced repetition — buy once, no subscription.
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All 40 Pre-K sight words (Dolch pre-primer)
The first sight words to teach, each with a simple example sentence.
| Sight Words | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | uh | I see a dog. | |
| and | and | Mom and I play. | |
| away | uh-way | The dog ran away. | |
| big | big | I see a big dog. | |
| blue | bloo | The ball is blue. | |
| can | kan | I can jump. | |
| come | kum | Come and play with me. | |
| down | down | I sit down. | |
| find | fynd | I can find my cat. | |
| for | for | This is for you. | |
| funny | fun-ee | The dog is funny. | |
| go | goh | We go to play. | |
| help | help | I help my mom. | |
| here | heer | Come here to me. | |
| I | eye | I can jump. | |
| in | in | The dog is in. | |
| is | iz | The ball is red. | |
| it | it | I see it. | |
| jump | jump | I can jump up. | |
| little | lit-ul | I see a little cat. | |
| look | look | Look at my dog. | |
| make | mayk | I make a big cake. | |
| me | mee | Come to me. | |
| my | my | My cat is big. | |
| not | not | It is not big. | |
| one | wun | I see one dog. | |
| play | play | We play with a ball. | |
| red | red | The ball is red. | |
| run | run | I can run. | |
| said | sed | Mom said to me. | |
| see | see | I see a dog. | |
| the | thuh | The cat is big. | |
| three | three | I see three cats. | |
| to | too | I go to play. | |
| two | too | I see two dogs. | |
| up | up | I look up. | |
| we | wee | We can play. | |
| where | wair | Where is my dog? | |
| yellow | yel-oh | The sun is yellow. | |
| you | yoo | I see you. |
Frequently asked questions
What sight words should a Pre-K child learn first?
The Dolch pre-primer list of 40 words is the standard starting point, including a, and, the, I, see, go, and you. They appear constantly in first books, so recognizing them early makes reading feel easier.
How many sight words should a preschooler know?
There is no strict rule, but many preschoolers work toward the 40 pre-primer words by the start of kindergarten. Even knowing 10 to 20 gives a strong head start.
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