The words

Tap any word to hear it. 6 of these 46 words are in the app, where each has its own sentence.

Dolch second grade, 46 words

Schools and districts choose their own sight word lists, so your child's list may differ. This is the Dolch level that is conventionally mapped to this grade.

Where the second grade list comes from

This is the fourth of Dolch's five levels and the largest after primer. The words are longer and carry more meaning than the earlier levels: because, before, found, right, their, these, those, would, write. Several are the ones children misspell for years, notably their, there and they're, its and it's, and your and you're, which is why second grade is where spelling starts to matter as much as reading. As with every grade page here, the mapping from Dolch level to school grade is a convention, not a rule. Districts publish their own lists and many use the Fry Instant Words instead. If school sends a list home, that is the one that counts.

Five minutes a day at home

Flashcards alone are no longer enough. Second grade practice should be mostly writing and mostly in sentences. Dictate a short sentence containing two words from the list and have your child write it, then check it together letter by letter. Keep a running list of the words they get wrong and work only on those. For reading speed, time a one-minute read of a page they have already read once and count how many list words they got without pausing. The federal practice guide's advice still applies: review previously taught words every session, because a word that is not revisited slides back.

How this fits with phonics

By second grade phonics is about patterns rather than single letters, and this list is full of useful patterns. Round, found and around share one. Right and light share another. Sing and wish teach common endings. The genuinely irregular members are a short list: because, been, does, their and would. Everything else rewards a child who has been taught letter patterns properly. The What Works Clearinghouse guide places this squarely inside decoding instruction: teach the regular high-frequency words by applying letter sound knowledge, teach the irregular ones as wholes, and give both enough practice that recognition becomes automatic and attention can move to meaning.

Practice tips

  • Switch the emphasis from reading the word to spelling it. Dictate one short sentence a day and check it together.
  • Teach round, found and around as one pattern rather than three separate words.
  • Keep a short list of only the words your child gets wrong, and retest it every few days rather than every day.
  • Ask your child to find list words in whatever they are already reading. Recognition in context is the real target.
  • Work on their, there, its and it's as meaning pairs, not as spellings. Say a sentence and ask which one belongs.

Related lists

  • First grade sight words: The Dolch level named for first grade holds 41 words, from after and again through walk, were and when.
  • Third grade sight words: The Dolch level named for third grade holds 41 words, from about and better through try and warm.
  • Dolch sight words: The Dolch list is 220 service words in five levels, plus a separate list of 95 nouns, so 315 words in total.

Sources