The words

Tap any word to hear it. 3 of these 41 words are in the app, where each has its own sentence.

Dolch third grade, 41 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 third grade list comes from

This is the final level of the 220 Dolch service words, and it looks different from the earlier ones. Carry, clean, draw, grow, laugh, myself, together and warm are content words a child can picture, not the grammatical glue of the first four levels. Many third graders can already read most of them, which is why teachers tend to use this level for spelling and fluency rather than for first reading. Dolch stopped here. There is no Dolch fourth grade list. Schools that want a list beyond this point usually move to the later hundreds of the Fry Instant Words or to a spelling program built on word patterns and word parts.

Five minutes a day at home

At third grade the useful five minutes is reading aloud, not drilling. Have your child read a page to you and note any word from this list that stalls them; those are the only ones worth cards. Otherwise use the list for spelling. Dictate two sentences, check them together, and keep only the misspellings for the next session. Another five-minute option is meaning work: ask your child to use myself, together, shall and own in sentences about their own day. A word a child can define, spell and read quickly is finished. One they can only read is not.

How this fits with phonics

Nearly all of this level is regular for a third grader. Bring, clean, drink, grow, seven, small and start follow patterns they were taught in first and second grade. Laugh and myself hold the awkward spots, and only part of each word is awkward. This is the point where the research emphasis moves off sight words and onto word parts. The federal practice guide asks teachers to have children analyze prefixes, suffixes and syllables so they can attack long unfamiliar words, because no list of common words will carry a reader through third grade text. If a third grader is still struggling with earlier Dolch levels, that is worth raising with the teacher.

Practice tips

  • Use this level for spelling and speed, not for first reading. Most third graders can already read most of it.
  • Listen to a page read aloud and note which list words cause a stall. Those are the only ones that need cards.
  • Ask for a definition as well as a reading. Shall, own and myself are worth talking about.
  • Split laugh and myself into the part that behaves and the part that does not, and practice only the awkward part.
  • When this level is finished, move to prefixes and suffixes rather than to another word list.

Related lists

Sources