So being able to “read” or recognize high-frequency or sight words without hesitation can help children read more fluently and, by extension, help them better understand what they read because they’re not stopping to sound out every word. But to become a fluent reader, it helps if kids don’t have to sound out every single word they come across. Being able to decode (or sound out) words is crucial to reading.
Since they appear so often, they’re also called high-frequency words.Īs kids learn to read, the four main reading skills are decoding, fluency, comprehension, and knowledge. The theory is that these words are used so often in print that they make up an estimated three-quarters of all words used in children’s books. In total, there are 220 Dolch sight words, spread across sight word lists from preschool to third grade. Edward William Dolch first published this list of sight words back in 1936. Sight words are words a child learns to recognize on sight.
