Dolch Pre-Primer Sight Words (40 Words)
This page lists all 40 Dolch pre-primer sight words, from a and and to yellow and you. Your child can practice them here with flash cards, find the word, build the word and memory match. You can also print the 40 words as cards or worksheets. Below is a suggested order in groups of five and a few sentences made only from these words.
Dolch pre-primer words
The 40 Dolch pre-primer words
Dolch pre-primer list(40 words)
- 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
Print pre-primer flash cards and worksheets
What pre-primer means on the Dolch list
Pre-primer is the first of Edward Dolch's five levels of service words. It names a reading stage, not a grade. In the old school readers, the pre-primer was the thin book a child read before the first real reader, called the primer.
Some sites label this level Pre-K, and many children meet these words in kindergarten. If you have a younger child, our preschool starter list uses 20 of these 40 words. See how the levels fit together on the full Dolch list.
Pre-primer words to sound out and heart words
Many pre-primer words follow simple letter sounds: in, it, up, big, can, red, run, not, jump and help. A child who knows letter sounds can blend them.
Others have a tricky part that has to be learned by heart: said, the, you, come, where, one, two and to. Spend more practice time on these. The list also hides two handy sets: color words (red, blue, yellow) and number words (one, two, three), which are easy to practice with crayons and toys.
Pre-primer words in groups of five
- I, a, see, can, the
- go, up, is, it, in
- me, my, we, you, and
- look, run, big, red, to
- play, come, here, said, not
- jump, help, make, find, for
- one, two, three, blue, yellow
- little, funny, down, away, where
One group a week is a steady pace. Keep any words that are still slow in the mix for the next week.
Sentences made only from pre-primer words
Real sentences show a child why these words matter. Write one on a strip of paper and read it together:
- I can see you.
- Look, I can jump!
- Come here and play.
- We can run and jump.
- Can you find the big red one?
- Help me make a funny one.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn the 40 pre-primer words?
It varies a lot. At five new words a week, the list takes about two months, but many children need longer, and that is fine.
When should we move from pre-primer to primer words?
When most of the 40 words are read in about 3 seconds on different days. Then start the Dolch primer words and keep reviewing any slow ones.
Are the pre-primer flash cards read aloud?
Words are read aloud by your device's built-in voice, when it has one; otherwise the word is shown and a grown-up can read it.
Can I print the pre-primer list as cards?
Yes. Printable flash cards come 8 or 12 to a page, in color or black and white. The PDF is made in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
Why is "I" capitalized on the pre-primer cards?
Because it is always a capital letter in writing. Children should get used to seeing it that way in books.