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Fry Sight Words: 1,000 Instant Words in 10 Lists

Edward Fry's "instant words" are the 1,000 words that turn up most often in reading, listed in order of frequency. His 1980 "New Instant Word List" splits them into ten lists of 100, starting with everyday words like the, of, and and a. All 1,000 are below. Pick any hundred to practice with flash cards, a find-the-word game or printable cards.

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Practice a Fry list

All 1,000 Fry instant words

Jump to: 1–100101–200201–300301–400401–500501–600601–700701–800801–900901–1000

The games and printable decks skip 11 dated or adult-context words by default (gun, death, killed, died, dead, fight, war, army, soldiers, God, Indian). They stay in the full list below.

Fry words 1–100(100 words)

  1. the
  2. of
  3. and
  4. a
  5. to
  6. in
  7. is
  8. you
  9. that
  10. it
  11. he
  12. was
  13. for
  14. on
  15. are
  16. as
  17. with
  18. his
  19. they
  20. I
  21. at
  22. be
  23. this
  24. have
  25. from
  26. or
  27. one
  28. had
  29. by
  30. words
  31. but
  32. not
  33. what
  34. all
  35. were
  36. we
  37. when
  38. your
  39. can
  40. said
  41. there
  42. use
  43. an
  44. each
  45. which
  46. she
  47. do
  48. how
  49. their
  50. if
  51. will
  52. up
  53. other
  54. about
  55. out
  56. many
  57. then
  58. them
  59. these
  60. so
  61. some
  62. her
  63. would
  64. make
  65. like
  66. him
  67. into
  68. time
  69. has
  70. look
  71. two
  72. more
  73. write
  74. go
  75. see
  76. number
  77. no
  78. way
  79. could
  80. people
  81. my
  82. than
  83. first
  84. water
  85. been
  86. called
  87. who
  88. oil
  89. sit
  90. now
  91. find
  92. long
  93. down
  94. day
  95. did
  96. get
  97. come
  98. made
  99. may
  100. part

Fry words 101–200(100 words)

  1. over
  2. new
  3. sound
  4. take
  5. only
  6. little
  7. work
  8. know
  9. place
  10. years
  11. live
  12. me
  13. back
  14. give
  15. most
  16. very
  17. after
  18. things
  19. our
  20. just
  21. name
  22. good
  23. sentence
  24. man
  25. think
  26. say
  27. great
  28. where
  29. help
  30. through
  31. much
  32. before
  33. line
  34. right
  35. too
  36. means
  37. old
  38. any
  39. same
  40. tell
  41. boy
  42. follow
  43. came
  44. want
  45. show
  46. also
  47. around
  48. form
  49. three
  50. small
  51. set
  52. put
  53. end
  54. does
  55. another
  56. well
  57. large
  58. must
  59. big
  60. even
  61. such
  62. because
  63. turn
  64. here
  65. why
  66. ask
  67. went
  68. men
  69. read
  70. need
  71. land
  72. different
  73. home
  74. us
  75. move
  76. try
  77. kind
  78. hand
  79. picture
  80. again
  81. change
  82. off
  83. play
  84. spell
  85. air
  86. away
  87. animal
  88. house
  89. point
  90. page
  91. letter
  92. mother
  93. answer
  94. found
  95. study
  96. still
  97. learn
  98. should
  99. America
  100. world

Fry words 201–300(100 words)

  1. high
  2. every
  3. near
  4. add
  5. food
  6. between
  7. own
  8. below
  9. country
  10. plant
  11. last
  12. school
  13. father
  14. keep
  15. tree
  16. never
  17. start
  18. city
  19. earth
  20. eyes
  21. light
  22. thought
  23. head
  24. under
  25. story
  26. saw
  27. left
  28. don't
  29. few
  30. while
  31. along
  32. might
  33. close
  34. something
  35. seem
  36. next
  37. hard
  38. open
  39. example
  40. begin
  41. life
  42. always
  43. those
  44. both
  45. paper
  46. together
  47. got
  48. group
  49. often
  50. run
  51. important
  52. until
  53. children
  54. side
  55. feet
  56. car
  57. mile
  58. night
  59. walk
  60. white
  61. sea
  62. began
  63. grow
  64. took
  65. river
  66. four
  67. carry
  68. state
  69. once
  70. book
  71. hear
  72. stop
  73. without
  74. second
  75. late
  76. miss
  77. idea
  78. enough
  79. eat
  80. face
  81. watch
  82. far
  83. Indian
  84. real
  85. almost
  86. let
  87. above
  88. girl
  89. sometimes
  90. mountains
  91. cut
  92. young
  93. talk
  94. soon
  95. list
  96. song
  97. being
  98. leave
  99. family
  100. it's

Fry words 301–400(100 words)

  1. body
  2. music
  3. color
  4. stand
  5. sun
  6. questions
  7. fish
  8. area
  9. mark
  10. dog
  11. horse
  12. birds
  13. problem
  14. complete
  15. room
  16. knew
  17. since
  18. ever
  19. piece
  20. told
  21. usually
  22. didn't
  23. friends
  24. easy
  25. heard
  26. order
  27. red
  28. door
  29. sure
  30. become
  31. top
  32. ship
  33. across
  34. today
  35. during
  36. short
  37. better
  38. best
  39. however
  40. low
  41. hours
  42. black
  43. products
  44. happened
  45. whole
  46. measure
  47. remember
  48. early
  49. waves
  50. reached
  51. listen
  52. wind
  53. rock
  54. space
  55. covered
  56. fast
  57. several
  58. hold
  59. himself
  60. toward
  61. five
  62. step
  63. morning
  64. passed
  65. vowel
  66. true
  67. hundred
  68. against
  69. pattern
  70. numeral
  71. table
  72. north
  73. slowly
  74. money
  75. map
  76. farm
  77. pulled
  78. draw
  79. voice
  80. seen
  81. cold
  82. cried
  83. plan
  84. notice
  85. south
  86. sing
  87. war
  88. ground
  89. fall
  90. king
  91. town
  92. I'll
  93. unit
  94. figure
  95. certain
  96. field
  97. travel
  98. wood
  99. fire
  100. upon

Fry words 401–500(100 words)

  1. done
  2. English
  3. road
  4. half
  5. ten
  6. fly
  7. gave
  8. box
  9. finally
  10. wait
  11. correct
  12. oh
  13. quickly
  14. person
  15. became
  16. shown
  17. minutes
  18. strong
  19. verb
  20. stars
  21. front
  22. feel
  23. fact
  24. inches
  25. street
  26. decided
  27. contain
  28. course
  29. surface
  30. produce
  31. building
  32. ocean
  33. class
  34. note
  35. nothing
  36. rest
  37. carefully
  38. scientists
  39. inside
  40. wheels
  41. stay
  42. green
  43. known
  44. island
  45. week
  46. less
  47. machine
  48. base
  49. ago
  50. stood
  51. plane
  52. system
  53. behind
  54. ran
  55. round
  56. boat
  57. game
  58. force
  59. brought
  60. understand
  61. warm
  62. common
  63. bring
  64. explain
  65. dry
  66. though
  67. language
  68. shape
  69. deep
  70. thousands
  71. yes
  72. clear
  73. equation
  74. yet
  75. government
  76. filled
  77. heat
  78. full
  79. hot
  80. check
  81. object
  82. am
  83. rule
  84. among
  85. noun
  86. power
  87. cannot
  88. able
  89. six
  90. size
  91. dark
  92. ball
  93. material
  94. special
  95. heavy
  96. fine
  97. pair
  98. circle
  99. include
  100. built

Fry words 501–600(100 words)

  1. can't
  2. matter
  3. square
  4. syllables
  5. perhaps
  6. bill
  7. felt
  8. suddenly
  9. test
  10. direction
  11. center
  12. farmers
  13. ready
  14. anything
  15. divided
  16. general
  17. energy
  18. subject
  19. Europe
  20. moon
  21. region
  22. return
  23. believe
  24. dance
  25. members
  26. picked
  27. simple
  28. cells
  29. paint
  30. mind
  31. love
  32. cause
  33. rain
  34. exercise
  35. eggs
  36. train
  37. blue
  38. wish
  39. drop
  40. developed
  41. window
  42. difference
  43. distance
  44. heart
  45. site
  46. sum
  47. summer
  48. wall
  49. forest
  50. probably
  51. legs
  52. sat
  53. main
  54. winter
  55. wide
  56. written
  57. length
  58. reason
  59. kept
  60. interest
  61. arms
  62. brother
  63. race
  64. present
  65. beautiful
  66. store
  67. job
  68. edge
  69. past
  70. sign
  71. record
  72. finished
  73. discovered
  74. wild
  75. happy
  76. beside
  77. gone
  78. sky
  79. grass
  80. million
  81. west
  82. lay
  83. weather
  84. root
  85. instruments
  86. meet
  87. third
  88. months
  89. paragraph
  90. raised
  91. represent
  92. soft
  93. whether
  94. clothes
  95. flowers
  96. shall
  97. teacher
  98. held
  99. describe
  100. drive

Fry words 601–700(100 words)

  1. cross
  2. speak
  3. solve
  4. appear
  5. metal
  6. son
  7. either
  8. ice
  9. sleep
  10. village
  11. factors
  12. result
  13. jumped
  14. snow
  15. ride
  16. care
  17. floor
  18. hill
  19. pushed
  20. baby
  21. buy
  22. century
  23. outside
  24. everything
  25. tall
  26. already
  27. instead
  28. phrase
  29. soil
  30. bed
  31. copy
  32. free
  33. hope
  34. spring
  35. case
  36. laughed
  37. nation
  38. quite
  39. type
  40. themselves
  41. temperature
  42. bright
  43. lead
  44. everyone
  45. method
  46. section
  47. lake
  48. iron
  49. within
  50. dictionary
  51. hair
  52. age
  53. amount
  54. scale
  55. pounds
  56. although
  57. per
  58. broken
  59. moment
  60. tiny
  61. possible
  62. gold
  63. milk
  64. quiet
  65. natural
  66. lot
  67. stone
  68. act
  69. build
  70. middle
  71. speed
  72. count
  73. consonant
  74. someone
  75. sail
  76. rolled
  77. bear
  78. wonder
  79. smiled
  80. angle
  81. fraction
  82. Africa
  83. killed
  84. melody
  85. bottom
  86. trip
  87. hole
  88. poor
  89. let's
  90. fight
  91. surprise
  92. French
  93. died
  94. beat
  95. exactly
  96. remain
  97. dress
  98. cat
  99. couldn't
  100. fingers

Fry words 701–800(100 words)

  1. row
  2. least
  3. catch
  4. climbed
  5. wrote
  6. shouted
  7. continued
  8. itself
  9. else
  10. plains
  11. gas
  12. England
  13. burning
  14. design
  15. joined
  16. foot
  17. law
  18. ears
  19. glass
  20. you're
  21. grew
  22. skin
  23. valley
  24. cents
  25. key
  26. president
  27. brown
  28. trouble
  29. cool
  30. cloud
  31. lost
  32. sent
  33. symbols
  34. wear
  35. bad
  36. save
  37. experiment
  38. engine
  39. alone
  40. drawing
  41. east
  42. choose
  43. single
  44. touch
  45. information
  46. express
  47. mouth
  48. yard
  49. equal
  50. decimal
  51. yourself
  52. control
  53. practice
  54. report
  55. straight
  56. rise
  57. statement
  58. stick
  59. party
  60. seeds
  61. suppose
  62. woman
  63. coast
  64. bank
  65. period
  66. wire
  67. pay
  68. clean
  69. visit
  70. bit
  71. whose
  72. received
  73. garden
  74. please
  75. strange
  76. caught
  77. fell
  78. team
  79. God
  80. captain
  81. direct
  82. ring
  83. serve
  84. child
  85. desert
  86. increase
  87. history
  88. cost
  89. maybe
  90. business
  91. separate
  92. break
  93. uncle
  94. hunting
  95. flow
  96. lady
  97. students
  98. human
  99. art
  100. feeling

Fry words 801–900(100 words)

  1. supply
  2. corner
  3. electric
  4. insects
  5. crops
  6. tone
  7. hit
  8. sand
  9. doctor
  10. provide
  11. thus
  12. won't
  13. cook
  14. bones
  15. mall
  16. board
  17. modern
  18. compound
  19. mine
  20. wasn't
  21. fit
  22. addition
  23. belong
  24. safe
  25. soldiers
  26. guess
  27. silent
  28. trade
  29. rather
  30. compare
  31. crowd
  32. poem
  33. enjoy
  34. elements
  35. indicate
  36. except
  37. expect
  38. flat
  39. seven
  40. interesting
  41. sense
  42. string
  43. blow
  44. famous
  45. value
  46. wings
  47. movement
  48. pole
  49. exciting
  50. branches
  51. thick
  52. blood
  53. lie
  54. spot
  55. bell
  56. fun
  57. loud
  58. consider
  59. suggested
  60. thin
  61. position
  62. entered
  63. fruit
  64. tied
  65. rich
  66. dollars
  67. send
  68. sight
  69. chief
  70. Japanese
  71. stream
  72. planets
  73. rhythm
  74. eight
  75. science
  76. major
  77. observe
  78. tube
  79. necessary
  80. weight
  81. meat
  82. lifted
  83. process
  84. army
  85. hat
  86. property
  87. particular
  88. swim
  89. terms
  90. current
  91. park
  92. sell
  93. shoulder
  94. industry
  95. wash
  96. block
  97. spread
  98. cattle
  99. wife
  100. sharp

Fry words 901–1000(100 words)

  1. company
  2. radio
  3. we'll
  4. action
  5. capital
  6. factories
  7. settled
  8. yellow
  9. isn't
  10. southern
  11. truck
  12. fair
  13. printed
  14. wouldn't
  15. ahead
  16. chance
  17. born
  18. level
  19. triangle
  20. molecules
  21. France
  22. repeated
  23. column
  24. western
  25. church
  26. sister
  27. oxygen
  28. plural
  29. various
  30. agreed
  31. opposite
  32. wrong
  33. chart
  34. prepared
  35. pretty
  36. solution
  37. fresh
  38. shop
  39. suffix
  40. especially
  41. shoes
  42. actually
  43. nose
  44. afraid
  45. dead
  46. sugar
  47. adjective
  48. fig
  49. office
  50. huge
  51. gun
  52. similar
  53. death
  54. score
  55. forward
  56. stretched
  57. experience
  58. rose
  59. allow
  60. fear
  61. workers
  62. Washington
  63. Greek
  64. women
  65. bought
  66. led
  67. march
  68. northern
  69. create
  70. British
  71. difficult
  72. match
  73. win
  74. doesn't
  75. steel
  76. total
  77. deal
  78. determine
  79. evening
  80. hoe
  81. rope
  82. cotton
  83. apple
  84. details
  85. entire
  86. corn
  87. substances
  88. smell
  89. tools
  90. conditions
  91. cows
  92. track
  93. arrived
  94. located
  95. sir
  96. seat
  97. division
  98. effect
  99. underline
  100. view

Print Fry word cards (one list at a time)

How the ten lists are organized

The lists follow frequency, not difficulty. The first 100 are the most common words of all, the next hundred are a little less common, and so on up to 1,000.

That means a list can mix easy and hard words. A and of are both near the top, but of is much harder to sound out. Later lists include longer words that children can often decode with phonics.

Which hundred to start with

Most children start with the first 100, broken into chunks of 10 or 20. A rough guide that many families use: the first hundred in kindergarten and first grade, the second hundred in first and second grade, and the rest after that. It is a guide, not a rule.

For a second grader, 2nd grade sight words pairs Fry 101 to 200 with the Dolch second grade list.

Breaking 100 words into small sets

  • Run through the whole hundred once with flash cards, tapping "I know it" or "Not yet".
  • Practice only the not-yet words, 5 to 10 at a time.
  • Print the tricky words as cards for games away from the screen.
  • Check the whole hundred again every week or two.

Words are read aloud by your device's built-in voice, when it has one. If not, the word is shown and a grown-up can read it.

Words the games skip

The Fry list comes from reading material of its time, and a few words reflect adult or dated contexts, such as gun, war and killed. Our games skip 11 of these words by default.

They still appear in the full list below, so the list stays complete. If your child meets one in a book, it is a good moment to talk about it together.

Frequently asked questions

Should we use Fry or Dolch?

If your child's school uses one, use that. Otherwise, Dolch is shorter and good for the early years, and Fry is longer and keeps going further. See Dolch sight words.

How long does it take to learn all 1,000 words?

It varies a lot. Most children keep meeting Fry words throughout elementary school, so think in years, not weeks.

Does my child need to learn every Fry word by sight?

Not really. Many later words can be sounded out with phonics. Sight practice matters most for the early, irregular words.

Can I print a Fry list as a PDF?

Yes. Pick a hundred and use the print button to make flash cards, 8 to a page, made right in your browser.

For grown-ups

Quick grown-up check

Press and hold for 3 seconds the button with the number:

Keyboard: focus a button and hold Space.