Sight Words Game for Kids
Sight Words is a free reading game that helps early readers recognise the most common English words instantly.
Sight Words
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- Ages
- 4–8
- School years
- Junior Infants–2nd Class
- Skills
- Recognising high-frequency words, Reading fluency, Listening skills
- Curriculum
- Primary Curriculum
- Time
- 2–5 minutes a round
- Cost
- Free, no sign-up
- Updated
How to play Sight Words
- Turn your sound on.
- Choose a Dolch word list: Pre-primer, Primer, First Grade or Second Grade.
- Listen to the word, then tap the matching word.
- Tap the speaker button to hear the word again.
What your child learns
- Recognising high-frequency words
- Reading fluency
- Listening skills
- Early reading confidence
About Sight Words
Sight words make up more than half of the words in children’s books. Recognising them instantly frees kids to focus on sounding out new words and understanding the story.
The game uses the well-known Dolch word lists. Distractor words often look similar, so kids learn to look carefully at every letter.
Which level should my child play?
| School year | Suggested level |
|---|---|
| Junior Infants | Pre-primer list |
| Senior Infants | Primer list |
| 1st Class | First Grade list |
| 2nd Class | Second Grade list |
Move up a level after getting three stars two or three times in a row.
🏆 Leaderboard
Full leaderboard →Play a round to get on the board! Create a free account to save your scores.
🇮🇪 Primary Curriculum links
Find games by class →- Senior Infants · Stage 1 · Reading: Phonics, word recognition and word study: Blending letter sounds to read simple words, and recognising common high-frequency words.
- 1st Class · Stage 2 · Reading: Phonics, word recognition and word study: Reading words with common digraphs such as sh, ch and th, and building a bank of sight words.
Strands and strand units summarised from the Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023) and the Primary Language Curriculum, published by the NCCA for the Department of Education (curriculumonline.ie). Both curricula set learning outcomes for two-year stages, so the class shown is our suggested starting point. Game alignment by Success Tutoring; not endorsed by the NCCA or the Department of Education.
🖨️ Printable worksheets
Practise away from the screen too: free worksheets with answer keys that match this game.
Frequently asked questions
What are sight words?
Sight words are common words, like “the”, “said” and “was”, that children learn to recognise instantly by sight. Many can’t easily be sounded out.
Which sight word lists are used?
The Dolch Pre-primer, Primer, First Grade and Second Grade lists, which suit children from Junior Infants to 2nd Class.
Does it work without sound?
If speech isn’t available, the game shows the word and kids find its match.
More games you’ll love
All english games →Look, cover and spell words from memory.
Unscramble letters using picture clues.
Find the word that rhymes.
Find words with the same or opposite meaning.
Add numbers within 10, 20, 100 or 1,000.
Practise any times table from 2× to 12×.
Help your child shine in English
Practice at home is a great start. Success Tutoring offers personalised tutoring to build skills and confidence.