Dolch Primer Words

The 52 primer words that come after pre-primer. Mostly kindergarten and early grade 1 — still sight words, but with a few longer forms such as pretty and please.

  • ALL
  • AM
  • ARE
  • AT
  • ATE
  • BE
  • BLACK
  • BROWN
  • BUT
  • CAME
  • DID
  • DO
  • EAT
  • FOUR
  • GET
  • GOOD
  • HAVE
  • HE
  • INTO
  • LIKE
  • MUST
  • NEW
  • NO
  • NOW
  • ON
  • OUR
  • OUT
  • PLEASE
  • PRETTY
  • RAN
  • RIDE
  • SAW
  • SAY
  • SHE
  • SO
  • SOON
  • THAT
  • THERE
  • THEY
  • THIS
  • TOO
  • UNDER
  • WANT
  • WAS
  • WELL
  • WENT
  • WHAT
  • WHITE
  • WHO
  • WILL
  • WITH
  • YES
Make a word search with these words
Printable packs

The generator opens with up to 16 words filled in — add or remove any you like before printing.

How to use this list

This level is where children stop sounding out and start recognising whole words. A word search gives them the shape of the word over and over without a flashcard drill.

Pair it with a 12 × 12 grid for a five-minute filler, or a 20 × 20 for a full lesson starter. Every puzzle prints on one A4 or Letter sheet, with the answer key on the page behind it.

Questions

How many words are on this list?

52 words. They are listed in the order the source list uses, not alphabetically, so you can work through them a level at a time.

Can I print this list as it is?

Yes — select the text, or use your browser’s print command. If you want the words in a puzzle instead, the button above loads the first 16 of them into the generator, where you can paste the rest.

What grid size fits these words?

A 12 × 12 grid takes the whole list comfortably; the longest word here is PLEASE (6 letters). Bigger grids (20 × 20) suit fast finishers.

More word lists