How to Learn to Read Words by Sight

Learning to read, whether as an adult or child, requires a mixture of sight word recognition and phonetic skills. The basic 220 words that are used most often in the English language are known as the Dolch List; an additional 95 nouns append the list. The words that appear on the list are not only the most commonly used words in the English language, but most of them cannot easily be sounded out or illustrated. Knowing these words helps the early reader get basic clues of the meaning of the sentence and go on to focus on decoding the rest of the sentence.

Things You'll Need

  • Dolch word list
  • Flashcards
  • Fry word list
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Instructions

    • 1

      Download or copy the basic Dolch words and nouns; the list is freely available from numerous web sites.

    • 2

      Make flashcards by writing each word on an index card. Look at all the cards and put aside those that you already know. Sort the remaining cards into degrees of difficulty. Dolch words are generally identified by grade level to help you determine the degree of difficulty. Color code the cards by grade level when you write them, if you think that may help. Begin with the most basic words.

    • 3

      Practice the flashcards with a partner who says the words aloud. Repeat the word and then practice saying the words aloud to your partner.

    • 4

      Hear the Dolch words spoken in stories on the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library web site. Practice with the interactive games found on the site.

    • 5

      Repeat the lessons until you know the words without hesitation.

    • 6

      Visit other websites for additional practice, if needed.

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