What Are Sight Words?

Sight words are special words that we often see and use when we read or write. These words are so common that we don’t want to sound them out letter by letter every time. Instead, we want to remember them just by looking at them—like recognizing a friend’s face! Words like "the," "and," "can," "you," and "said" are all sight words.

Sight words are important because they help kids read faster and more smoothly. When a child knows a sight word, they don’t have to stop and think about each letter; they just see the word and know what it says! This helps with understanding and makes reading more fun.

Why Are Sight Words Important?

Learning sight words is one of the first steps in becoming a confident reader. Here’s why they’re important:

• They Appear Often: Sight words are everywhere! They make up more than half of what we read in books, signs, and even in our favorite bedtime stories.
• They’re Tricky to Sound Out: Many sight words don’t follow the usual rules of spelling and sounds, which means it can be tricky to sound them out. For example, the word "said" sounds different than how it’s spelled. That’s why it's easier to just remember it by sight.
• They Help Build Confidence: When kids can read sight words easily, they feel more confident and excited about reading. It encourages them to try reading longer sentences and more challenging books.

Where to Start With Sight Words

When starting to learn sight words, it's best to begin with simple, easy words. Here are some basic sight words to get started:

• I
• a
• and
• the
• is
• it
• you
• me
• we
• to
• in
• up
• go

These are words that appear in lots of beginner books and are short, which makes them perfect for early readers. You can start by introducing just two or three words at a time. Once your child remembers those, you can add more to their list.

To check out Sight Word Worksheets for Kindergarten and other classes - click here