About this puzzle
Sight words are the small, everyday words that show up in nearly every sentence a child reads, and many of them can't be sounded out easily. Every word in this puzzle comes from the Dolch sight word lists, covering pre-primer favorites like Said, Come, Look, and Yellow, primer words like They, Good, and Please, and a few trickier ones like Could, Always, and Because.
Hunting for a word letter by letter makes kids look closely at its spelling, which is exactly what helps sight words stick. Use this sight word word search in a literacy center, as homework for kindergarten through second grade, or as a calm activity after reading time. The notes below give a quick tip or example sentence for each word.
The 24 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Come
- Come means to move toward someone, as in Come here. The silent E at the end does not make the O say its name.
- Down
- Down is the opposite of up, as in Sit down, please. The OW makes the same sound as in town and clown. It is on the Dolch pre-primer list.
- Find
- Find means to discover something you were looking for. The I says its own name, like in kind and mind, even though there is no silent E.
- Good
- Good describes something nice or well done, as in Good job. Its double O makes a short sound, the same as in look and book.
- Help
- Help is a useful word for asking or offering a hand, as in Can you help me? It is spelled just the way it sounds.
- Jump
- Jump is easy to sound out, which makes it a confidence builder. It appears on the Dolch pre-primer list, the very first level.
- Look
- Look means to use your eyes. The double O makes a short sound here, the same as in book, cook, and hook.
- Make
- Make has a silent E at the end, which makes the A say its name. It rhymes with cake, lake, and bake, so it is a good word for a rhyming game.
- Play
- Play is one of the most loved words in early reading. The AY spelling makes a long A sound, like in day and say.
- Said
- Said is the past tense of say. It is tricky because the AI makes a short E sound, so kids usually learn it by sight.
- They
- They is a word for more than one person or thing. The EY at the end sounds like a long A, just like in hey.
- What
- What starts many questions, like What is your name? The A sounds more like a short U, which makes it a classic sight word.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Funny
- Funny describes something that makes you laugh. It has a double N, and the Y at the end makes a long E sound.
- Little
- Little means small. It has a double T in the middle and ends in LE, a spelling pattern also found in bottle and apple.
- Please
- Please is the polite word for asking. The EA makes a long E sound, and the final E is silent.
- Pretty
- Pretty means nice to look at, as in a pretty flower. The E sounds like a short I, which is why kids usually learn this word by sight.
- Thank
- Thank, as in thank you, starts with the TH sound. The ANK ending also shows up in bank, tank, and drank.
- Were
- Were is the past form of are, as in We were at the park. It is often mixed up with where, so practice both.
- Where
- Where asks about a place, as in Where is my shoe? It is spelled with WH, like other question words such as what and when.
- Yellow
- Yellow is one of three color words on the Dolch pre-primer list, along with blue and red. It has a double L, and the OW at the end sounds like a long O.
Added in Hard (4)
- Again
- Again means one more time, as in Read it again. Many people say the AI like a short E, just as in said, so the two words make a good pair.
- Always
- Always means every time, as in I always brush my teeth. It comes from the words all and way joined together, but it is spelled with just one L.
- Because
- Because tells why something happens, as in I wore a coat because it was cold. At seven letters, it is one of the longer Dolch words.
- Could
- Could has a silent L, just like would and should. Learning the three together as a family makes them easier to remember.
A few facts to share while you solve
- The Dolch sight word list was created by Edward William Dolch and first published in the 1930s. It includes 220 common words plus 95 frequently used nouns.
- The word the is the most common word in written English. It is so common that it is on nearly every sight word list.
- Another popular list, the Fry sight words, was put together by Edward Fry and includes 1,000 words, grouped from most to least common.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 9 × 9 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 12 × 12 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 24 | 16 × 16 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 10 × 10 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard sight words word search: all 24 words on a 16 × 16 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print sight words word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 10 × 10 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
Why isn't the word The in this sight word puzzle?
The is hidden inside They, and a word tucked inside another word would be found twice in a word search. To keep the answers clear, this list uses sight words that don't contain each other. The same reason keeps Here out, since it sits inside Where.
What grade level are these sight words?
The words come from the Dolch pre-primer, primer, first grade, and second grade lists, so they suit kindergarten through second grade. Easy uses short, common words like Play, Jump, and Make, while the full list on Hard adds Because, Could, and Always to give stronger readers a challenge.
How can kids practice sight words after the puzzle?
Have them read each found word aloud, then use it in a spoken sentence. You can also write the words on cards for a quick flash card review or a matching game, which helps kids recognize them instantly in books.
Is there an answer key for this sight words word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 24 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
