Dolch Word

Welcome to Dolch Word where you will find lots of free online games, flashcards and printables to help you learn the Dolch sight words.

The first activities we have developed are a set of memory games where you have to read a word and match it to the spoken word. These games have been developed for different Dolch word lists so that even beginners can have fun while they learn.

What are Dolch words?

Edward William Dolch, PhD, published the Dolch word list in his book "Problems in Reading" in 1948. He had researched children's books to determine which words were most frequently used.

Dolch believed that learning his list of 220 "service words"  would speed the development of reading fluency in children learning to read.

Although some of the words in the Dolch word list can be sounded out using phonic knowledge, many cannot and have to be memorised as "sight words". Even the decodable words should be mastered for instant recall.

The list is divided into grade levels, but most schools expect children to master reading all the words in the Dolch word list by the end of first grade. Learning to spell them all may take longer.

The Dolch words are helpful for adults learning English as an additional language as well as for children and adults learning to read.

In addition to the 220 "service words", Dolch also put together a list of 95 common nouns which appeared most frequently in children's books at the time.