Words 1–100
Roughly half of everything a child will ever read, in a hundred words.
Kindergarten to third grade
Fry sight words, 1 to 300
Edward Fry ranked the thousand commonest words in English by how often they appear in print. These are the first three hundred, in the hundreds he grouped them into.
Kindergarten to third grade 300 words 3 units
Take a unit
Words 101–200
The connectives that let a sentence turn a corner: through, because, another.
Words 201–300
Where sight words start carrying real content: mountain, important, example.
The words
WordSentence read after it
the
Put the milk in the fridge.
of
A glass of water, please.
and
Bread and butter for breakfast.
a
I ate a pear at lunch.
to
We walked to the shop together.
in
The pencils are in the drawer.
is
The soup is too hot.
you
You can borrow my ruler.
that
That book is mine.
it
Open the box and look inside it.
he
He runs faster than me.
was
The film was very long.
for
This card is for my grandmother.
on
The cup is on the shelf.
are
These shoes are too small.
as
He is as tall as his sister.
with
Come with me to the office.
his
His bike has a flat tire.
they
They are waiting outside.
I
I am ready to start.
at
Meet me at the gate.
be
Try to be quiet in the library.
this
This pencil needs sharpening.
have
I have a new library book.
from
This letter is from my cousin.
or
Would you like milk or juice?
one
Only one apple is left.
had
We had pancakes for breakfast.
by
The chair by the window is free.
words
Circle the words you cannot read.
but
I like carrots but not peas.
not
This pen is not working.
what
What is the answer to question five?
all
We all sang the same song.
were
They were late for the bus.
we
We are going swimming.
when
When does the show start?
your
Is this your jacket?
can
I can tie my own shoes.
said
The teacher said to line up.
there
Your bag is over there by the door.
use
Use a ruler for straight lines.
an
She picked an orange from the bowl.
each
Each child gets one worksheet.
which
Which door leads to the hall?
she
She plays the violin.
do
Please do your best work.
how
How do you spell your last name?
their
The children hung up their coats.
if
Bring a coat if it is cold.
will
I will call you tomorrow.
up
Climb up the ladder slowly.
other
The other team scored first.
about
The film is about a lost dog.
out
The cat wants to go out.
many
How many chairs do we need?
then
Wash your hands, then sit down.
them
Give the pencils back to them.
these
These apples are sour.
so
It was so cold we stayed in.
some
Take some paper from the pile.
her
Her drawing won the prize.
would
I would like another turn.
make
We will make a card for Dad.
like
I like painting best.
him
Give the message to him.
into
The rabbit went into its burrow.
time
What time does the bus leave?
has
He has a loose tooth.
look
Look at the picture on page four.
two
I have two brothers.
more
I need more glue.
write
Write your name at the top.
go
We go to the park after school.
see
I can see the moon tonight.
number
Write the number on the line.
no
There is no milk left.
way
Show me the way to the hall.
could
I could hear the rain on the roof.
people
Twelve people came to the meeting.
my
My coat is hanging by the door.
than
My bag is heavier than yours.
first
She was first in the line.
water
Fill the bottle with water.
been
I have been to that museum before.
call
Call me when you get home.
who
Who left this jacket behind?
oil
Olive oil is used for cooking.
its
The dog wagged its tail hard.
now
We are leaving now.
find
Can you find my missing glove?
long
The line at the door was very long.
down
Slide down the hill on the sled.
day
Sports day is on Friday.
did
Did you finish your homework?
get
Get your coat from the peg.
come
Please come to the front of the class.
made
We made cookies on Saturday.
may
You may leave when you finish.
part
This part of the story is sad.
Unit 2
over
The cat jumped over the wall.
new
She has new shoes for school.
sound
The letter c can make a soft sound.
take
Take an umbrella with you.
only
Only two seats are left.
little
A little bird landed on the fence.
work
Finish your work before break.
know
I know the answer.
place
Save my place in the line.
year
We move up a year in September.
live
We live near the river.
me
Please pass me the glue.
back
Put the chair back where you found it.
give
Give the book back to Sam.
most
Most of the class chose blue.
very
The soup was very hot.
after
We play outside after lunch.
thing
The strangest thing happened today.
our
This is our classroom.
just
The bell just rang.
name
Write your name in the box.
good
That was a good idea.
sentence
Write one sentence about your weekend.
man
A man asked for directions.
think
I think it will rain.
say
Say your name clearly.
great
That was a great catch.
where
Where did you leave your lunchbox?
help
I will help you carry the books.
through
The path goes through the woods.
much
How much does the ticket cost?
before
Wash your hands before dinner.
line
Draw a straight line with a ruler.
right
Raise your right hand.
too
The soup is too salty.
mean
What does this word mean?
old
This is an old photograph.
any
Is there any paper left?
same
We have the same lunchbox.
tell
Tell me what happened.
boy
The boy in the blue coat is my cousin.
follow
Follow the arrows to the exit.
came
Grandma came on the train.
want
I want to try again.
show
Show me your notebook.
also
She plays piano and also sings.
around
We ran around the track twice.
form
Fill in the form with a pen.
three
There are three eggs left.
small
The kitten is very small.
set
Set the timer for five minutes.
put
Put the scissors back in the pot.
end
We sat at the end of the row.
does
Does anyone need a pencil?
another
May I have another sheet?
well
She reads very well.
large
A large box arrived this morning.
must
You must wash your hands first.
big
That is a big red truck.
even
Four is an even number.
such
It was such a windy day.
because
I stayed in because it rained.
turn
It is your turn to read.
here
Put your bag down here.
why
Why is the door locked?
ask
Ask your teacher for help.
went
We went to the museum.
men
Two men carried the piano.
read
I read two chapters last night.
need
I need a sharper pencil.
land
The plane will land at noon.
different
Every snowflake is different.
home
I walk home with my sister.
us
Come and sit with us.
move
Move your chair closer.
try
Try the harder question next.
kind
It was kind of you to share.
hand
Raise your hand before you speak.
picture
Draw a picture of your house.
again
Read the sentence again slowly.
change
Do not change your answer.
off
Turn off the light when you leave.
play
We play football at lunchtime.
spell
Can you spell your address?
air
The air was cold and clear.
away
The cat ran away from the dog.
animal
A fox is a wild animal.
house
Their house is on the corner.
point
Sharpen the point of your pencil.
page
Turn to page fifty.
letter
I mailed a letter to my aunt.
mother
My mother works at the hospital.
answer
Check your answer twice.
found
I found my glove under the bench.
study
Study your words for ten minutes.
still
Sit still while I take the photo.
learn
We learn a new poem each month.
should
You should wear a helmet.
America
The Amazon flows through South America.
world
A map of the world hangs on our wall.
Unit 3
high
The shelf is too high to reach.
every
We read every day.
near
The library is near the park.
add
Add the two numbers together.
food
We packed food for the trip.
between
Sit between Ana and Leo.
own
She has her own bedroom.
below
Write your answer below the line.
country
Which country has the longest river?
plant
Water the plant every Monday.
last
This is the last question.
school
Our school has a new library.
father
My father drives a bus.
keep
Keep your ticket safe.
tree
A tall tree shades the yard.
never
I have never tasted mango.
start
Start at the top of the page.
city
The city has three bridges.
earth
The earth turns once a day.
eyes
Close your eyes and listen.
light
Turn on the light in the hall.
thought
I thought the test was easy.
head
She wore a scarf on her head.
under
The ball rolled under the bed.
story
Read the story to the class.
saw
I saw a rainbow this morning.
left
Turn left at the traffic lights.
don't
Please don't slam the door.
few
Only a few seats remain.
while
Read quietly while I take attendance.
along
We walked along the riverbank.
might
It might snow tonight.
close
Close the gate behind you.
something
I forgot something at home.
seem
These shoes seem too tight.
next
The next stop is ours.
hard
The ground is hard and frozen.
open
Open your books at page ten.
example
Give an example of a verb.
begin
We begin rehearsals on Monday.
life
A butterfly has a short life.
always
She always finishes her lunch.
those
Those clouds look like rain.
both
Both twins have red hair.
paper
Take a sheet of paper each.
together
We finished the puzzle together.
got
I got a letter in the mail.
group
Work in a group of four.
often
It often rains in April.
run
I can run all the way home.
important
It is important to check your spelling.
until
Wait here until the bell rings.
children
The children lined up quietly.
side
Write on one side of the paper.
feet
My feet are cold.
car
The car would not start.
mile
We ran a mile in gym class.
night
The owl hunts at night.
walk
We walk to school every morning.
white
The snow is white and deep.
sea
The sea was calm this morning.
began
The film began before we sat down.
grow
Sunflowers grow very tall.
took
She took the bus into town.
river
The river flooded the low fields.
four
A table has four legs.
carry
I can carry both bags.
state
Texas is a large state.
once
Read it once more before you hand it in.
book
Return your book to the shelf.
hear
I cannot hear the recording.
stop
Stop at the crossing.
without
Do not leave without your lunch.
second
Wait one second while I find it.
later
I will finish it later.
miss
Do not miss the last bus.
idea
That is a clever idea.
enough
We have enough chairs for everyone.
eat
We eat lunch at twelve.
face
Wash your face before dinner.
watch
Watch how I fold the paper.
far
The station is not far from here.
Indian
The Indian Ocean lies south of Asia.
really
It is really cold outside.
almost
We are almost finished.
let
Let the paint dry first.
above
Hang the clock above the door.
girl
The girl with the flute is my sister.
sometimes
Sometimes the bus is late.
mountain
Snow covers the mountain all winter.
cut
Cut along the dotted line.
young
The young owl cannot fly yet.
talk
Please do not talk during the test.
soon
The bus will be here soon.
list
Copy the spelling list into your book.
song
We learned a new song today.
being
The gate is being repainted.
leave
Leave your boots by the door.
family
My whole family came to watch.
it's
It's raining, so bring a coat.
Sheets you can print
Tick what you need. The packet prints in this order, one sheet per page, with nothing else on the paper.
Frequency order is the whole idea
Fry’s list is ordered rather than grouped by difficulty. Word one is the because the is the commonest word in written English, and the ranking runs on to a thousand. That ordering is the reason to prefer it: a word learned early pays off more often than a word learned late, and the first hundred alone covers about half the words on a typical page of anything.
The consequence is that the hundreds get less useful as they go rather than harder. Words 201 to 300 are still common, but a child gains less from each of them than from any word in the first hundred, and by the sixth hundred the returns are small enough that ordinary reading does the job better than a list does.
Where Fry and Dolch part company
The two lists were built for different purposes and it shows in what they contain. Fry counted adult and school text, so his list carries content words like mountain, country and example that a beginning-reader count never produced. Dolch pulled the picturable nouns out into their own group; Fry left them wherever the ranking put them.
One consequence is worth knowing before you start. The first 300 Fry words include roughly two-thirds of the Dolch 220, so a child who has finished Dolch is most of the way through Fry’s first three hundred already. The efficient move is to test all 300 once as a diagnostic and then teach only what came back wrong.
These are also the hardest words to dictate
A high-frequency list is a homophone minefield: to, too, two, there, their, they’re, its, it’s, hear, here, right, write, than and then all sit inside the first three hundred. Read out on their own, several of these are literally impossible to spell correctly except by luck, and a test that dictates them bare is testing coin flips.
Every word on this page carries a sentence for that reason, and the test reads it by default. If you switch sentences off to go faster, switch them back on before you reach the homophones, or accept that the score for those particular words means nothing at all.
Common questions
How many Fry words are there altogether?
A thousand, published in ten groups of a hundred. The first 300 are the ones with a real payoff from direct teaching, which is why they are what this page carries.
What grade are the first 300 Fry words for?
Fry placed the first hundred at first grade, the second at second and the third at third, but the boundaries are soft. A frequency ranking says nothing about how hard a word is to spell, and several in the first hundred — would, could, water, people — are harder than most of the third.
Why does the same word appear in both a Fry hundred and a Dolch group?
Because both men were counting the same language. The overlap runs at around two-thirds across the early hundreds. Each list is kept here exactly as published rather than deduplicated, so what you print matches whatever your school documents call it.
Can I test all 300 at once?
You can, and as a one-off diagnostic on screen it is reasonable — about twenty minutes, and it tells you precisely which words need teaching. As a weekly test it is far too long.