Sight Words Checklist Grade 2 - Free Printable List
Second-grade sight words are the next hundred high-frequency words after the Grade 1 list - words a child should read on sight, without sounding them out. They come from the Dolch and Fry lists: the connectors and everyday verbs (“because”, “their”, “before”, “about”) that hold longer sentences together. Tap each word your 2nd grader reads instantly to save progress, or print the checklist for the homework folder.
Why second-grade sight words matter
By Grade 2, most children have a foothold on phonics - they can decode short regular words on their own. What slows them down now is having to sound out small connector words like “because”, “their”, “before”, “about”, and “after”. The 100 words below are the next tier of high-frequency vocabulary - the words that show up in nearly every early chapter book.
Once these are automatic, children stop reading word-by-word and start reading in phrases. That shift is the difference between effortful reading and reading for meaning - and it's the gateway to enjoying books on their own.
The checklist - 100 Grade 2 sight words
Download PDFTip: print this page and keep it in a homework folder. Check off each word once your child can read it instantly (under 2 seconds).
This free checklist is maintained by Readigo, an iOS app for kids ages 6–12 that listens while a child reads aloud and scores the reading in real time.
Tap each word your child reads instantly, without sounding it out.
59 to sound out · 41 to learn by heart
How to use this list
- ✓Work in batches of 5-10 words. Mastery before quantity. A child who knows 30 words cold reads faster than one who half-knows 80.
- ✓Daily 5-10 minute review. Spaced repetition is the strongest learning effect in cognitive science. Keep sessions short and consistent.
- ✓Mix new with mastered. Each session: 70% review of known words, 30% new. Confidence builds momentum.
- ✓Read them in real books. After flashcards, find the words in a story. In-context recognition is the real benchmark.
- ✓Revisit mastered words weekly. Without quick review, even "known" words can slip back. One pass a week keeps them solid.
A note on the research
The National Reading Panel report (NRP, 2000) identified five pillars of skilled reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. High-frequency sight words sit at the intersection of phonics and fluency. By the time children master the second-grade list, the bottleneck in their reading shifts from decoding to comprehension - the goal of all reading instruction.
Common questions
How many sight words should a 2nd grader know?
About 200 by the end of second grade: the first hundred from Grade 1 plus the hundred second-grade words on this page. Together they cover more than half of all running text in children's books.
Are these Dolch or Fry sight words?
Both. The list merges the second-grade tier of the Dolch list (1936) with the matching band of the Fry list (2000), drops the duplicates, and orders the words by how often kids meet them in real books.
My 2nd grader still sounds out many of these. Should I worry?
Not at the start of the year - that's normal. If most of the list still needs sounding out by mid-year, tighten the routine: 5-10 minutes of daily review does more than anything else. If constant guessing comes with it, ask the teacher for a fluency check.
Want word-by-word feedback while your kid reads aloud? Readigo listens and flags the words that trip them up - including sight words that haven't stuck yet.
Try Readigo →$9.99/mo or $59.99/yr. Cancel anytime.