Sight Words vs. High Frequency Words

May 4, 2023

Sight Words vs. High Frequency Words

By Betty Goodman


When I started my teaching career, too many years ago to count, something always puzzled me. It’s amazing what we didn’t learn in our education classes. What is the difference between Sight Words and High Frequency Words? I would see so many of the same words on both lists. . . and I still do. 


To start with, let’s think about the English language and how words are spelled. I can’t think of any spelling “rule” that doesn’t have an exception. In fact, many of the “rules” have many exceptions. Obviously, this can make it difficult to learn to read and spell in English. Just ask those who are struggling to learn English as a second language. 


What has amazed me the most during my very active years as a reading tutor, is that I was able to teach a student to read English using my method, who could speak some English, but was fluent in one of the languages of India. It took a lot of patience and consistency due to some other issues that he faced, but we were successful. You may wonder what this has to do with Sight Words and High Frequency Words. All these words are necessary to read English with enough fluency to know what the sentence says. Many of the Sight Words are small words, that if changed, will change the meaning of the sentence. 


If you are trying to teach a dyslexic student to read, teaching them the sight words can be very difficult; however, totally necessary. I know teachers who had a hard time appreciating the fact that their dyslexic student had made a significant amount of progress with tutoring, because they were still struggling with the Sight Words. They could read the words that could be sounded out, but Sight Words like the, to, was and of were still difficult for them to read. This caused their fluency (ability to read smoothly), to be non-existent. Eventually, they would master these words and fluency followed. 


So, what is the difference between Sight Words and High Frequency Words? Sight Words are words that cannot be sounded out. They must be memorized. High Frequency words are words that are used frequently. They can be sounded out until they are memorized because of the number of times they will be used in written material. 


I have personally seen many different lists of beginning Sight Words. They vary and seem to depend on the reading curriculum used in a particular classroom. Most are the same, but some may be different, so don’t be concerned about the list you have. Just work on them with your child or student. I’m giving you a list of 20 beginning Sight Words as a starting point. It helps to put them on 3”x 5” note cards and work on only a few at a time. When your child or student can read and spell the first few words, add a few more. I like to read the card to them first and have them repeat the word. We work on the reading of the card first and then the spelling of the word. Sometimes it takes several sessions for just the first group, but don’t give up. They will eventually be successful. Praise them frequently for each small success to keep them motivated. When they master the first set of 20 words – reading and spelling – that is the time for a tangible reward, but keep those rewards small.


Here is the list of 20 Sight Words.


  1. I
  2. the
  3. a
  4. to
  5. you
  6. my
  7. are
  8. is
  9. little
  10. was
  11. for
  12. have
  13. of
  14. they
  15. said
  16. want
  17. here
  18. what
  19. Does


I will be adding a more comprehensive list of Sight Words and High Frequency Words to my Small Bites, Book Two “Teaching Your Child to Read.” My goal is to have this book completed and available on my website by mid-June. 

Ten Things to Help Your Child Be Prepared to Learn

August 6, 2025
Do you remember the beginning of each school year when you were young? I do! I loved school, or at least elementary and junior high. High school was not as much fun because of all of the drama probably due to raging hormones. During the summers, as kids, we would play school. Actually, it was a good thing. It helped us remember our math skills, and kept us reading throughout the summer. I’m of the age that home computers did not exist yet, and you were lucky if you had a wall phone without a party-line (when you share your phone line with someone else because there weren’t enough lines to go around). Obviously, we didn’t have cell phones to distract us. We played some of the standard games of that time period like Monopoly and Scrabble, but mostly we made up our own games to play outside. But today is much different. Hopefully our children are still excited about a new school year, but our children today face challenges that did not exist when I was in school. We have technology in most classrooms that can either be a huge blessing or for some a curse. But regardless of how our classrooms are structured, either at school or at home (for homeschool families), one thing remains the same, our children are there to learn. We, as the adults in the room, need to bring structure and the cohesiveness needed for the best learning outcomes. So, here are 10 things that parents can do to help their children be prepared to learn? Make sure they have enough school clothes that fit so that they are not self-conscious about how they look. If you can only afford one week’s worth of clothes that’s okay. Laundry can be done on the weekend, and the order in which they wear their clothes or the way they pair shirts and pants can change for new combinations. Get the most important school supplies ahead of time and have them in their backpack. Other supplies can be purchased as needed. (In many places the two or three weeks before school starts, all school supplies are really cheap comparatively, so if you can afford it, it’s nice to stock up on what you know will be needed.) Have a plan for an easy, healthy, high-protein, low-sugar breakfast they can eat each morning. If they take lunch, it’s helpful to fix it the night before and put it in the refrigerator to eliminate a lot of morning stress. Make sure homework or anything else that needs to go to school the next day is in the backpack the night before. Arrive at school a little early, so they won’t feel embarrassed by walking in late. You want them to get off to a good calm start every day. In the evenings, talk about what your child learned that day. Ask appropriate questions about each subject. If they need help, it’s okay to help them. Children learn in all different ways. Sometimes they may need some input from you to be able to do the assignment. If you feel they are struggling in school in general, schedule an appointment to meet with the teacher right away. If it’s just one subject that’s hard for them, I would personally schedule an appointment to meet with the teacher. Most teachers want to know if there is a struggle, so they can meet that individual need. Be aware of what your child is learning in school. If you have questions, ask the teacher, but don’t be a “helicopter” parent. The best place to do homework for a younger child is the dining room table. It helps them stay on track, and it lets you know what they should be learning. Actually, in my home we all did homework at the dining room table all the way through high school. It eliminates isolation and provides immediate help when needed. Happy New School Year!
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