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Fry Sight Words List – By Parts of Speech

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– By Parts of Speech

Doctors Fry and Kress published a list of instant words which contains the most common English words. Due to their frequency, both doctors recommend recognizing them instantly. They published their list in order of frequency. This list has been further refined to categorize each word by parts of speech.

Some words were more difficult to categorize due to their usage. Many high frequency words have more than one meaning, which is one of the reasons why they are found so often in our language. The following are two great examples:

  • The word “back” can be used as a noun, adverb, adjective or verb.
    Noun: Please scratch my back.
    Adverb: Give me my toy back.
    Adjective: Close the back door.
    Verb: The car backed out of the garage.
  • The word “off” is an adverb, preposition and adjective.
    Adverb: I jumped off the bed.
    Preposition: Get the books off the table.
    Adjective: The TV is off.

Fry’s Sight Words

Using professional judgment, we categorized Fry’s 300 instant words according to parts of speech, specifically conjunctions, contraction, prepositions, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, verbs and nouns. To be consistent with Dolch’s, we categorized Fry’s words by referencing Dolch’s sight word list by part of speech, where applicable.

Sight Words: Conjunctions

Joins together words, phrases, clauses or sentences

and as or but
if than because while

Sight Words: Contractions

Shortens words by replacing one or more letters with an apostrophe

it’s don’t

It’s is the contraction for “it is”, e.g. it’s a girl and “it has”, e.g. it’s been real. Don’t is the contraction for “do not”, e.g. don’t go outside.

Sight Words: Prepositions

Shows position or time and expresses connections and relationships

of to in for on
with at from by about
into down over after through
between under along until without

Sight Words: Pronouns

Takes the place of nouns, indicates ownership or helps ask questions

you that it he his
they I this what we
your which she their them
these her him my who
its me our us something
those

Sight Words: Adverbs

Modifies verbs, adjectives and another adverbs;
Shows extent, manner, place or time

not when there how up
out then so no first
now only very just where
much before too also around
well here why again off
away near below last never
always together often once later
far really almost sometimes soon

Sight Words: Adjectives

Describes or modifies nouns, pronouns or adjectives

the a one all an
each other many some two
more long new little most
good great right mean old
any same three small another
large big even such different
kind still high every own
light left few next hard
both important white four second
enough above young

Sight Words: Verbs

Shows action, state of being or occurrence

is was are be have
had were can said use
do will would make like
has look write go see
could been call am find
did get come made may
take know live give think
say help tell follow came
want show set put does
must ask went read need
move try change play spell
found study learn should add
keep start thought saw turn
might close seem open begin
got run walk began grow
took carry hear stop miss
eat watch let cut talk
being leave

Sight Words: Nouns

Names something – a person, place or thing

Dolch excluded nouns from his sight word list. However, he did create a separate list containing 95 nouns. Fry’s list is based on frequency regardless of word type.

word time number way people
water day part sound work
place year back thing name
sentence man line boy farm
end men land home hand
picture air animal house page
letter point mother answer America
world food country plant school
father tree city earth eye
head story example life paper
group children side feet car
mile night sea river state
book idea facet Indian girl
mountain list song family

Fry’s sight words are great references when developing a sight word vocabulary.

Source: Dolch, E.W., Ph.D. (1948). Problems in Reading. Champain, IL: The Garrard Press.

Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. Sanfransico, CA: Jossey Bass.

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