Sight words or phonics: which should my child learn first?

What are sight words?

Sight words are words a child recognises instantly, without stopping to sound them out. The term is used in two ways. Teachers sometimes mean any word a child now reads automatically: every confident reader has thousands of these. More often, especially on school lists, sight words means a set of very common words children are asked to learn early, such as the, and, is, you, said and was.

These words matter because they appear in almost every sentence. A child who knows the, a, is and I can read I see a cat and The cat is big long before they know every phonics pattern, which makes early reading feel real and rewarding.

Here's the part that often surprises parents: phonics is how most words become sight words. A child who sounds out cat or jump a few times, in different books and games, soon reads it in a flash. Instant recognition is the goal; sounding out is usually the way there.

Are sight words the same as tricky words?

Not quite, though the lists overlap. Tricky words are words with a part that can't be sounded out using the phonics a child knows so far. Sight words, on a school list, are usually just the most common words, whether or not they follow the rules. Many sight words are perfectly regular.

Seeing the list this way takes the pressure off. Only a small share of a typical sight-word list truly needs to be memorised; the rest becomes easy as your child's phonics grows. Our phonics glossary explains these and other terms you may see on school letters.

Which should come first, sight words or phonics?

Phonics should come first and stay in the lead, with a few sight words added from early on. Phonics gives children a strategy that works on new words: say the sounds, blend them, hear the word. Memorising words by their shape works for a while, but it runs out quickly, because many words look alike (was, saw, wax) and there are far too many to learn one by one.

A sensible order looks like this:

1. 1Learn a first set of letter sounds and start blending simple words such as sat, pin and dog.
2. 2Add the first few tricky words, such as the, I, to and a, so your child can read short sentences.
3. 3Keep adding phonics patterns, such as sh, ee and ai, and a few more tricky words at each step.
4. 4Read short books that use mostly words your child can sound out, so they practise both at once.

Watch out for a child who guesses from the first letter or the picture. That usually means they are relying on memory rather than looking all the way through the word, and more blending practice will help. For the basics of how phonics works, read what phonics is.

Why does school send home sight-word lists?

Schools send home sight-word lists so children can read and write the most common words quickly, which frees their attention for the rest of the sentence. Many kindergartens and primary schools in Singapore and Malaysia send home word lists, spelling lists or word cards, and the words on them come up again and again in class readers.

You don't have to choose between the school's list and phonics. Look through the list with phonics in mind: sound out the words that can be sounded out, and spend your practice time on the few that can't. If you're unsure what the school expects, such as whether the words are for reading, spelling or both, ask your child's teacher. If Primary 1 is coming up, our Primary 1 English checklist shows the skills worth focusing on.

How do we practise sight words without drilling?

Keep the set small, connect each word to its sounds, and practise through games and real reading. Three to five new words at a time is plenty. Long flashcard sessions tend to make children anxious and don't help them use the words in sentences.

• Heart words. Write the word, sound out the regular parts and draw a small heart over the tricky part to learn “by heart”: in said, the ai makes a short “e” sound.
• Word hunt. Pick one word and look for it on a page of a picture book, a cereal box or a sign. Count how many you find together.
• Splat. Spread four or five word cards on the table. Say a word, and your child splats it with their hand. Then swap roles.
• Silly sentences. Mix sight-word cards with words your child can sound out and build sentences to read aloud: the dog was in a box.
• Write it big. Write the word in sand, with a finger on the table or in chalk outside, saying the letters as you go.
• Spot it while reading. When you read together, let your child read every the or was on the page.

A few minutes on most days is enough. If your child is tired or frustrated, stop and come back to it another day.

How does CurioKids teach sight words and phonics?

In Phonics Starter, children learn letter sounds and blending first, then build up through word families, digraphs, vowel teams, blends and magic e. Tricky words such as the, said, was and come have their own unit, practised in short sentences, before children read whole sentences and a first short story. Lessons are live and 1-to-1, 25 minutes each. See the Phonics Starter units, or book a free first lesson from our Singapore or Malaysia page.