Dolch Grade 3 Sight Words (Ages 8-9)
The 41 Grade 3 words: about, laugh, eight, together, warm… The last of the Dolch grade lists, with a free printable list, flashcards, tracing sheets, bingo and checklist.
The 41 Dolch Grade 3 sight words
- about
- better
- bring
- carry
- clean
- cut
- done
- draw
- drink
- eight
- fall
- far
- full
- got
- grow
- hold
- hot
- hurt
- if
- keep
- kind
- laugh
- light
- long
- much
- myself
- never
- only
- own
- pick
- seven
- shall
- show
- six
- small
- start
- ten
- today
- together
- try
- warm
Words with an orange outline are the tricky ones, explained below.
About the Grade 3 list
The Grade 3 list is the last of the five Dolch grade lists. Its 41 words are longer and more regular than the earlier lists (bring, small, start, drink, together) with only a few spelling surprises (laugh, eight, done, light, warm).
It matches ages 8 to 9, in Grade 3. For most children in Grade 3 the list is mainly a check: many already read these words, and the useful work is to find the few that are not automatic and to spell them correctly.
The tricky words, one by one
These words do not follow the sound-letter rules children have learned so far. They are the ones worth spending extra time on.
- laugh
- "augh" says /af/. It is the only Dolch word with this spelling, and it is rarely sounded out correctly.
- eight
- "eigh" says long a. It matches "weigh" and "neighbor" if you want to extend it.
- done
- The "o" says /u/. It rhymes with "one" and "none", not with "bone".
- light
- "igh" says long i. Learn it with "night", "right" and "high" as one pattern.
- warm
- "ar" after w says /or/. The same happens in "war" and "ward".
- today
- A compound: to + day. Children often write "to day" or "2day". Show both parts.
- together
- Three parts: to + get + her. Tapping the parts out helps the spelling.
- myself
- A compound: my + self. Same trick as "today".
- shall
- Rare in everyday American speech, so children may see it only in books and offers ("Shall we?"). Give an example sentence.
A 9-week study plan
Five words a week, five minutes a day. On the last day of each week, revise the words of the weeks before. The list is in alphabetical order; change the order to start with the words your child meets most in books.
- Week 1
about · better · bring · carry · clean
- Week 2
cut · done · draw · drink · eight
- Week 3
fall · far · full · got · grow
- Week 4
hold · hot · hurt · if · keep
- Week 5
kind · laugh · light · long · much
- Week 6
myself · never · only · own · pick
- Week 7
seven · shall · show · six · small
- Week 8
start · ten · today · together · try
- Week 9
warm
How to teach the Grade 3 words
- Start with a quick test. Show all 41 words in random order and only teach the ones your child misses or takes more than three seconds to read.
- Switch from flashcards to writing: dictate short sentences with 3 or 4 list words and check the spelling.
- Use the words in a short story: ask your child to write four sentences using any five words from the list, then underline the sight words.
- Look for patterns instead of memorising: light/might is the same as night; done/none/one; eight/weigh. Three words for the price of one.
- If many Grade 3 words are still not automatic, step back to the Grade 2 list. Gaps in earlier lists are more common than gaps in this one.
More Dolch printables
Make the same sheets for another list, or find the list that fits another age.
Frequently asked questions
+How many words are on the Dolch Grade 3 list?
41 words. With the earlier lists this makes 220 words, the full Dolch sight word vocabulary (plus 95 nouns on a separate list).
+What if my 8-year-old already knows all the Dolch words?
Then move on. The Dolch lists were built from children's books in the 1930s and 1940s, so a strong reader will know them well. Use longer lists of common words (such as the Fry list), spelling lists from school, or just read more.
+What if my 9-year-old does not know the Grade 3 words?
Go back to the Grade 1 and Grade 2 lists first. Gaps are usually in the earlier words, and short, regular practice (five minutes a day) is the way to close them.
+Are there Dolch words after Grade 3?
No. The Dolch lists stop at Grade 3 (220 words) plus the 95 nouns. For older children, use a list of the next most frequent words or work on spelling patterns and vocabulary.
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