Fry Sight Words: Fry’s First 100 Words and 1000 Word Lists

By Eduminate October 24, 2026

Pastel desk scene with ten stacks of blank cards, a card box, a highlighter and a plant on a mint green background.

Fry sight words are a list of 1,000 common English words, ordered by how often they appear in print and grouped in hundreds. This guide gives the first 100 words in four sets of 25, shows what the second and third hundreds hold, and explains how to teach the list in a classroom or at home.

What are the Fry sight words?

Edward Fry was a reading educator who built a list he called the Instant Words. The idea behind fry’s instant words is that a reader should know these words so well that they come to mind at once. He put the 1,000 words in order, with the most frequent word first, and split the list into ten groups of 100. Each group of 100 can be cut again into four sets of 25, which makes the list easy to teach in small steps.

Because the Fry list is ranked, a teacher always knows which word to teach next. The first words on the list show up again and again in what a child reads, while words near the bottom of the 1,000 show up less often. A child who masters the first hundred knows the words that tie many sentences together.

The Dolch lists sort service words by level and keep nouns apart. The Fry list mixes nouns, verbs, adjectives and function words in one ranked order. You can read about the other approach in the guide to Dolch sight words.

Fry’s first 100 words

Fry’s first 100 words are the foundation of the whole list. Here they are in four sets of 25, in the order Fry ranked them.

Words 1 to 25

the, of, and, a, to, in, is, you, that, it, he, was, for, on, are, as, with, his, they, I, at, be, this, have, from

Words 26 to 50

or, one, had, by, word, but, not, what, all, were, we, when, your, can, said, there, use, an, each, which, she, do, how, their, if

Words 51 to 75

will, up, other, about, out, many, then, them, these, so, some, her, would, make, like, him, into, time, has, look, two, more, write, go, see

Words 76 to 100

number, no, way, could, people, my, than, first, water, been, call, who, oil, its, now, find, long, down, day, did, get, come, made, may, part

The 100 fry words are a mix. Some can be sounded out, like “it”, “not”, “can” and “up”. Others, like “of”, “was”, “said” and “are”, carry spellings that need extra practice. Marking the odd part of the word gives children a place to focus.

Fry kindergarten sight words

Fry kindergarten sight words can be the first 25 or 50 words on the list. A kindergarten class can begin with the first set of 25 and add the second set when the first feels steady. The words “a”, “I”, “is”, “it”, “in”, “he”, “on” and “at” give early readers short, simple words that appear in many beginning books.

The Fry list lines up well with a plan that adds a few words each week. Teach three or four words, practice them in sentences, then add the next set. If you want a smaller starter list built around kindergarten routines, the article on sight words for kindergarten gives forty words in five sets with practice ideas.

Because the Fry list comes in ranked order, there is no reason to rush. A child who knows the first 25 words well is in better shape than one who has seen 100 words once.

The 2nd 100 Fry words

The 2nd 100 fry words begin at word 101 and run to word 200. They are still very common words, but they are a little longer and include more nouns and verbs. The list includes words such as: over, new, sound, take, only, work, know, place, year, live, back, give, most, very, after, thing, name, good, sentence, think, great, help, through, much, before, line, right, too and mean.

Notice how some of these words hold meaning that children can picture, like “place”, “name” and “line”. Others, like “through” and “before”, are function words that connect ideas. The mix gives a child both the glue and some content words, and it moves reading beyond the shortest sentences.

The 3rd 100 Fry words

The 3rd 100 fry words run from word 201 to word 300. The list includes words such as: high, every, near, food, between, below, country, plant, last, school, father, keep, tree, never, start, city, earth, light, thought and story.

These words bring in more topic vocabulary, so they connect with topics such as plants, cities and school. They also give a child more spelling patterns to learn, so writing practice becomes more useful at this stage.

The full Fry list of words: 1000 Fry words

The Fry list of words has ten groups of 100, running from the most frequent word to number 1,000. The lists beyond the third hundred are longer and more varied, and they can serve spelling and vocabulary work in upper elementary grades. All 1000 fry words are sorted from most to least frequent, so the last hundred holds the least common of the group.

Few classes need the full 1,000 in early grades. The first three hundred cover the words that beginning readers meet most often, and later groups can wait until reading is fluent. Let the child’s reading stage decide how far to go.

Fry phrases for fluency practice

Fry phrases are short strings of words that children read together, such as “up and down” or “one of the”. Reading phrases helps children read in chunks rather than word by word, which supports smooth reading. You can write your own phrases from the word sets so every word in the phrase has already been taught.

Here are some phrases and sentences built only from the first 100 words:

up and down
one of the people
Come and find the water.
What did you do?
Can you call him?
Look at that number.

Print a few on strips of paper and ask children to read each strip twice. The second reading should feel smoother than the first.

Fry high frequency words and why the label matters

You will see Fry high frequency words described as sight words, instant words and high frequency words. The labels overlap. High frequency describes how often a word appears. Sight word describes how quickly a reader recognizes it. Fry’s list ranks words by frequency, and the goal is to make them instant. The article on high frequency words sorts out these terms in more detail.

Dolch and Fry sight words side by side

Dolch and Fry sight words overlap heavily. Words such as “the”, “and”, “to”, “in”, “is”, “it” and “you” sit on the Dolch pre-primer list and also in the first 25 words of the Fry list. The two lists differ in how they are organized. Dolch sorts 220 service words into five reading levels and keeps 95 nouns apart. Fry ranks 1,000 words by frequency and splits them into hundreds.

A teacher does not have to pick one. A teacher can use the Dolch lists to check a child’s progress by level, and the Fry lists to decide what to teach next. A child who learns one list is already learning part of the other.

How to teach the Fry list

A routine for the Fry list can stay simple. Here is one version.

Pick one set of 25 words. Teach three or four of them at a time.
Show each word, say it, spell it and use it in a sentence.
Have the child read the set at the start of each session, and move any word that is read quickly into a “known” pile.
Write the known words on a chart, with the date next to each one.
When a set is firm, start the next set and keep a short review of the earlier ones.

Real reading gives the words a home. Short stories and passages let children see the same words again and again in new sentences. The kindergarten reading passages and questions packet includes ten early literacy texts with comprehension questions and answer keys, and children use it to practice sight words, simple sentences and recall. The first grade packet offers ten stories in the same style, with sight word practice and answer keys.

For children moving up, the second grade passages and questions packet and the third grade passages and questions packet each hold ten stories with comprehension questions. Both give practice with sight words and sentence fluency and include complete answer keys. When a young reader needs sentences built from sounds they know, the simple CVC sentences set has ten decodable stories, thirty-one worksheet pages, a lesson plan and teacher answer keys.

Using Fry words in writing

The Fry words are as useful for writing as for reading. Children who can spell “the”, “and”, “was” and “said” correctly write faster and with less worry. After a set has been read, ask children to write each word from memory, then check it against the card. Short dictation sentences built from the set give a second check, and the sentence also shows whether a child can use the word in context.

Keep a personal word list in each child’s writing folder. When a child spells a Fry word correctly in free writing, add a check mark next to it. That small record shows growth and gives the child a reason to feel proud.

Frequently asked questions

How many Fry words should a kindergartener learn?

There is no fixed number. A class might start with the first 25 or 50 words and add more as children grow. Let your class’s reading level guide the pace.

What is the difference between Fry words and Dolch words?

The Dolch list has 220 service words sorted into five levels, plus 95 nouns. The Fry list has 1,000 words ranked by how often they appear. Both lists aim for the same goal: quick, accurate word recognition.

Are Fry words the same as high frequency words?

Fry words are a set of high frequency words, ranked by Edward Fry. The term high frequency words can also refer to other lists. In practice the first hundred words on the lists overlap heavily.

Do I need to teach the Fry words in order?

The order is a helpful guide because it puts the most common words first. You can change the order to match your reading materials, as long as the earlier groups get most of the time.