Dolch Second Grade Sight Words
All 46 words on the Dolch second grade list — the fourth sight word level, taught alongside vowel teams and r-controlled vowels.
Second grade sight words are longer and more abstract than the earlier lists: because, always, around, before, would. Several are multi-syllable, and most cannot be pictured.
This is the list where spelling starts to matter more than reading. A second grader can usually read because long before they can spell it, and the gap is where most sight word homework lives.
Finish this list and a child has all four graded levels below third grade — 179 of the 220 Dolch service words.
The Dolch Second Grade List (46 Words)
Words 1–10
Words 11–20
Words 21–30
Words 31–40
Words 41–46
Practice these words now
A real SpellCrush session on 10 words from the Dolch Second Grade list — each one read aloud with a picture, a definition and a hint. No account, nothing to print.
Start the 10-word session →The 10 words are drawn from 43 of the 46 on this page, so each visit drills a different set.
How to Teach the Dolch Second Grade Words
Mnemonics come into their own here, because the words are long enough to break into chunks a child can hold.
- Chunk the long ones. be-cause, a-round, to-geth-er. Say the chunks while writing them.
- Silly sentences for the letter order. Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants is still the fastest way anyone has found to spell because.
- Write, cover, write again. Look at the word, cover it, write it from memory, then check. This is the single highest-yield spelling routine at this age.
- Watch the homophone traps. their, its and your are all on this list and all have a twin that sounds identical.
Note the apostrophe. don't is on the canonical Dolch second grade list. It is the only word on any Dolch list with punctuation in it, and it catches children out in spelling tests.
Where This List Fits
Before this
Dolch First Grade
41 words, typically age 6-7.
When these are automatic
Dolch Third Grade
41 words, typically age 8-9.
These words are taught alongside the spelling list for 2nd grade, and you can print any of them from the free worksheet generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 46 Dolch second grade sight words?
The Dolch second grade list is: always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, don't, fast, first, five, found, gave, goes, green, its, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those, upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, wish, work, would, write, your.
How do I teach my child to spell because?
Chunk it as be-cause and pair it with a mnemonic for the letter order, such as Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants. Then use write-cover-write daily for a week, since the word is far too common to leave half-learned.
Does the Dolch second grade list really include don't?
Yes. Dolch's published second grade list contains don't, apostrophe included. Some websites print it as dont, which is simply a transcription error, so teach it with the apostrophe.
What comes after the second grade list?
The Dolch third grade list, the last of the five levels, which is 41 words. After that the graded sequence ends and the 95 Dolch nouns are the remaining set.
Sight words that actually stick
SpellCrush reads each word aloud, tracks the ones your child misses and brings them back until they are automatic. Free for 7 days.
Try SpellCrush Free →