Learning to read involves two important skills working together — sounding out words, and recognising common sight words. That’s why I’m excited to introduce the newest free app from Play English School, designed to help young readers build one of the most essential early literacy skills.
What is the Sight Words App?
The Sight Words app focuses on the Dolch sight words — a list of the most frequently used words in the English language, such as the, and, because and where. Many of these words can’t easily be sounded out phonetically, so children need to learn to recognise them quickly and automatically.
The app covers all 219 Dolch words across five levels:
- Pre-Primer
- Primer
- Grade 1
- Grade 2
- Grade 3
Children simply tap the word to hear it spoken aloud, building the connection between the written word and its sound naturally and at their own pace.
Designed for Young Children
Like all Play English School apps, the Sight Words app has been designed with young learners in mind:
- large, clear word display
- calm colours and gentle animations
- no ads, pop-ups, or distractions
- simple buttons that are easy for small hands
Children can practise independently, while parents can feel confident the content is safe and educational.
Progress That Encourages Confidence
As children work through each level, they earn stars to track their progress. This gives a gentle sense of achievement without pressure or competition. There’s also a random practice mode that picks words from across all levels — great for review and building reading fluency.
Progress is saved automatically, so children can return to the app and continue exactly where they left off.
Perfect for Home and Classroom Use
This app works beautifully:
- on iPads and tablets
- on phones
- at home or in the classroom
Parents and teachers can add it to the Home Screen so it behaves just like a real app — no login or account required.
Try It for Free
The Sight Words app is completely free to use and available directly from our website.
Whether your child is just beginning to read or needs extra practice with common words, this app is a calm, supportive way to build sight word recognition — one word at a time.
You can find more Learn to Read material on our YouTube channel!