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Primary 1 · English · Literacy

Common sight words

Building quick, automatic recognition of frequent words such as 'said', 'was', 'they' and 'come' by noticing which parts follow familiar patterns.

Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026. How we review

These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to Singapore levels by age (Primary 1 is the first year of primary school). They are not aligned to MOE syllabuses or the PSLE, so check them against the syllabus your child is working towards.

Learning goals

Learners will

  • Read common words such as 'said', 'was', 'they' and 'come' quickly and accurately.
  • Notice which parts of these words follow familiar letter-sound patterns and which part is tricky.
  • Spell a small set of common sight words correctly in sentences.

Success looks like

  • I can read my sight words in a flash.
  • I can show the tricky part in 'said' and 'was'.
  • I can spell 'they' and 'come' when I write a sentence.

The big idea

Sight words are words that appear so often that children need to read them instantly. In Primary 1, words like said, was, they, come, some, have and were show up on almost every page.

Many people think sight words have to be learned as whole pictures. In fact, most of the letters in these words do follow the patterns your child already knows. Only one small part is unusual. Pointing out the familiar parts makes the words far easier to remember.

  • said: s and d are regular. The tricky part is 'ai', which says /e/.
  • was: w is regular. The 'a' says /o/ and the s says /z/.
  • they: 'th' is a digraph your child knows. The 'ey' says /ay/.
  • come and some: c, s and m are regular. The 'o' says /u/ and the e is silent. Learning these two together helps, because they share the same tricky part.

A good routine for a new word is: say it, count the sounds, match letters to sounds, mark the tricky part, then write it from memory and check. Revisit the words over several days, then use them in reading and writing so they stick.

Worked examples

Mapping 'said'

Help your child learn to read and spell 'said'.

  1. Say the word and count the sounds on fingers: /s/ /e/ /d/. Three sounds.
  2. Write the word. Match s to /s/ and d to /d/. These are what we expect.
  3. The /e/ sound is spelled 'ai'. Underline 'ai' as the tricky part.
  4. Cover the word, write it from memory, then uncover and check.

Answer: 'said' = s + ai + d, with 'ai' as the tricky part saying /e/.

Learning a pair

Learn 'come' and 'some' together.

  1. Write both words, one under the other.
  2. Notice they end in the same three letters: 'ome'.
  3. In both words the o says /u/ and the e is silent.
  4. Change the first letter to swap between them: c-ome, s-ome.

Answer: 'come' and 'some' share the tricky 'ome' ending.

Choosing 'was' or 'were'

Choose the right word: 'The children ___ at the beach.'

  1. Ask: is it one person or thing, or more than one?
  2. 'The children' is more than one.
  3. Use 'were' for more than one and 'was' for one: 'The children were at the beach.'

Answer: 'The children were at the beach.'

Practice check

Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.

  1. 1.In the word 'said', which part is tricky?
  2. 2.Which is the correct spelling?
  3. 3.Which is the correct spelling?
  4. 4.Which word fits? 'We ___ at the park yesterday.'
  5. 5.Which word has the same tricky 'ome' ending as 'come'?
  6. 6.Fill the gap with a sight word that starts with w: 'Yesterday the dog ___ wet.'
  7. 7.Fill the gap with a sight word that starts with c: 'Can you ___ to my party?'
  8. 8.Fill the gap with one word: 'Mia and Sam are here. ___ came to play.'
Answer guide for parents

  1. In the word 'said', which part is tricky?

    the 'ai', which says /e/ — The s and d sound as expected, but 'ai' says /e/ in 'said'.

  2. Which is the correct spelling?

    said — The word is spelled s-a-i-d.

  3. Which is the correct spelling?

    they — The word is spelled t-h-e-y.

  4. Which word fits? 'We ___ at the park yesterday.'

    were — 'We' is more than one person and it happened yesterday, so we use 'were'.

  5. Which word has the same tricky 'ome' ending as 'come'?

    some — In 'come' and 'some', the o says /u/. In 'home' the o says its long sound.

  6. Fill the gap with a sight word that starts with w: 'Yesterday the dog ___ wet.'

    was — 'Yesterday the dog was wet.' One dog in the past uses 'was'.

  7. Fill the gap with a sight word that starts with c: 'Can you ___ to my party?'

    come — 'Can you come to my party?'

  8. Fill the gap with one word: 'Mia and Sam are here. ___ came to play.'

    They — 'They' stands for Mia and Sam: 'They came to play.'

Watch out for

  • Spelling sight words the way they sound ('sed', 'woz', 'thay'). Point out the tricky part and practise writing it.
  • Thinking sight words cannot be sounded out at all. Most letters are regular, so encourage your child to use them.
  • Mixing up look-alike words such as 'was' and 'saw', or 'there' and 'three'. Ask your child to check the first letter and read the sentence for meaning.

Tips for parents

  • Work on three to five words a week. Review old words often so they are not forgotten.
  • When your child gets stuck on a sight word in a book, simply tell them the word and point out its tricky part, then keep reading.
  • Use a dictation sentence each day, such as 'They said it was fun', and check it together.

Go further

  • Play 'Sight word bingo' with a grid of nine words and call them out.
  • Write sight words in rainbow colours, tracing each one in three different colours while saying the letters.
  • Write a silly sentence using as many sight words as possible, such as 'They said some of the cats were here.'

About 25 minutes

Make a lesson planAssign to my child

You'll need

  • Word cards: said, was, they, come, some, have, were, one, what, there
  • A whiteboard or paper and a marker
  • A reading book at your child's level

Key words

sight word
A common word we learn to read instantly, on sight, without sounding it out each time.
pattern
Letters that make the sound we expect, like 'sh' in 'shop'.
tricky part
The letters in a word that do not make the sound we expect, like 'ai' in 'said'.
spell
To write the letters of a word in the right order.
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