Sight word bingo

What sight word bingo practices

Sight words are words a reader knows instantly, without sounding them out. Sight word bingo has students find and read those words again and again, one call at a time.

Many of them are small "tool" words. Edward Dolch's 1936 article, "A Basic Sight Vocabulary", lists 220 words and includes no nouns. He called the list basic because it holds the tool words that show up in any kind of writing, whatever the subject.

Here's a sample from Dolch's pre-primer list: a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, go, help, I, is, look, said, the, you.

A word like "the" or "said" has nothing to draw. That's why plain words-only cards suit this subject.

Pick a grid for your students' age

We suggest 3×3 for pre-K, 4×4 for kindergarten and 5×5 for grades 1 and 2. These are our suggestions, not a standard, so adjust them to your readers.

These figures come from our simulation (10,000 decks per setup, 100 games each) of a 40-word list with 30 players. They count calls, not minutes, because your pace sets the clock. The range covers about 8 in 10 simulated games. A shorter list changes the numbers: with only 16 words on a 4×4, every card holds the same words.

A 3×3 game ends within a few calls. That makes it a good warm-up, or a fit for a small group.

4×4 is this page's default grid for kindergarten sight word bingo. It has no free space, so every square is a word to read. A 5×5 card holds 24 words around its free space: more reading per card, with only 1 extra call at the median.

Build your word list

Start from this week's words, then add review words. Describe your game in the form above, and the generator proposes 30 words. You can edit any word, delete it, or tap "Suggest 6 more items." A list holds up to 60 words, each up to 40 characters.

Mix new and review words. That way every card carries words students already know, and nobody sits through a game with nothing to mark.

Short weekly lists need a quick check, since a short list allows fewer unique cards. The app tells you how many cards your list allows. If that's fewer than your class needs, add review words.

If you'd rather start from a blank game, open the generator.