The theory is that these words are used so often in print that they make up an estimated 75 percent of all words used in children’s books. There are 220 Dolch sight words, spread across sight word lists from preschool to third grade.
This list, by Edward William Dolch, was first published back in 1936 (and later published in his book, Problems in Reading). What are sight words? They’re words a child learns to recognize on sight.