Dolch first grade · 1st grade

The Sight Word "by"

Hear it, read it in a sentence, then play it.

Play "by"
by

Sit by me on the bus.

How to teach "by"

  1. Say it. Read the sentence together, then say by on its own.
  2. Good to know. The y at the end sounds like long i.
  3. Spell it. It has 2 letters. Say them aloud while tracing them on the table with a finger.
  4. Find it. Hunt for by in a book you're reading. Then play a round of the game below.

Words it gets mixed up with

Early readers often confuse by with words that look like it: be, my, big, box. The game uses these on purpose, so children learn to look at every letter.

Sounds the same, spelled differently

by sounds the same as buy. Use a sentence to show which one you mean.

Play "by"

"by" shows up in every question

Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers

Open the game full screen

Quick quiz: which word do you hear?

Print and practice

PrintFlash cards with "by"This word and its look-alikes. PrintRead, trace, writeTrace it, then write it from memory.

More words

←askAll first grade words→could

Questions

Is "by" a sight word?

Yes. It's on the Dolch first grade list, usually taught around 1st grade.

What's a good sentence for "by"?

Try this one: Sit by me on the bus.