Dolch primer · Kindergarten

The Sight Word "they"

A tricky one. Hear it, read it in a sentence, then play it.

Play "they"
they

The kids sang as they walked.

How to teach "they"

  1. Say it. Read the sentence together, then say they on its own.
  2. Find the tricky part. The ey sounds like long a, as in day. Draw a little heart over those letters: that's the part to learn by heart.
  3. Spell it. It has 4 letters. Say them aloud while tracing them on the table with a finger.
  4. Find it. Hunt for they in a book you're reading. Then play a round of the game below.

Words it gets mixed up with

Early readers often confuse they with words that look like it: them, then, try, today. The game uses these on purpose, so children learn to look at every letter.

Play "they"

"they" 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 "they"This word and its look-alikes. PrintRead, trace, writeTrace it, then write it from memory.

More words

←thereAll primer words→this

Questions

Is "they" a sight word?

Yes. It's on the Dolch primer list, usually taught around Kindergarten.

What's a good sentence for "they"?

Try this one: The kids sang as they walked.