English·Phonics & Word Reading·procedural
Reading High-Frequency Words by Sight
Read common high-frequency and exception words automatically by sight, including words with irregular spelling patterns
Suggested ages 5–8
Learning journey
Your child is building the foundation for reading — learning how letters and sounds work together, recognizing common words by sight, and developing the skills to sound out new words independently.
Evidence of understanding
- Read common exception words instantly without sounding out (e.g. 'the', 'said', 'was', 'you')
- Note unusual correspondences between spelling and sound in exception words
- Recognise at least 20-30 high-frequency words in connected text
Assessment prompt
Can Reading High-Frequency Words by Sight instantly recognise everyday words like 'said', 'was', 'they', 'come', and 'because' without needing to sound them out every time?
Standards alignment
No external standards are linked to this topic.