Sight words usually need to be learned through repetitive experiences. The Dolch Words (a link to these lists is provided below), are the 220 most frequently found words. Many of these words cannot be sounded out because they do not follow decoding rules. They must be learned by sight. Students who learn these words have a solid foundation for beginning reading. My worksheets provide opportunities for students to read or write the words they are working on.
Teachers of young children often use the Magic 100 Words (and the 2nd hundred words), as they are divided nicely into smaller groups for learning, and come with lots of support activities.
The object with both sets of words, is for students to gain automaticity (immediate recall), and to become skillful at decoding text quickly. This not only speeds the reading process, but also assists the comprehension of what is being read.