logo
  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class

855-997-4652LoginTry a Free Class

  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
logo
  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class

855-997-4652LoginTry a Free Class

  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
April 6, 2022 by Luis F. Dominguez Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

Spanish High-Frequency Words To Increase Reading Fluency [Free Printables]

Do you want to increase your children or student reading fluency in Spanish but don’t know where to start?

Let me introduce you to Spanish high-frequency words. They’re some of the most commonly used words in the Spanish language, and they just may hold the key to your kid’s reading fluency. 

Keep reading to learn what high-frequency words are, why they work in Spanish, and the first 100 of these words—distributed by grade level. 

Let’s go!


Table of Contents:

  • What Are High-Frequency Words?
  • Spanish High-Frequency Words by Grade Level
  • How to Learn These Words
  • Master the Spanish High-Frequency Words and Improve Your Reading Fluency

What Are High-Frequency Words?

As their name suggests, high-frequency words—also known as sight words or Dolch words—are “the most frequently used words” in any given language. Learning sight words in Spanish help students to increase their vocabulary and reading fluency.

“Dolch words, also known as sight words, account for between 50-75% of all vocabulary found in grade school reading material. However, it isn’t just grade school children who can benefit from learning the Dolch word list.”

high-frequency words—also known as sight words or Dolch words—are “the most frequently used words” in any given language.

Do Spanish High-Frequency Words Work?

In English, high-frequency words are widely used as a language-learning technique. That’s because the language isn’t phonetic, which makes memorizing “sight words” a smart way to start reading in English. 

Spanish, on the other hand, is a phonetic language, which means that students can sound out the words once they know the sound of each letter. For that reason, Spanish Dolch words aren’t as common as their English counterparts. 

However, this doesn’t mean that high-frequency words don’t work in Spanish. On the contrary, in Spanish “around 100 core words make up 50% of everyday language,” which makes learning these words a crucial task to increase reading fluency. 

in Spanish “around 100 core words make up 50% of everyday language,”

Spanish High-Frequency Words by Grade Level

The following word list includes the first 100 Spanish high-frequency words distributed by grade level, from kinder to 1st grade, and 2nd grade, which are the years when kids learn to read. 

To increase the efficiency of this word work, consider creating some flashcards to make it easier for your kids to learn these words. 

Download the K-3 high-frequency words to print out for whenever you need them!

Free printable download preview

Download FREE Spanish High-Frequency Words Free Printables!

Type in your name and email below! We'll immediately send this awesome set of Spanish High-Frequency Words Free Printables to your inbox!

Kindergarten 

These words are short and easy to pronounce, which make them perfect for kindergarten kids. 

Spanish High-Frequency WordsKindergartenTranslation in English
ato
adiósgoodbye
defrom
díaday
elthe
élhe
ellashe
esis
holahello
lathe
llamocall
hola - Hello
Spanish High-Frequency WordsKindergartenTranslation in English
mamámom
meto me
mimy
mismy
míomine
la niñagirl
el niñoboy
nono
el papádad
parafor
porby
el papá - Dad
Spanish High-Frequency WordsKindergartenTranslation in English
quéwhat
quiénwho
sonare
soyI am
tiyou
túyou
tusyours
un a
unaa
yand
yoI
Yo - I

1st Grade

In 1st grade, it’s important to give the kids more tools to express what they need to say and relate to their world. 

Spanish High-Frequency Words1st GradeTranslation in English
alláthere
alto the
algosomething
aquíhere
la casahouse
conwith
cuándowhen
delthe
dicesay
diogave
dijosaid
la casa - house
Spanish High-Frequency Words1st GradeTranslation in English
dóndewhere
enin
la escuelaschool
ellosthey
ellasthey
estoyI am
felizhappy
graciasthank you
gustalike
haythere is
hoytoday
gracias - Thank yoy
Spanish High-Frequency Words1st GradeTranslation in English
másmore
menosless
muchoa lot
muyvery
perobut
por quéwhy
porquebecause
puedoI can
quieroI want
sinwithout
tengoI have
por qué - why

2nd Grade

For 2nd grade, you’re looking at the rest of the connectors, prepositions, and some words that may require a bigger effort to pronounce. 

Spanish High-Frequency Words2nd GradeTranslation in English
abajodown
adentroinside
afueraoutside
ahoranow
altostop
arribaaup
asíso
atrásbehind
ayeryesterday
bienwell
buenogood
atrás - behind
Spanish High-Frequency Words2nd GradeTranslation in English
cómohow
debajounder
dostwo
enin
estothis
estáis
fuewent
gatocat
grandebig
hacedo
hermanasister
hermana - sister
Spanish High-Frequency Words2nd GradeTranslation in English
hermanobrother
mañanatomorrow
miralook
muyvery
nosus
nosotroswe
tambiéntoo
teto you
unoone
ustedesyou (plural)
vamoslet’s go
veo I see

How to Learn These Words

As I mentioned, creating flashcards is an excellent way to learn Spanish Dolch words, especially for kids of this age. However, many of these words aren’t concrete things, but abstract pronouns or prepositions make it all but impossible to create flashcards for them. 

What can you do with these words?

In my experience as a Spanish teacher of kids of this age, I’ve found that the best way to learn anything is by playing games with them. Memory game with pairs of cards in English and Spanish is always a fun way to learn new vocabulary. You can also try playing Bingo or starting a competition in your classroom about learning these first 100 Spanish words.  

creating flashcards is an excellent way to learn Spanish Dolch words

Master the Spanish High-Frequency Words and Improve Your Reading Fluency

There are many ways to work on your students’ reading fluency in Spanish. You can also focus on teaching basic vocabulary for beginners, either in the hundreds or the thousands of words. However, if you have the opportunity to work with your kids at a young age, like kindergarten or first and second grade, teaching them the first 100 high-frequency words provided in this post, is the best way to go. 

Learning Spanish at a young age gives a head start to your kids and puts them on the right path for a better professional career in the future. 

Sign your child up for a free trial class at Homeschool Spanish Academy. If your kid is a K-12 student in the U.S., we can help them get high school credit. Our certified, native teachers from Guatemala offer flexible scheduling and tailored Spanish programs. 

Do you need support in your classroom? Homeschool Spanish Academy provides 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 online Spanish classes for K-12 students. We help alleviate the difficulty of having many students of varying levels of performance. Sign up for a free class to give us a try today!  

certified teachers
free Spanish class button

Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these

Cindy D, Parent of 3

“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”

– Cindy D, Parent of 3

- Melanie

“It’s great being able to interact with native speaking people and having a conversation with them not just doing all the work on paper. It’s also an amazing opportunity to speak with native Spanish-speaking people without having to travel to a native Spanish-speaking country.”

– Melanie

- William R, Parent of 3

“My Son, Heath, is taking the classes. He’s been with Luisa the entire time and we absolutely love her. She is always patient and is a great teacher. Heath’s dad speaks Spanish so they get to have little conversations.”

– William R, Parent of 3

Ready to learn more Spanish vocabulary? Check these out!

  • Top 15 New Year’s Resolutions in Spanish
  • 100+ Basic Spanish Words and Phrases for Travelers
  • 29 Cool and Catchy Spanish Phrases To Use With Friends [+Audio]
  • 52 Spanish Connecting Words to Sound Like a Native
  • ‘How Much Is It?’ in Spanish: A Guide to Travel and Shopping
  • Ultimate Guide to 80+ Dance Vocabulary Words in Spanish
  • Ordinal Numbers in Spanish
  • Essential Swimming Vocabulary in Spanish (100+ Words!)
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Follow me
Luis F. Dominguez
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.
Follow me
Latest posts by Luis F. Dominguez (see all)
  • What’s the Spanish Lisp? All About the Ceceo - December 31, 2022
  • Top 10 Inspiring Art Books for Kids Who Homeschool - December 22, 2022
  • Ultimate Guide to 80+ Dance Vocabulary Words in Spanish - December 17, 2022
spanish vocabulary
3

Related Posts

mission trip Spanish

45+ Mission Trip Spanish Phrases You Need To Know

December 23, 2021
Read More
Spanish quotes

44 Essential Spanish Quotes and Proverbs to Fuel Your Motivation

October 21, 2021
Read More
Spanish body parts

Spanish Body Parts: Vocabulary, Idioms, and Culture

January 4, 2022
Read More
Spanish greetings

Spanish 101: Greetings and Farewells

May 2, 2022
Read More

Leave a Comment! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Intermediate Spanish Reading PracticePrevious Post
Technology in Spanish: Tech Savvy VocabularyNext Post

About Us

With over 10 years of experience, HSA is where your goals merge with our teachers’ passion: to improve your Spanish fluency. Custom-tailored to fit your needs, you choose your program, schedule, favorite teachers, pace of learning, and more.. Learn More

Resources

  • About
  • Get a Transcript
  • FAQs
  • How it Works
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • How To Teach Sight Words in Spanish to Kids
    How To Teach Sight Words in Spanish to Kids
    January 13, 2023
    Did you know that by learning sight words in...
  • What’s the Best Age for Kids To Learn Spanish?
    What’s the Best Age for Kids To Learn Spanish?
    January 13, 2023
    A common question parents of second language...

Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Contact Us© 2022 HSA. All rights reserved.