High-Frequency Words Resources – Worksheets, Games & Phonics Activities

Help children build fluency and confidence with our high-frequency words resources for Phases 2-5. High-frequency words are some of the most commonly used words in English, appearing frequently in reading books, phonics lessons, and writing activities. Mastering these words helps children develop reading fluency, speed, and accuracy.

Our collection of high-frequency words worksheets, games, and activities is designed to support teachers in delivering structured and engaging phonics lessons.

What Are High-Frequency Words?

High-frequency words are words that appear regularly in texts and everyday language. These words include both decodable words and tricky words that do not always follow standard phonics rules. The top 100 high-frequency words are introduced systematically from Phase 2 to Phase 5 as part of phonics instruction.

Phases 2-5 High-Frequency Words Progression

• Phase 2: Simple CVC words and common words such as “it,” “is,” “an,” “the,” and “to.”
• Phase 3: Early decodable words and some tricky words like “he,” “she,” “we,” “be,” “was,” and “you.”
• Phase 4: More complex words, including blends and longer tricky words like “some,” “come,” “were,” and “little.”
• Phase 5: Words with alternative spellings, including “people,” “their,” “asked,” and “looked.”

High-Frequency Words Worksheets & Printable Activities

Our range of high-frequency words worksheets provides engaging ways for children to practice reading and writing key words. These resources help reinforce recognition, spelling, and sentence-building skills.

• Tracing and writing worksheets: Help children recognise and form high-frequency words correctly.
• Sentence-building tasks: Encourage children to use high-frequency words in context.
• Cut-and-stick activities: Support word recognition through interactive learning.
• High-frequency word mats: A visual reference for children to use during reading and writing tasks.

High-Frequency Words Games for Phonics Lessons

Phonics games are a great way to make learning high-frequency words fun and interactive. Our high-frequency words games encourage children to practice word recognition in a playful and engaging way.

• Flashcard snap: A fast-paced game where children match and read high-frequency words.
• Bingo: A fun way to reinforce word recognition in small groups.
• Matching pairs: Children find and match words to their corresponding pictures.
• Roll and read: A dice-based game that encourages fluency in reading high-frequency words.

Supporting Reading Fluency with High-Frequency Words

High-frequency words play a crucial role in developing reading fluency. Many of these words appear in early reading books, meaning children need to learn them by sight to read smoothly. Using high-frequency word flashcards and decodable word lists can support children in recognising these words quickly.

Our phonics resources align with structured phonics programmes and help embed high-frequency words into daily lessons.

Why Use Our High-Frequency Words Resources?

• Designed to align with DfE-approved phonics schemes.
• Supports reading fluency and sight word recognition.
• Includes high-frequency words worksheets, games, and activities for Phases 2-5.
• Perfect for phonics intervention and extra practice.

Explore our full collection of high-frequency words resources and help your pupils develop essential reading skills with confidence.