How should teachers address inconsistent decoding of irregular sight words?

• A. Ignore them until fluent reading.
• B. Provide explicit sight word instruction and practice with patterns and high-frequency words that do not follow regular phonics rules.
• C. Guess based on context.
• D. Only teach decodable words.

Answer: (B)

Irregular sight words don’t follow regular letter-to-sound rules, so students need direct, targeted instruction. Explicitly teach how each of these words is pronounced and then give focused practice with both the words themselves and the patterns that show up in many high-frequency irregulars. Use a mix of methods: model the word, break it into parts when helpful, have students read and spell it, and provide lots of repeated exposure in decodable and real-Text reading. This helps students recognize the word on sight or read it quickly by applying familiar patterns, which reduces frustration and supports fluency and comprehension.

Relying on waiting until fluency or guessing from context isn’t reliable for these words, and teaching only decodable words misses a large, common set that students will encounter.