Top 31 Heart Words List: From Elizabethan to Modern Poetry

Learning to read and write can be fun, but some words don’t follow the rules.

As a parent or educator, you want to guide children through the twists and turns of the English language, especially when it comes to tricky heart words.

This comprehensive list of heart words, spanning Shakespeare to modern-day poetry, will be your trusty map on this journey.

You’ll discover engaging ways to teach and practice these irregular high-frequency words, helping young learners commit to memory and use them confidently.

Prepare to embark on a delightful expedition into the world of heart words. Together, we’ll unlock the joy of reading and writing for your little ones.

Heart Words: The Key to Fluent Reading

Heart words, also known as sight words or high-frequency words, are common words that young readers need to recognize instantly and effortlessly.

These words often don’t follow typical phonetic patterns, making them challenging to sound.

Some examples of heart words include “the,” “said,” “was,” and “of.”

Heart words are typically short and appear frequently in texts across various subjects.

They form the backbone of the English language and are essential for constructing meaningful sentences.

Unlike words that can be easily decoded using phonics rules, heart words often have irregular spellings or pronunciations, so they must be memorized and recognized by sight.

Educators often systematically introduce heart words, starting with the most common words and gradually introducing more complex ones as children progress in their reading skills.

Many schools use word lists such as the Dolch Sight Words or Fry Instant Words to guide their instruction of heart words.

Why Heart Words Are Important

Fluency: Heart words make up a large percentage of the words in most texts, so recognizing them quickly improves reading fluency. Children can read these words automatically and maintain a steady reading pace without constantly stopping to decode unfamiliar words.
Comprehension: When children can read heart words automatically, they can focus more on understanding the meaning of the text. This improved comprehension allows them to engage more deeply with the content and enjoy their reading experience.
Confidence: Mastering heart words builds confidence in young readers, encouraging them to tackle more complex texts. As children recognize more words by sight, they feel more capable and more likely to approach new reading materials enthusiastically.
Writing skills: Knowing heart words also helps children write, allowing them to express their ideas more easily. When children can spell these common words correctly without hesitation, they can focus on developing their thoughts and improving their writing quality.

Mastering heart words can help children become more proficient and confident readers, setting the stage for lifelong learning and literacy.

Teachers and parents can support this process by providing regular practice opportunities, using multisensory learning techniques, and incorporating heart words into daily reading and writing activities.

As children progress, they’ll find that their increased automaticity with heart words opens up a world of reading possibilities, allowing them to explore and enjoy a wider range of texts and subjects.

List Of Heart Words: Shakespearian Times To Modern

1. You

Meaning: Used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is addressing.
Pronunciation: “yoo”
Example: “As you like it.” – William Shakespeare

2. From

Meaning: Indicating the point in space at which a journey, motion, or action starts.
Pronunciation: “frum”
Example: “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.” – Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

3. Was

Meaning: Past tense of “be.”
Pronunciation: “wuz”
Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” – Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities”

4. To

Meaning: Expressing motion in the direction of (a particular location).
Pronunciation: “too”
Example: “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” – William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”

5. Do

Meaning: Perform (an action, the precise nature of which is often unspecified).
Pronunciation: “doo”
ExamNatureDo not go gentle into that good night.” – Dylan Thomas

6. Come

Meaning: Move or travel toward or into a place considered near or familiar to the speaker.
Pronunciation: “kum”
Example: “Come live with me and be my love.” – Christopher Marlowe, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”

7. Some

Meaning: An unspecified amount or number of.
Pronunciation: “suhm”
Example: “Let us roll all our strength and all our sweetness up into one ball.” – John Donne, “The Good-Morrow”

8. Of

Meaning: Expressing the relationship between a part and a whole.
Pronunciation: “uv”
Example: “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” – “Casablanca”

9. The

Meaning: Denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge.
Pronunciation: “thuh” (before a consonant sound), “thee” (before a vowel sound)
Example: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

10. They

Meaning refers to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.
Pronunciation: “thay”
Example: “They also serve who only stand and wait.” – John Milton, “On His Blindness”

11. Their

Meaning: Belonging to or associated with the people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.
Pronunciation: “thair”
Example: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau, “Walden”

12. What

Meaning: Asking for information specifying something.
Pronunciation: “wut”
Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy

13. Who

Meaning: Asking or talking about which person or people; used to question the identity or character of someone.
Pronunciation: “hoo”
Example: “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – Emily Brontë, “Wuthering Heights”

14. There

Meaning: In, at, or to that place or position.
Pronunciation: “thair”
Example: “There is a place where the sidewalk ends.” – Shel Silverstein, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”

15. These

Meaning: Plural form of ‘this’; used to identify a specific person or thing close at hand or being indicated or experienced.
Pronunciation: “theez”
Example: “Consider these things, thus tying knots.” – Imaginary use in

16. Those

Meaning: Plural form of ‘that’; used to identify specific people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.
Pronunciation: “thohz”
Example: “Those are pearls that were his eyes.” – William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”

17. All

Meaning refers to the whole quantity or extent of a particular group or thing.
Pronunciation: “awl”
Example: “All that glitters is not gold.” – William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”

18. Have

Meaning: Possess, own, or hold.
Pronunciation: “hav”
Example: “We have seen better days.” – William Shakespeare, “Timon of Athens”

19. Give

Meaning: Freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone).
Pronunciation: “giv”
Example: “Give me liberty or give me death!” – Patrick Henry

20. Were

Meaning: Past tense of ‘are’; used for plural subjects.
Pronunciation: “wur”
Example: “If we were villains, we had no need of thee.” – William Shakespeare, “Othello”

21. Are

Meaning: Present tense of ‘be’; used for plural subjects.
Pronunciation: “ar”
Example: “We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” – William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”

22. Here

Meaning: In or to what place or position.
Pronunciation: /wɛər/
Example: “Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?” – John Keats, “To Autumn”

23. Said

Meaning: Past tense of say; used to quote or refer to the words spoken by someone.
Pronunciation: /sɛd/
Example: “How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice. ‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.'” “‘Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

24. Can

Meaning: To be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to.
Pronunciation: /kæn/
Example: “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” “I can paddle my own canoe.” Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women”

25. But

Meaning: Used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned.
Pronunciation: /bʌt/
Example: “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.” – Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

26. This

Meaning: Referring to a specific thing close at hand or being indicated or experienced.
Pronunciation: /ðɪs/
Example: “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” – William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”

27. Will

Meaning: Expressing future tense; expressing strong intention or assertion about the future.
Pronunciation: /wɪl/
Example: “Will I ever be able to read without these horrors? No, I never will. I never will. I never can forget it.” – Charles Dickens, “Great Expectations”

28. About

Meaning: Concerning; relating to; on the subject of.
Pronunciation: /əˈbaʊt/
Example: “It’s about a little bird that will not sing the song his mother wants him to sing.” – Carson McCullers, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”

29. May

Meaning: Expressing possibility or permission.
Pronunciation: /meɪ/
Example: “Tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.” – The Beatles, “I’ll Follow the Sun” (Though lyrics, often cited in literary contexts)

30. Like

Meaning: Similar to; in the manner of.
Pronunciation: /laɪk/
Example: “My love is like a red, red rose That’s newly sprung in June; My love is like the melody That’s sweetly played in tune.” – Robert Burns

31. With

Meaning: Accompanied by possessing.
Pronunciation: /wɪð/
Example: “With rue my heart is laden For golden friends I had,” – A.E. Housman, “With rue my heart is laden”

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, exploring heart words is a fantastic way to enhance your child’s writing skills and foster a love for language from an early age.

By familiarizing your kindergartener with these irregularly spelled high-frequency words through engaging activities and stories, you can help them develop a strong foundation in reading and writing.

Encouraging your child to use heart words in their writing will boost their confidence and allow them to express themselves more creatively and effectively.

As a parent, you play a crucial role in nurturing your child’s literacy skills. Introducing them to the wonderful world of heart words will set them up for a lifetime of success in reading, writing, and self-expression.