Dyslexia Steps developer docs
Two free, open-source building blocks from Dyslexia Steps: the word lists as data (CSV, JSON and an npm package) and an MCP server that lets AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor look the lists up. 38 English lists with 1,079 different words are placed from Pre-K to Grade 3, each with the source of its placement.
Start here
| I want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Let an AI assistant look up word lists for a class | MCP server |
| Download the lists as CSV or JSON, or use them in code | Word lists dataset |
| Put a free reading game on my website | Embed the games |
| Try it in two minutes | Quickstart |
| See the lists as pages you can print | Word lists by grade |
What is published
| Package | Version | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
dyslexiasteps-mcp | 0.1.0 | Read-only MCP server: six tools, stdio and hosted HTTP | GitHub |
dyslexiasteps-data | 0.1.0 | The word lists as JSON and CSV with small helpers | GitHub |
dyslexiasteps-embed | 0.1.0 | The free reading games as a web component and React wrapper | GitHub |
What the lists are, and are not
The English lists are phonics and sight word lists (CVC words, word families, digraphs, vowel teams, Dolch sight words and more). Each is placed at the grade where a Common Core Foundational Skills item or Dolch's classic list first expects it, and says which. Another 216 lists in 5 languages (German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese) follow each language's own reading curriculum and have no grade.
A grade is a typical guide, not a rule: programs and standards differ, and a placement is not an assessment of any child. The free screening test on dyslexiasteps.com is a screening, not a diagnosis; only a specialist can diagnose dyslexia.
Licenses
- Code (MCP server, dataset package, these docs): MIT.
- Word lists (the compilation: selection, grouping, grade placement): CC BY 4.0. Credit Dyslexia Steps and link word lists by grade. The Dolch words are public domain.