In this classic tale, a young girl named Rapunzel is locked in a tall tower by a wicked witch. She has long, magical hair, and the only way to enter the tower is by climbing her hair! One day, a prince hears her singing and discovers the secret. Will they find a happy ending?
Our A1 beginner version uses simple English and short sentences, perfect for new learners. As you read, click on any word you don't know to see an instant meaning. You can also listen to the full story audio to improve your pronunciation and listening skills. This graded reader is free and comes with helpful lesson notes to guide your learning.
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this magical story. Learning English has never been so enchanting!
a girl named Rapunzel lived in a tall .
A kept her there.
Rapunzel had very long, hair.
Every day, the witch said, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, !"
Rapunzel let her hair down from the .
The witch climbed up the hair.
One day, a saw the tower.
He heard Rapunzel singing a song.
The prince waited and watched the witch.
Then he said, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, !"
Rapunzel let down her hair again.
The prince climbed up.
He said, "I want to help you."
They made a plan to .
But the witch . She was very angry.
The witch cut Rapunzel's hair and .
That night, the prince climbed up, but the witch was there.
She pushed him. He fell and hurt his eyes.
The prince could not see. He walked and walked.
One day, he heard singing. It was Rapunzel!
Rapunzel saw him and cried. Her fell on his eyes.
He could see again!
They were very happy. They went to a new home.
A long time ago, a girl called Rapunzel lived in a high tower.
A witch kept her there.
Rapunzel had very long, golden hair.
Every day, the witch called, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
Rapunzel would let her hair hang down from the window.
The witch climbed up her hair.
One day, a prince saw the tower.
He heard Rapunzel singing a nice song.
The prince waited and watched the witch.
Then he called out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
Rapunzel let her hair down again.
The prince climbed up.
He said, "I want to help you."
They made a plan to get away.
But the witch found out. She was very angry.
The witch cut Rapunzel's hair and sent her far away.
That night, the prince climbed up, but the witch was waiting.
She pushed him. He fell down and hurt his eyes.
The prince was blind now. He walked for a long time.
One day, he heard someone singing. It was Rapunzel!
Rapunzel saw him and cried. Her tears fell onto his eyes.
He could see again!
They were very happy. They went to live in a new home.
Fairy tales have special words. Here are some words from Rapunzel's adventure. They are easy to remember and use!
Can you find these words in the story? Try to make your own sentences with them.
- tower - a tall, strong building like a castle
- witch - an old woman with magic powers
- prince - a king's son; often helps the princess
- hair - the long things on your head (Rapunzel's was very long!)
- climb - to go up something (the witch and prince climbed the hair)
- escape - to run away from a bad place
We use the past simple to talk about things that happened and finished. In fairy tales, almost everything is in the past!
Look at these sentences from the story. Notice the verbs:
- The witch climbed up the hair. (climb → climbed - regular verb: add -ed)
- Rapunzel let down her hair. (let → let - some verbs are irregular and don't change)
- The prince fell and hurt his eyes. (fall → fell, hurt → hurt - irregular verbs)
You know many words and how to use the past. It's your turn to enjoy English stories!
Here are some fun ideas to practice more.
- Tell a friend the story of Rapunzel in your own simple words.
- Draw a tower and label everything you remember in English.
- Find another fairy tale online in English and spot the past verbs.
Rapunzel comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_fairy_tale_retelling. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on public-domain source material, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. This version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the More A1 Words. After that, try Useful English Phrases for another useful next step.
