Alkali-activated materials (ACMs) and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are two important alternative binders to reduce cement consumption. The dissolution reactivity of the precursors of ACMs and SCMs, such as fly ash, is an important property to further understand the performance of both materials. This review represented the existing knowledge of the aluminosilicate dissolution theory in geology, mineralogy and zeolite material. The reaction order and activation energy are two important parameters used to characterize the reactivity of a material. In addition, the influences of temperature, alkali concentration and milling on the dissolution kinetics of fly ash and metakaolin were also reviewed.