CVC Words: Lists by Short Vowel, Practice and Printables

Why CVC words come first

Once a child knows most letter sounds, CVC words are the first real reading: three sounds, blended into a word. Every letter does its usual job, unlike sight words such as the or said.

That makes them great for confidence. A child who can read cat, hat and mat has discovered that reading follows rules.

How our list was put together

The list has 130 words: short a (26), short e (27), short i (28), short o (24) and short u (25).

We left out words ending in w, y or r, like saw, toy and car, because the vowel no longer makes its short sound. We also left out anything scary or rude, so you can hand the list to a five-year-old without checking each word.

Teaching blending in four steps

• Say each sound: /c/ /a/ /t/. Keep sounds short, so /b/ and not "buh".
• Stretch them together: "caaat". Sounds like /m/, /s/ and /f/ are easiest to stretch.
• Say it fast: "cat!"
• Change one letter: cat, hat, hot, hop. Word chains show that each letter matters.

How build the word works

Your child sees letter tiles, including 2 or 3 extra letters, and taps or types them into the slots. A small picture appears when the word has one. Wrong letters bounce back, so your child can simply try again.

Words are read aloud by your device's built-in voice, when it has one. If not, the word is shown and you can say it. When you are done, print word cards, 8 to a page, or run the list as flash cards.

Common stumbles

Short e and short i sound close, so pet and pit often get mixed up. Reversed b and d are normal at this age. Some children guess from the picture instead of reading. If that happens, cover the picture until the word is read.