Learning Worksheets CVC Words
Free printable PDFs · ages 4–6
CVC Words Worksheets: Free Short Vowel Word Families
Five free CVC worksheets, one for each short vowel. Every PDF has a picture chart of word families like -at, -en and -og, plus a page of fill-in, trace and match practice.
Free PDFs · A4 or US Letter · No sign-up
Pick a vowel
All 5 short vowel CVC worksheets
How to Teach CVC Words in 5 Steps
- Check the sounds: make sure your child knows the sound of each letter in the word.
- Say each sound: point under each letter and say its sound, c-a-t.
- Blend: say the sounds again faster until the word pops out: cat!
- Change one letter: swap c for h to make hat, then b for bat. That is a word family.
- Read it in a sentence: the cat sat on a hat.
Short, daily practice works best: five minutes of blending beats one long session a week.
CVC word families list
Short a: -at (cat, hat, bat, rat); -an (fan, pan, van, can); -ap (cap, map, tap, nap); -am (ham, ram, yam, jam)
Short e: -en (hen, pen, ten, men); -et (net, jet, vet, wet); -ed (bed, red, fed, Ted)
Short i: -ig (pig, dig, big, jig); -in (pin, bin, fin, win); -ip (lip, zip, sip); -ix (six, mix, fix)
Short o: -og (dog, log, hog, jog); -ot (pot, hot, dot); -op (mop, hop, pop); -ox (box, fox, ox)
Short u: -un (sun, bun, run, fun); -ug (bug, mug, hug, jug); -ut (nut, hut, cut)
Print all five charts at once
Want every short vowel on the fridge? Download all five word family charts in one PDF.
5 pages · A4 · PDF, 401 KB
Some words, like the, said and you, cannot be sounded out. Practise those with our free sight word worksheets.
Not sure your child knows every letter sound yet? Start with our beginning sounds worksheets for a to z. When CVC words feel easy, the next steps are digraphs like sh, ch and th, and blends like fl, tr and st, all on the phonics worksheets page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are CVC words?
CVC words have three sounds in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, such as cat, pen, pig, dog and sun. They are usually the first words children learn to blend.
What age are CVC words for?
Most children start CVC words at 4 to 6, once they know the sounds of most letters. Some begin earlier, some later, and both are completely normal.
What is a word family?
A word family is a group of words that share the same ending, such as -at in cat, hat and bat. Changing only the first sound helps children read many words quickly.
Which vowel should we start with?
Most phonics programmes start with short a, then short i, o, e and u. Our pages go in a, e, i, o, u order, but you can use them in any order.
My child can say the sounds but cannot blend them. What helps?
Try stretching the sounds without stopping, like “mmmaaap”, rather than saying them separately. Start with words that begin with sounds you can hold, such as m, s and f.
Can you make a worksheet on another topic?
We would love to hear your idea. Email us at parentoven@gmail.com.
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