Do you ever find yourself stuck when you’re trying to think of short vowel words for your beginning reader? I’m sharing a free printable CVC word list!
(This post contains affiliate links.)
Lately my Four’s reading ability has taken a big leap. No more slooow sounding out of CVC words… he’s got them down! At bedtime when we’re waiting for my husband to finish our youngest son’s Bible story, he likes to bring me his magnetic drawing board and have me write words for him to read.
- hen
- cat
- pit
My brain starts to freeze after just a few words. There are a gazillion CVC words; why can’t I think of them?
That’s where this freebie comes in. Print the list and keep it on hand when you’re designing activities for your early reader.
Or just browse this blog post for what you need!
Oh, and by the way. CVC stands for consonant-vowel-consonant. HAT would be a CVC word. But I’m also including short vowel words with beginning blends and digraphs (FLAT or CHIP) as well as short vowel words with double consonants at the end (HILL) or the -ck ending (PACK).
CVC Words (and more) for Short a
ab: cab, dab, gab, jab, lab, nab, tab, blab, crab, grab, scab, stab, slab
at: bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, vat, brat, chat, flat, gnat, spat
ad: bad, dad, had, lad, mad, pad, sad, tad, glad
an: ban, can, fan, man, pan, ran, tan, van, clan, plan, scan, than
ag: bag, gag, hag, lag, nag, rag, sag, tag, wag, brag, drag, flag, snag, stag
ap: cap, gap, lap, map, nap, rap, sap, tap, yap, zap, chap, clap, flap, slap, snap, trap
am: bam, dam, ham, jam, ram, yam, clam, cram, scam, slam, spam, swam, tram, wham
ack: back, hack, jack, lack, pack, rack, sack, tack, black, crack, shack, snack, stack, quack, track
ash: bash, cash, dash, gash, hash, lash, mash, rash, sash, clash, crash, flash, slash, smash
Other: gal, pal, gas, yak, wax, tax, bath, math
CVC Words (and more) for Short e
ed: bed, fed, led, red, wed, bled, bred, fled, pled, sled, shed
eg: beg, keg, leg, peg
et: bet, get, jet, let, met, net, pet, set, vet, wet, yet, fret
en: den, hen, men, pen, ten, then, when
eck: beck, deck, neck, peck, check, fleck, speck, wreck
ell: bell, cell, dell, jell, sell, tell, well, yell, dwell, shell, smell, spell, swell
Other: yes, web, gem, hem, pep, step
CVC Words (and more) for Short i
it: bit, fit, hit, kit, lit, pit, sit, wit, knit, quit, slit, spit
id: bid, did, hid, kid, lid, rid, skid, slid
ig: big, dig, fig, gig, jig, pig, rig, wig, zig, twig
im: dim, him, rim, brim, grim, skim, slim, swim, trim, whim
ip: dip, hip, lip, nip, rip, sip, tip, zip, chip, clip, drip, flip, grip, ship, skip, slip, snip, trip, whip
ick: kick, lick, nick, pick, sick, tick, wick, brick, chick, click, flick, quick, slick, stick, thick, trick
ish: fish, dish, wish, swish
in: bin, din, fin, pin, sin, tin, win, chin, grin, shin, skin, spin, thin, twin
Other: him, this, mix, six, fix, crib
CVC Words (and more) for Short o
ot: cot, dot, got, hot, jot, lot, not, pot, rot, tot, blot, knot, plot, shot, slot, spot
ob: cob, gob, job, lob, mob, rob, sob, blob, glob, knob, slob, snob
og: bog, cog, dog, fog, hog, jog, log, blog, clog, frog
op: cop, hop, mop, pop, top, chop, crop, drop, flop, glop, plop, shop, slop, stop
ock: dock, lock, rock, sock, tock, block, clock, flock, rock, shock smock, stock
Other: box, fox, pox, rod, sod, mom
CVC Words (and more) for Short u
ut: but, cut, gut, hut, jut, nut, rut, shut
ub: cub, hub, nub, rub, sub, tub, grub, snub, stub
ug: bug, dug, hug, jug, lug, mug, pug, rug, tug, drug, plug, slug, snug
um: bum, gum, hum, mum, sum, chum, drum, glum, plum, scum, slum
un: bun, fun, gun, nun, pun, run, sun, spun, stun
ud: bud, cud, dud, mud, spud, stud, thud
uck: buck, duck, luck, muck, puck, suck, tuck, yuck, chuck, cluck, pluck, stuck, truck
ush: gush, hush, lush, mush, rush, blush, brush, crush, flush, slush
Other: pup, cup, bus
You’ll love these freebies, too!
© 2015 – 2018, Anna G. All rights reserved.
Wafa says
I will soon be starting Kinder. This will be such a great help for me. Seems like God just whispers in your ears and you put it up for me.. Much thx
Anna Geiger says
I’m so glad you’re finding the things you need here! I’m also thankful for the time and energy God gives me to create things for this site. It’s joy for me!
Waiswa Simon says
I’m blessed too
Tessa says
This is awesome and you are a saint for making this! You just made my life so much easier!! I need these for all my vowel combinations!
Anna Geiger says
You’re welcome, Tessa – this list will save me a lot of time too!
Shelly says
This will be so useful.
Caroline says
Thank you, I have been looking for a list done by vowel in this manner!!
Anna Geiger says
I’m glad you can use it, Caroline!
Amy says
A god send for homeschooling and conventional educating parents desiring to prepare their children for their next educational challenge in life. Thank you!
P.S. The link for the .pdf list appears to not be functioning, at least via Chrome browser anyway.
Anna Geiger says
You’re welcome, Amy! The link is working. You just may have to change the way you access it. Did you try everything listed here? https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-download-free-files/
shell says
It’s great help and omre easier …handy also…
Gina says
Thanks so much for all that you publish on this site. I ‘m currently doing Reading Mama’s Reading the Alphabet as well and your little readers have been so amazing. My daughter loves them and is so proud when she reads them.
I wanted to ask if there was an order to teaching cvc site words and if so do you happen to have that list?
Thanks in advance,
Gina
Anna Geiger says
Hi Gina! First let me distinguish between CVC and sight words. “Sight words” usually refers to words that we see a lot when reading and may or may not be easy to read phonetically. For example, the words the, my, at, and, what, etc. are all sight words.
In contrast, CVC words are easy to sound out and may or may not be words we read often. You might call them phonetic words.
I wouldn’t say there’s a specific order you need to follow, but for most kids this is an order that is from easy to hard:
short a words, short o words, short i words, short e words, short u words
The particular word families you choose to do within each short vowel really doesn’t matter. I hope that helps!
mary jade fuentes says
hi this is JADE this site is a big help in y teaching career it’s a big help for the kids…more power to all writers on this site..God bless u all!
Anna Geiger says
Thank you, Jade!
Jodi Stewart says
Hi Anna! Thanks so much for this list.
Anna Geiger says
You’re very welcome, Jodi!
Puneet says
How can get more advanced cvc words
Anna Geiger says
There aren’t more advanced CVC words. CVC words are just 3 letters with a short vowel in the middle.
Kan says
probably means CVCC or CCVC or CCVCC
tiffany pearson says
Hi Anna I homeschooling my son thats in kindergarten, I’m looking for a list of all the phonic wordhe need to know before going into first grade.
Anna Geiger says
Hi Tiffany! I think the best thing is to start simple and keep taking him as far as he’s ready to go. Different kids are ready for different words in first grade. If he’s reading to read CVC words, start with these, and eventually add words with blends and digraphs (chip, snap, etc.) and then start with simple long vowel words, like silent e words (sake, bike, etc.). Does that help?
Hope says
Great Resources.
Anna Geiger says
Thanks, Hope!
Cheryl says
You are Amazing! Thank you for your kindness and caring for all children. I appreciate the freebies. Can’t wait to use the CVC word Family sheet.
Anna Geiger says
You’re very welcome, Cheryl! I hope you like it!
Kan says
Love the list, thank you.
When will version2 come out?
After knowing the children can read the words, I hope they will understand what the words mean. If a picture is made available next to the word, the children will be able to better understand what they are reading. Almost like their “first readable dictionary”.
Anna Geiger says
I don’t have plans to make a version 2.
Jess says
This is so great thank you!!!
Anna G says
You’re very welcome, Jess!
Khaing nyein says
Thanks you so much ❤
Anna G says
You’re very welcome!
Art says
Thanks a lot for the kids!
Anna G says
You’re welcome!
Elena says
Thank you for sharing this VERY useful resource!
Anna G says
You’re very welcome, Elena! I’m so glad you can use this!
moonika ratanparaj says
Thank you I was looking these kinds of word list for my Kindergarten and std 1-2 students
Thank you
Anna G says
You’re welcome, Moonika!
Leticia M says
Thank you,
I will use this wonderful resource for my classroom.
Sincerely,
Leticia
Anna G says
You’re very welcome, Leticia!
jaooann says
Helpful
Stephanie says
Thanks for these lists. I am eager to use many of these lists, but want to point out that -am and -an do not make the short a sound. They are welded sounds, and presenting them as short a words can definitely cause phonemic confusion and is inaccurate when decoding text.