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CVC Words Worksheets (Ages 4–6)
CVC words worksheets are phonics practice sheets for children aged 4 to 6 built around consonant-vowel-consonant words such as cat, pen, pig, dog and bug. They teach the five short vowel sounds, blending three sounds into a word, segmenting a word into sounds for spelling, word families like -at and -og, and reading and writing simple decodable words.
CVC words are the first words a child can read entirely by sounding out, which makes them the point where reading begins. At two and three, children play with rhymes and hear that "cat" and "hat" sound alike; at three and four they learn letter sounds; at four and five, in Pre-K, Reception and LKG, they blend those sounds into "c-a-t, cat". Kindergarten, Year 1 and UKG spend much of the year on all five short vowels and their word families, and by six and seven the same children segment a spoken word to spell it and move on to CCVC and CVCC words such as "stop" and "milk". These worksheets are organized by vowel and word family, with reading, writing and picture matching on each sheet so decoding is checked against meaning.
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Browse all worksheets for ages 4–6
CCVC Words Circle the Right Word and Missing Blend Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children circle the word for each picture (prep, twig, skip, snap, swim, prop), then write the missing blend to spell spot, spin, crab, drip, drag, flat, plan and step.
CCVC Words with fl, fr, dr, pl and tr Blends Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read twelve CCVC words (flip, flat, flag, frog, drum, drag, plan, plot, plus, trim, trap, drip) and match each one to its picture.
Middle Sound Short Vowels Circle and Write Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children circle the middle vowel in hat, bed, pin, log, cup and jug, then write the missing vowel in hen, web, man, sun, bat and box.
CVC Revision: First Sounds and 'og' Rhyming Words Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children write the first sound of fish, hat, bucket, hook, net and pod, then colour the bubbles that rhyme with dog: fog, log, jog and hog.
Digraph Words ch, sh and th Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children learn that a digraph is two letters making one sound (ch in chip, sh in ship, th in this) and match chop, chin, shop, shut, that and thin to their pictures.
Unscramble CVC Words and Missing First Letter Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children unscramble the letters to write cat, pan and map, then write the missing first letter of gate, cow, bus, ant, hat, bed, car and sun.
CVC Revision: Colour the Word and Build 'ap' Words Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children colour the word that names each picture (dog, jet, pan, pig) from three rhyming choices, then write the first letter to make map, lap, nap, gap, cap and tap.
Blends Odd One Out Worksheet: Check the Start and End
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read five blend words in each row and circle the one that doesn't match at the start or the end: crop, trim, frog, skid, pant, chop and stag.
Match the Blend and Write the Word Worksheet: sk, st, dr, gr, sc, sw
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children join each blend to the word ending that fits the picture and write the whole word: skid, stem, drop, grip, scab and swim.
CVC 'op' Word Family Read, Cut and Reveal Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read five 'op' words (shop, hop, mop, pop, top) by blending three sounds, check each one against a hidden picture (a shop, a hopping child, a mop, a popping balloon and a spinning top) and write it, so they see that changing the first sound makes a new word.
CVC 'ob' Word Family Read, Cut and Reveal Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read five 'ob' words (cob, job, mob, rob, sob) by blending three sounds, check each one against a hidden picture (a corn cob, a person at work, a crowd, a monkey taking fruit and a crying child) and write it, so they see that changing the first sound makes a new word.
CVC 'ub' Word Family Read, Cut and Reveal Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read five 'ub' words (cub, hub, rub, sub, tub) by blending three sounds, check each one against a hidden picture (a lion and cub, a wheel hub, hands rubbing, a sub roll and a bath tub) and write it, so they see that changing the first sound makes a new word.
CCVC Words Match the Same Starting Blend Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read twelve CCVC words with pictures and join the pairs that start with the same blend: skip and skin, blot and blob, snip and snap, brag and brim, pram and prop, twig and twin.
CCVC Words with cl and sl Blends Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read ten CCVC words with sound buttons (clap, clip, club, clan, clog, slab, slim, slug, slap, slip) and draw a line from each word to its picture.
CVC 'ed' Word Family Read, Cut and Reveal Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read five 'ed' words (bed, fed, zed, red, wed) by blending three sounds, check each one against a hidden picture (a bed, a child being fed, a letter z, a red dot and a wedding) and write it, so they see that changing the first sound makes a new word.
Ending Sounds Write and Circle the Last Sound Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children write the last letter of rat, tap, hat, bag, bat and pen, then circle the ending sound of hen, bag, pig, cap, yak and sun.
CVC 'og' Word Family Read, Cut and Reveal Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read five 'og' words (dog, fog, hog, jog, log) by blending three sounds, check each one against a hidden picture (a dog, fog, a hog, two joggers and a log) and write it, so they see that changing the first sound makes a new word.
Short Vowels Missing Vowel and Word Grid Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children write the missing short vowel in bug, cat, ten and kit, then find and colour the short a words from each word wheel in a letter grid (cat, map, sat, pat, tan, bad, man, mat, pad, tad, mad, nap).
Rhyming '-ock' Words and Say, Tap, Spell Blends Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children colour the bubbles that rhyme with clock (stock, block, flock, dock), then say, tap and spell to circle the correct spelling of think, stamp, brush, grass, clamp and crisp.
Write the CVC Word and Short Vowel a Fill-in Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children add the last letter to spell cat, sun, fox, web, gum and lip, then write the missing letters to spell short a words: bag, cap, tap, bat, man and cab.
Digraph and Blend Words Circle the Word and First Sound Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children circle the word for each picture (ship, shut, chop, chin, thin, chat), then circle the blend or digraph each picture starts with: st (stem), gr (grab), br (bread), sh (shop), cr (crib) and sl (slug).
Rhyming 'ad' Words and Say, Tap, Spell CVC Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children colour the bubbles that rhyme with sad (mad, bad, pad, lad, dad, had, fad), then say, tap and spell to circle the right word for each picture: hen, pig, rat, jug, pen and bat.
CVCC Ending Blends ft, st, nd and mp Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read eight CVCC words grouped by their ending blend (gift, lift, nest, vest, lend, hand, lamp, jump) and match each word to its picture.
G or J Sound Worksheet: Spell the /j/ Sound
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children learn that the /j/ sound is often spelt g before e, i or y and j before a, o or u, and write g or j in jam, gem, gym, ginger, jungle, gel, jacket, giraffe, jump, angel, cage and job.
What CVC words are and why they come first
CVC stands for consonant-vowel-consonant: a three-letter word with a short vowel in the middle, such as hat, bed, sit, hop and cup. Every letter makes one sound and the sounds are pronounced in order, so a child who knows about 15 letter sounds can read dozens of words. Words are grouped into families that share an ending (-at: cat, bat, mat, sat), which lets a child change only the first sound and read a new word each time.
- Short a: -at, -an, -ap, -ag (cat, man, cap, bag)
- Short e: -et, -en, -ed (net, hen, bed)
- Short i: -ig, -in, -it, -ip (pig, pin, sit, lip)
- Short o: -og, -ot, -op (dog, pot, hop)
- Short u: -ug, -un, -ut (bug, sun, cut)
Blending and segmenting
Blending is pushing sounds together to read: /m/ /a/ /p/ becomes "map". Segmenting is the reverse, breaking "map" into its three sounds to spell it. Children usually blend before they can segment, and both need to be oral before they are written. Sound boxes (three squares, one per sound) on many sheets make the process visible, and picture-to-word matching confirms the child has read the word rather than guessed from the first letter.
From CVC to CCVC and CVCC
Once CVC words are fluent, usually at five or six, the next step is adding a consonant blend: CCVC words such as frog, stop and clap, and CVCC words such as milk, hand and jump. The vowel stays short, so nothing new is learned about vowels; the challenge is holding four sounds in memory. Sheets at the end of this hub introduce these, along with digraphs (sh, ch, th) that are one sound spelled with two letters.
Frequently asked questions
What are CVC words?
CVC words are three-letter words made of a consonant, a short vowel and a consonant, such as cat, pen, big, hot and mud. Each letter represents one sound, so they can be read by saying each sound and blending. They are the first words taught in most phonics programs, in Kindergarten in the US, Reception in the UK and LKG or UKG in India, because they need no knowledge of long vowels, silent letters or digraphs.
What age do children learn CVC words?
Most children start blending CVC words between 4 and 5, once they know a set of letter sounds and can hear the separate sounds in spoken words. Reading them fluently, spelling them and covering all five short vowels usually takes the Kindergarten or Reception year, ages 5 to 6. Some children are ready at 4 and some not until 6; the readiness signs are reliable letter-sound knowledge and the ability to say the first sound of a spoken word.
What should a child be able to read by the end of kindergarten?
By the end of Kindergarten, Year 1 or UKG, a child is typically expected to read CVC words with all five short vowels, blend and segment them orally, spell simple ones, read a handful of CCVC and CVCC words and the first sight words, and read short decodable sentences such as "The cat sat on the mat". The US Common Core (RF.K.2 and RF.K.3) and Letters and Sounds Phases 2 to 4 describe this level.
What is a word family?
A word family is a group of words that share the same ending, called a rime, such as the -at family (cat, hat, bat, mat, rat, sat). Changing only the first sound produces a new word, so families let a child read many words after learning one pattern. Common short-vowel families taught at ages 4 to 6 include -at, -an, -ap, -en, -et, -ig, -in, -og, -op, -ug and -un.
What comes after CVC words?
After CVC words come consonant blends at the start (CCVC: frog, stop) and end (CVCC: milk, jump) of words, then consonant digraphs (sh, ch, th, ng) where two letters make one sound. After that, usually in 1st Grade or Year 1, children meet long vowels with silent e (cake, bike) and vowel digraphs (ai, ee, oa). Sight words with irregular spellings are taught alongside every stage.
Can I download these CVC worksheets free?
Yes. With a free account each CVC worksheet downloads as a watermarked PDF, five per day. The annual plan (₹1000 or $20) removes both the watermark and the daily limit for more than 1,000 worksheets and all the activity-book packs. Files are formatted for A4 and US Letter.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Written and reviewed by Hemsweta Jain (Teacher Cheena), who designs every RaisoActive worksheet.
Last reviewed
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Sight Words by Age: The First 50 Words and How to Teach Them Without Flashcard Fatigue
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How to Teach CVC Blending: A Step-by-Step Method That Works in Two Weeks
A step-by-step method for teaching CVC blending, covering continuous sounds, word families, common errors, and a 14-day plan that most children finish reading CVC words.
Phase 2 Phonics at Home: Sound Order, Blending Games, Worksheets
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What UKG classes typically cover in English, maths and EVS, month by month, aligned to NEP 2020, with ways to support at home and signs your child is behind.
Bridging Two Worlds: A Complete Guide to Teaching Heritage Languages Alongside English
A practical guide to raising bilingual children who speak both their heritage language and English with confidence. Research-backed strategies, activities, and tips for Indian families.