Free printable worksheets · United Kingdom
Year 1 CVC Words Worksheets (Ages 5–6)
Year 1 cvc words worksheets are practice sheets for children aged 5–6 in Year 1 in the UK. CVC words are three-letter consonant-vowel-consonant words, such as cat or sun, practiced as the first words decoded by blending sounds. The sheets on this page cover blending three sounds into a word, short vowel sounds, segmenting a word for spelling and reading simple sentences built from CVC words.
Year 1 opens the National Curriculum proper: daily phonics moves through Phases 3 to 5, written number sentences replace counted objects, and the phonics screening check in June asks each child to read forty words, some of them invented, to confirm they can decode reliably. Between five and six all five short vowels are covered, and reading turns into spelling. A child reads "hen", "pin", "hop" and "mug" by blending, then hears a word spoken and writes the three letters into sound boxes. Worksheets should mix word families, include a few nonsense words to catch guessing, and end with a sentence like "A dog sat in the mud". Consonant blends such as "st" and "fr" are the next step, not this one.
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Browse all worksheets for ages 5–6
CCVC Words with st, cr and sp Blends Read, Colour and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read stag, step, crab, crib, spin and spot, match each word to its outline picture and colour the pictures in.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
CVCC Words Read, Colour and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read tent, desk, milk, belt, lamp and hand with sound buttons, match each word to its outline picture and colour it.
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.
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 'ug' 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 'ug' words (bug, dug, hug, jug, mug) by blending three sounds, check each one against a hidden picture (a ladybird, a spade in soil, a family hug, a jug and a mug) 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.
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.
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.
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 'um' 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 'um' words (yum, gum, hum, mum, sum) by blending three sounds, check each one against a hidden picture (a yummy face, bubble gum, a child humming, a mum and a baby, and a sum) and write it, so they see that changing the first sound makes a new word.
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.
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.
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.
Short e Word Puzzle and First Letter Sounds Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children find leg, beg, met, pet and vet hidden in rows of letters, then write the first letter of candle, octopus, umbrella, hat, butterfly, tree, igloo, clock and apple.
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).
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.
Ending Sounds and First Letter Word Making Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children write the ending sound of cob, hug, mop, yum, jog and tub, then take the first letter of three pictures to make sub, mum, cot and bed.
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.
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.
What Year 1 cvc words worksheets cover
Between five and six all five short vowels are covered, and reading turns into spelling. A child reads "hen", "pin", "hop" and "mug" by blending, then hears a word spoken and writes the three letters into sound boxes. Worksheets should mix word families, include a few nonsense words to catch guessing, and end with a sentence like "A dog sat in the mud". Consonant blends such as "st" and "fr" are the next step, not this one.
- Read CVC words with all five short vowels, mixed on one page
- Write "bed" into three sound boxes after hearing it spoken
- Read nonsense words like "vop" to prove blending, not guessing
- Change one letter to turn "cat" into "cot" and "cut"
- Read and copy a short decodable sentence
How to use these worksheets at home or in class
A decodable passage or word list most days, plus a short number bonds sheet, keeps pace with a Year 1 classroom. Fifteen minutes is a reasonable ceiling, and reading the passage twice in one sitting builds the fluency the screening check rewards.
Start with the sheet that matches what your child can already do, then move one step up. Keep finished sheets in a folder: Year 1 teachers often ask for evidence of practice, and children like seeing their own progress.
Is your child ready for Year 1 cvc words work?
Entering this stage, a child should blend most Phase 3 sounds into words, write a few letters correctly formed, count reliably to twenty, and sit through a short table task without needing constant redirection.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my five-year-old read "cat" but not "cot"?
Because "cat" has become a remembered shape and "cot" has not. The child is recognizing whole words rather than reading the middle sound, which is common when early practice used only one family. Word-ladder sheets fix it: change one letter at a time, cat to cot to cut to cup, and make the child say the vowel sound each step. Nonsense words such as "dat" and "lut" show whether blending is really happening.
What should a Year 1 child be able to do in cvc words?
Between five and six all five short vowels are covered, and reading turns into spelling. A child reads "hen", "pin", "hop" and "mug" by blending, then hears a word spoken and writes the three letters into sound boxes. Worksheets should mix word families, include a few nonsense words to catch guessing, and end with a sentence like "A dog sat in the mud". Consonant blends such as "st" and "fr" are the next step, not this one. Entering this stage, a child should blend most Phase 3 sounds into words, write a few letters correctly formed, count reliably to twenty, and sit through a short table task without needing constant redirection.
Do these worksheets follow the Year 1 curriculum?
The sheets cover blending three sounds into a word, short vowel sounds, segmenting a word for spelling and reading simple sentences built from CVC words, which sit inside the National Curriculum KS1 (Year 1); Letters and Sounds Phase 3–5 outcomes for Year 1. Kindergarten / 1st Grade (US), UKG (India) use the same skills at this age, so the sheets also fit families following those programmes.
Are these Year 1 cvc words worksheets free?
Yes. Each worksheet downloads free as a watermarked PDF once you create an account, with a limit of five a day. An annual membership ($20) removes the watermark and the limit for the whole library of over 1,000 worksheets and every printable pack.
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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