CVC words
215 decodable three-sound words
CVC words are where reading actually starts. Three sounds, no tricks, no exceptions — blend them and your child has read a real word. Here is every CVC word, grouped by its short vowel.
short a /a/ words
60 words
short e /e/ words
32 words
short i /i/ words
48 words
short o /o/ words
38 words
short u /u/ words
37 words
Common questions
What are CVC words?
CVC stands for consonant–vowel–consonant. Words like cat, pig, hot and sun follow that pattern. Each letter makes exactly one sound, so they are the first real words most children can read entirely by decoding.
What order should CVC words be taught in?
Start with short a (cat, mat, sat), then short i, then o, then u, and finish with short e — short e is the hardest for young ears to hear, so it goes last.
When should a child read CVC words?
Usually mid-kindergarten, once they know roughly eight to ten letter sounds. You don't need all 26 letters first — s, a, t, p, i and n alone unlock dozens of CVC words.
How do you teach a child to blend CVC words?
Stretch, don't chop. Say 'ssss-aaaa-t' as one continuous stream rather than 's / a / t' with pauses, then speed it up until it snaps into 'sat'.
Play the CVC blending game
Blending Bay stretches each sound aloud, then speeds it up until the word snaps together.
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