All CVC words

How to read "lip"

/l/ · /i/ · /p/ — short i /i/

"lip" has three sounds and no surprises. Stretch them together — /l//i//p/ — and speed up until the word appears. That single move is the whole skill of decoding.

l

/l/

i

/i/

p

/p/

Blend "lip" step by step

  1. Say /l/ and hold it.
  2. Slide straight into /i/ — no pause.
  3. Close with /p/.
  4. Repeat faster each time until it sounds like "lip".

Words that rhyme with "lip"

  • dip
  • hip
  • nip
  • rip
  • sip
  • tip
  • zip

All of these end in "-ip". Once your child reads one, the rest come almost free — only the first sound changes.

Common questions

How many sounds are in "lip"?

Three: /l/, /i/, /p/. That is why "lip" is called a CVC word — one consonant sound, one vowel sound, one consonant sound.

What vowel sound does "lip" have?

The short i /i/ sound, made by the letter i in the middle of the word.

What rhymes with "lip"?

dip, hip, nip, rip, sip, tip, zip — they all end in "-ip", so only the first sound changes.

Is "lip" a good first word to teach?

Yes, if your child already knows the sounds /l/, /i/, /p/. Teach the sounds first, then the blend — never the other way round.

Blend "lip" in the game

Blending Bay stretches each sound aloud and rewards a correct blend with a sticker.

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