CVC Words Worksheets
One sheet per short vowel, plus missing-sound and read-and-write practice. Each page gives the child a handful of CVC words that share the same vowel, so only the outside letters change and blending stays easy. Download any sheet as a free PDF, no signup.
Ages 4-7
Updated July 2026
Missing middle sound
Ten CVC words with the middle vowel blanked out, one box to fill per word.
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Missing first sound
The same blending skill from the other end: only the beginning sound is missing.
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Read and write
Eight model words with two ruled boxes each: read it first, then write it from memory.
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Circle the vowel
Eighteen words in a grid: find and circle the vowel hiding inside each one.
Download PDFWhat are CVC words?
A CVC word is a three-letter word built as consonant, vowel, consonant: cat, pen, pig, dog, sun. They matter because they are the first words a child can sound out from left to right without any exception to trip over. Every letter says its most common sound, so blending c-a-t into cat is a win the child earns on their own.
Work through one vowel at a time rather than mixing all five. A child who has just learned that a says its short sound in cat will read hat, bat, man and bag almost immediately, because only the first letter changes. That early run of easy successes is what builds reading confidence, and it is why these sheets are grouped by vowel.
How do you teach a child to blend?
Say each sound slowly and separately, then say them again faster until they run together. Point to each letter as you say its sound, then sweep your finger under the whole word as you blend it. If a child stalls, it is almost always the vowel in the middle: go back to that sound on its own before trying the word again.
Print at 100% (choose "actual size" in the print dialog) on US Letter or A4 paper. Once these are comfortable, move on to syllable worksheets for longer words.
