CVC words are simple words made up of a consonant, vowel and consonant. They are some of the first words children learn to read and spell when they begin phonics.
Examples include:
cat, dog, sun, map, pen and sit.
CVC words are particularly useful for helping children practise blending, segmenting and applying their phonics knowledge.
On this page, you’ll find everything you need to know about CVC words, including CVC word examples, CVC word lists, how to teach CVC words and fun ways to practise them at home.
What Are CVC Words?
CVC stands for:
Consonant – Vowel – Consonant
A CVC word contains three letters in this pattern.
For example:
c – a – t
- c = consonant
- a = vowel
- t = consonant
Together, they make:
cat
Other examples include:
- dog
- sun
- map
- pig
- bed
- cup
CVC words are usually made up of three phonemes, although the number of letters and sounds can differ in other word types.
CVC Word Examples
| CVC Word | Sounds |
|---|---|
| cat | /c/ /a/ /t/ |
| dog | /d/ /o/ /g/ |
| sun | /s/ /u/ /n/ |
| map | /m/ /a/ /p/ |
| pen | /p/ /e/ /n/ |
| sit | /s/ /i/ /t/ |
| hop | /h/ /o/ /p/ |
| cup | /c/ /u/ /p/ |
| red | /r/ /e/ /d/ |
| lip | /l/ /i/ /p/ |
CVC Words and Phonics
CVC words are an important part of early phonics because they allow children to apply the grapheme-phoneme correspondences they have learned.
For example, once a child knows:
s → /s/
a → /a/
t → /t/
they can blend these sounds together:
/s/ /a/ /t/
→ sat
This gives children an opportunity to use phonics to read a real word rather than simply memorising it.
How to Read CVC Words
Children can use blending to read CVC words.
Step 1: Look at the Letters
For example:
m a p
Step 2: Say the Sounds
/m/ /a/ /p/
Step 3: Blend the Sounds
/m/ /a/ /p/
→ map
Encourage children to blend the sounds together rather than guessing the word from the picture or first letter.
How to Spell CVC Words
Children use segmenting when spelling CVC words.
For example, to spell cat:
Step 1
Say the word:
cat
Step 2
Segment the word:
/c/ /a/ /t/
Step 3
Choose the graphemes:
c – a – t
Step 4
Write the word:
cat
CVC Words and Phonemes
Most simple CVC words contain three phonemes.
For example:
cat
→ /c/ /a/ /t/
dog
→ /d/ /o/ /g/
sun
→ /s/ /u/ /n/
It is important to remember that CVC describes the letter pattern, while phonemes describe the sounds.
CVC Words by Vowel
Practising CVC words by vowel can help children become familiar with different short vowel sounds.
Short a CVC Words
- cat
- bat
- hat
- mat
- sat
- tap
- map
- bag
- jam
- van
- pan
- cap
Short e CVC Words
- bed
- red
- hen
- pen
- ten
- leg
- pet
- net
- web
- jet
- men
- den
Short i CVC Words
- sit
- pin
- pig
- lip
- bit
- fin
- dig
- win
- big
- fit
- kit
- bin
Short o CVC Words
- dog
- log
- fog
- hop
- hot
- pot
- top
- mop
- fox
- box
- rod
- cot
Short u CVC Words
- sun
- run
- fun
- cup
- pup
- bus
- mud
- rug
- hut
- cut
- bun
- nut
CVC Word Families
CVC words can also be grouped into word families.
Word families contain words with the same ending pattern.
For example:
-at
- cat
- bat
- hat
- mat
- pat
- rat
- sat
-an
- can
- fan
- man
- pan
- ran
- van
-et
- get
- jet
- let
- met
- net
- pet
- wet
-in
- bin
- fin
- pin
- sin
- tin
- win
-op
- cop
- hop
- mop
- pop
- top
-ug
- bug
- dug
- hug
- jug
- mug
- rug
Word families can help children notice patterns and apply their phonics knowledge to new words.
How to Teach CVC Words
CVC words should be taught alongside the grapheme-phoneme correspondences children already know.
Step 1: Review the Sounds
Practise the individual graphemes.
For example:
m → /m/
a → /a/
t → /t/
Step 2: Blend
Put the sounds together:
/m/ /a/ /t/
→ mat
Step 3: Read More Words
Practise other words using the same sounds.
- sat
- mat
- pat
- tap
Step 4: Segment
Say a word and ask children to identify the sounds.
mat
→ /m/ /a/ /t/
Step 5: Spell
Ask children to choose the graphemes and write the word.
m – a – t
→ mat
CVC Word Activities
There are lots of simple ways to practise CVC words at home or in the classroom.
1. CVC Word Building
Use magnetic letters or letter cards to build words.
For example:
c – a – t
→ cat
Then change one letter:
cat → cap
cap → map
This helps children understand how changing one phoneme changes the word.
2. CVC Word Reading
Write a selection of CVC words on cards.
Ask children to:
- Look at the graphemes.
- Say the phonemes.
- Blend the sounds.
- Read the word.
3. CVC Word Sorting
Sort words according to their vowel.
a: cat, map, hat
e: bed, pen, red
i: sit, pig, lip
o: dog, hop, pot
u: sun, cup, rug
4. CVC Word Hunt
Look for CVC words in books or around the classroom.
Ask:
Can you find a CVC word?
Then ask the child to sound it out and read it.
5. CVC Matching
Match CVC words to pictures.
For example:
c-a-t
→ picture of a cat
Encourage children to read the word rather than relying on the picture.
6. CVC Word Dictation
Say a CVC word and ask children to segment it before writing.
For example:
Spell sun.
/s/ /u/ /n/
→ sun
7. Change One Sound
Start with a word and change one phoneme.
For example:
cat
→ change /c/ to /h/
hat
→ change /h/ to /m/
mat
→ change /m/ to /s/
sat
This is a great way to develop both blending and segmenting skills.
CVC Words and Pictures
Pictures can be useful when introducing vocabulary, but children should be encouraged to decode the word rather than guess it from the picture.
For example, show:
cat
and a picture of a cat.
Encourage the child to read:
/c/ /a/ /t/
→ cat
Then use the picture as a way to check meaning.
CVC Words and Decodable Books
CVC words are commonly found in early decodable books.
These books allow children to practise reading words using the grapheme-phoneme correspondences they have already been taught.
If your child is learning a particular set of phonics sounds, choose books that match the sounds they know.
Are All Three-Letter Words CVC Words?
No.
A CVC word has a specific consonant-vowel-consonant pattern.
For example:
cat
C – V – C
is a CVC word.
However:
the
does not follow the CVC pattern.
Neither does:
tree
or:
ship
Although ship has four letters, it contains three phonemes and follows a different grapheme pattern because sh is a digraph.
CVC Words vs CCVC and CVCC Words
As children become more confident, they move beyond simple CVC words.
CVC
cat
C – V – C
CCVC
frog
C – C – V – C
CVCC
fish
C – V – C – C
However, fish contains the digraph sh, so it has three phonemes:
/f/ /i/ /sh/
Children can begin applying their phonics knowledge to these more complex word structures as they progress.
[Learn more about Phase 4 Phonics →]
When Are CVC Words Taught?
CVC words are commonly introduced during Phase 2, once children have learned enough grapheme-phoneme correspondences to blend and segment simple words.
For example, children who know:
s, a, t, p, i, n
can begin reading words such as:
- sat
- sit
- pin
- tap
- pat
- nip
The exact words children can read will depend on the graphemes they have already been taught.
Free CVC Word Resources
Ready to practise CVC words?
Explore our free printable CVC resources designed to support early reading, blending, segmenting and spelling.
CVC Flashcards
Practise reading simple CVC words with printable flashcards.
CVC Worksheets
Reinforce CVC word reading, blending and segmenting.
[Explore CVC Worksheets →]
CVC Word Lists
Use printable word lists to practise reading and spelling CVC words.
[Explore CVC Word Lists →]
CVC Words FAQs
What are CVC words?
CVC words are words containing a consonant-vowel-consonant letter pattern, such as cat, dog, sun and map.
What does CVC stand for?
CVC stands for Consonant-Vowel-Consonant.
What are some examples of CVC words?
Examples include cat, dog, sun, map, pen, sit, hop and cup.
How many sounds are in a CVC word?
Most simple CVC words contain three phonemes.
For example:
cat → /c/ /a/ /t/
Are CVC words taught in Phase 2?
Yes. CVC words are commonly introduced during Phase 2 once children have learned enough grapheme-phoneme correspondences to blend and segment simple words.
How do you teach CVC words?
Teach children the grapheme-phoneme correspondences they need, then practise blending the sounds to read CVC words and segmenting the words to spell them.
What is the difference between CVC and CCVC words?
CVC words contain three letters in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, such as cat. CCVC words contain two consonants at the beginning, such as frog.
What is the difference between CVC and CVCC words?
CVC words end with one consonant, such as cat. CVCC words contain two consonants at the end, such as hand.
Can CVC words contain digraphs?
A traditional CVC pattern refers to the letters, so words containing digraphs are generally described using other patterns. For example, ship is not a CVC word because it has four letters, even though it has three phonemes.
How can I practise CVC words at home?
Try word building, CVC word sorting, word hunts, matching activities, reading CVC words and simple spelling dictation.
Continue Learning Phonics
CVC words are an important step in children’s early reading and spelling development.
Or continue exploring our phonics guides: