120 cards

CVC Flashcards: Short Vowel Words to Sound Out and Print

Sound out the word, turn the card to see its three sounds, then print the set.

pan

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Next step Next: build words by family, c + at

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Short a 24

bag b-a-g. Pack the bag for the trip.
bat b-a-t. A bat flies at night.
cab c-a-b. We took a cab to the train.
can c-a-n. I can hop on one foot.
cap c-a-p. Put the cap back on the pen.
cat c-a-t. The cat naps in the sun.
dad d-a-d. Dad reads me a book.
fan f-a-n. The fan keeps the room cool.
ham h-a-m. We had ham and eggs.
hat h-a-t. My hat blew off in the wind.
jam j-a-m. I like jam on toast.
lap l-a-p. The kitten sat on my lap.
man m-a-n. The man waved at the bus.
map m-a-p. The map shows the way home.
mat m-a-t. Wipe your feet on the mat.
nap n-a-p. The baby takes a nap.
pan p-a-n. Fry the egg in a pan.
rag r-a-g. Wipe the desk with a rag.
ran r-a-n. We ran to the swings.
sat s-a-t. She sat by the window.
tag t-a-g. We play tag at recess.
tap t-a-p. Tap the drum two times.
van v-a-n. The van is full of boxes.
wag w-a-g. Dogs wag their tails.

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Short e 24

bed b-e-d. I make my bed each morning.
beg b-e-g. The puppy will beg for a treat.
bet b-e-t. I bet you can do it.
den d-e-n. The fox sleeps in its den.
fed f-e-d. We fed the hens.
get g-e-t. Go get your coat.
hen h-e-n. The hen sat on her eggs.
jet j-e-t. A jet flew over the school.
leg l-e-g. The table has a wobbly leg.
let l-e-t. Let me help you.
men m-e-n. Two men fixed the roof.
met m-e-t. I met a new friend today.
net n-e-t. The ball went in the net.
peg p-e-g. Hang your coat on the peg.
pen p-e-n. Write your name with a pen.
pet p-e-t. My pet is a goldfish.
red r-e-d. Stop when the light is red.
set s-e-t. Set the table for dinner.
ten t-e-n. I have ten fingers.
vet v-e-t. The vet takes care of pets.
web w-e-b. A spider spins a web.
wet w-e-t. My socks got wet in the rain.
yes y-e-s. Yes, you may come in.
yet y-e-t. The paint is not dry yet.

Short i 24

bib b-i-b. The baby wears a bib.
big b-i-g. An elephant is big.
bin b-i-n. Put the paper in the bin.
bit b-i-t. I ate a bit of cheese.
dig d-i-g. We dig in the sand.
dip d-i-p. Dip the brush in the paint.
fin f-i-n. The fish has a fin on its back.
fit f-i-t. These shoes fit me well.
hid h-i-d. I hid behind the tree.
him h-i-m. Pass the ball to him.
kid k-i-d. A baby goat is called a kid.
kit k-i-t. The kit has a brush and paint.
lid l-i-d. Put the lid on the jar.
lip l-i-p. I have jam on my lip.
pig p-i-g. The pig rolls in the mud.
pin p-i-n. Pin the note to the board.
rip r-i-p. Do not rip the page.
sip s-i-p. Take a sip of water.
sit s-i-t. Sit on the rug for story time.
tin t-i-n. The cookies are in a tin.
tip t-i-p. The tip of the pencil broke.
wig w-i-g. The clown wore a pink wig.
win w-i-n. Our team hopes to win.
zip z-i-p. Zip up your coat.

Short o 24

cob c-o-b. We ate corn on the cob.
cod c-o-d. A cod is a fish in the sea.
cot c-o-t. The camper sleeps on a cot.
dog d-o-g. The dog fetched the stick.
dot d-o-t. Put a dot over the i.
fog f-o-g. The fog hid the hills.
got g-o-t. I got a card in the mail.
hog h-o-g. The hog eats corn.
hop h-o-p. Rabbits hop across the grass.
hot h-o-t. The soup is too hot to eat.
job j-o-b. My job is to feed the fish.
jog j-o-g. We jog around the field.
log l-o-g. A frog sat on a log.
lot l-o-t. We read a lot of books.
mom m-o-m. Mom drives me to school.
mop m-o-p. Mop up the spill.
nod n-o-d. Nod your head for yes.
not n-o-t. It is not time for bed.
pod p-o-d. Peas grow in a pod.
pop p-o-p. The bubbles pop in the air.
pot p-o-t. Plant the seed in a pot.
rod r-o-d. He fishes with a rod.
rot r-o-t. Old logs rot in the woods.
top t-o-p. Climb to the top of the slide.

Short u 24

bud b-u-d. The bud will open into a flower.
bug b-u-g. A bug crawled up the leaf.
bun b-u-n. The burger sits in a bun.
bus b-u-s. The bus stops at my street.
but b-u-t. I am small, but I am fast.
cub c-u-b. A baby bear is a cub.
cup c-u-p. Fill the cup with milk.
cut c-u-t. Cut the paper on the line.
dug d-u-g. The dog dug a hole.
fun f-u-n. Recess is fun.
gum g-u-m. The gum stuck to my shoe.
hug h-u-g. Give Grandma a hug.
hum h-u-m. I hum a song as I work.
hut h-u-t. The hut has a grass roof.
jug j-u-g. Pour water from the jug.
mud m-u-d. My boots are full of mud.
mug m-u-g. The mug is full of cocoa.
nut n-u-t. The squirrel hid a nut.
pup p-u-p. The pup chews a shoe.
rub r-u-b. Rub the window clean.
rug r-u-g. We sit on the rug to read.
run r-u-n. I run fast at the park.
sun s-u-n. The sun is up.
tub t-u-b. Fill the tub for a bath.

How this list was compiled: Own work: our own choice of 120 three-letter words of the shape consonant, short vowel, consonant, 24 for each vowel, with our own sentences. No word ends in x, because x is said ks, two sounds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X, read 2026-09-30), so every word here has three letters and three sounds. The Change the vowel set holds 24 of the same words in eight runs that differ only in the middle letter, such as bag, beg, big, bug. Checked 2026-09-30: every word has an English entry at https://en.wiktionary.org/; the shape of each word, the 24 words per vowel and the use of each word in its sentence were checked too. Every word was read for rude and unkind meanings in its everyday sense. Spellings are American. Licence: own work

How it works

Each of these CVC flashcards shows one three-letter word, such as cat. The back splits it into its sounds, c a t, and uses it in a short sentence. The page opens on short a.

Read the full guide

Five vowel sets and one that changes the vowel

Show only deals one set. Short a, Short e, Short i, Short o and Short u hold 24 words each. Change the vowel gathers 24 of them in runs that differ only in the middle letter: bag, beg, big, bug; bat, bet, bit, but; pan, pen, pin; cat, cot, cut.

Word wall CVC cards, one vowel on two sheets

Pick a set, turn a card, then press the print button under the card: 12 CVC word flash cards fill a sheet of Letter or A4, so each set takes two sheets. Print double-sided and flip on the long edge, and c a t lands behind cat. For a word wall, print one side only.

No word ends in x: x is said ks, so box and six have four sounds, not three.
Stretch the sounds, then say them fast: c, a, t, cat. The sentence on the back shows what the word means.
Next step: the same vowels with two consonants together, in CVC words with blends.

Questions and answers

What is a CVC word?

A word built consonant, vowel, consonant, with the vowel saying its short sound: cat, hen, pig, dog, sun. In every word of this deck each letter stands for one sound.

Which short vowel should come first?

The page opens on Short a, and the sets run in alphabet order. That is our order, not a rule: follow the one your school or reading program uses.

How do I print the cards without the backs?

Press the print button, then print only the odd pages in the print dialog. The fronts print on the odd pages and the mirrored backs on the even ones.

Are any of the words made up?

No. All 120 are real English words with a dictionary entry, checked one by one. Nonsense words are left out on purpose.