Short Vowel Word Search

Three-letter short vowel words in large print, hidden across and down only, with a list for each vowel.

Name Date

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 10 words found

WJYYRYRSHR

ZELHWZZYHW

YTWSZZSFOX

RSRYWVYRSQ

RRSLWAHJLW

SCATRNRAMS

WRYRHYWMAR

KLBUGQMSPL

IWSBEDORQW

DRHSHLPWSR

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

Catcat
Mapmap
Jamjam
Vanvan
Bedbed
Jetjet
Kidkid
Mopmop
Foxfox
Bugbug

10 of 20 words from the CVC Words list.

Pick three words. Write each one and circle its vowel.

Start from a list

Easy: words go across and down.

More options

Show clues, not words

Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Short Vowel Word Search

WJYYRYRSHR

ZELHWZZYHW

YTWSZZSFOX

RSRYWVYRSQ

RRSLWAHJLW

SCATRNRAMS

WRYRHYWMAR

KLBUGQMSPL

IWSBEDORQW

DRHSHLPWSR

cat, map, jam, van, bed, jet, kid, mop, fox, bug

Next step Make a puzzle from this week's phonics words Write the same words on a CVC worksheet

All 186 words

Short A 30

Bag You carry things in it.
Bat A flying animal that sleeps upside down.
Cab A taxi.
Can A metal tin that holds soup or beans.
Cap A soft hat with a brim in front.
Cat A pet that purrs.
Dad A name for a father.
Fan It spins to cool you.
Gap A space between two things.
Ham Meat for a sandwich.
Hat You wear it on your head.
Jam Sweet fruit spread for toast.
Lap The top of your legs when you sit.
Mad Very cross.
Man A grown-up boy.
Map A drawing that shows where places are.
Mat You wipe your feet on it.
Pad A stack of paper to write on.
Pan You fry an egg in it.
Rag An old cloth for cleaning.
Ram A male sheep.
Rat A rodent with a long thin tail.
Sad Not happy.
Tag A game of chase: you are it.
Tap To knock very lightly.
Van A boxy truck for people or parcels.
Wag What a happy dog's tail does.
Wax Candles and crayons are made of it.
Yak A shaggy animal like an ox.
Yam A root vegetable you can bake.

Show all 186 words (156 more)

Short E 24

Bed You sleep in it.
Beg To ask again and again.
Den The home of a fox.
Fed Gave food to.
Get To go and fetch.
Hem The sewn edge of a skirt or a sleeve.
Hen A mother chicken.
Jet A fast plane.
Led Showed the way.
Leg You have two to walk on.
Let To allow.
Men More than one man.
Met Saw someone for the first time.
Net It catches fish or butterflies.
Peg A hook to hang your coat on.
Pen You write with it in ink.
Pet An animal that lives with you.
Red The color of a stop sign.
Set To put plates and forks out for dinner.
Vet An animal doctor.
Web A spider spins it.
Wet Not dry.
Yes The opposite of no.
Yet Up to now.

Short I 32

Bib A baby wears it at meals.
Big Not small.
Bin You throw trash in it.
Bit A small piece.
Dig To make a hole with a spade.
Dip To put in and take out fast.
Fig A soft sweet fruit full of tiny seeds.
Fin A fish swims with it.
Fit To be the right size.
Fix To mend.
Hid Kept out of sight.
Hip Where your leg joins your body.
Hit To strike a ball.
Jig A quick, bouncy dance.
Kid A child, or a baby goat.
Kit A set of parts to build something.
Lid The top of a jar.
Lip The edge of your mouth.
Mix To stir together.
Pig A farm animal that oinks.
Pin A sharp bit of metal that holds cloth.
Rib One of the bones around your chest.
Rim The edge of a cup.
Rip To tear.
Sip A tiny drink.
Sit To rest on a chair.
Six The number after five.
Tin A metal, or a can made of it.
Tip The very end of a thing.
Wig Pretend hair you can take off.
Win To come first.
Zip To close a coat.

Short O 26

Box A container with flat sides.
Cob Corn grows on it.
Cod A fish from cold seas.
Cot A small bed.
Dog A pet that barks.
Dot A tiny round mark.
Fog A cloud on the ground.
Fox A wild animal with a bushy tail.
Got Had or fetched.
Hog A big pig.
Hop To jump on one foot.
Hot Not cold.
Job Work that someone does.
Jog To run slowly.
Jot To write a quick note.
Log A thick piece of a tree.
Lot A great many.
Mom A name for a mother.
Mop You wash the floor with it.
Nod To move your head up and down.
Not A word that turns yes into no.
Pod Peas grow in it.
Pop The sound of a balloon bursting.
Rod A thin straight pole, as for fishing.
Sob To cry hard.
Top A toy that spins.

Short U 26

Bud A flower before it opens.
Bug A small insect.
Bun A round bread roll.
Bus Many people ride it to school.
Cub A baby bear.
Cup You drink from it.
Cut To slice with scissors.
Dug Made a hole.
Fun A good time.
Hug A squeeze with both arms.
Hum To sing with your lips shut.
Hut A tiny house.
Jug It holds milk or water and has a handle.
Mud Wet dirt.
Mug A big cup for cocoa.
Nut A squirrel hides it.
Pug A small dog with a flat face.
Pup A baby dog.
Rub To press and slide your hand back and forth.
Rug A small carpet.
Run To move fast on foot.
Sum The answer when you add.
Sun It lights the day.
Tub You take a bath in it.
Tug To pull hard.
Yum What you say when food is tasty.

Longer Short Vowel Words 48

Bell It rings.
Belt It goes around your waist.
Bobcat A wild cat with a short tail.
Catnip A plant that cats love to sniff.
Clam A sea animal inside two shells.
Cobweb An old dusty spider web.
Crab A sea animal with two big claws.
Dentist A doctor for teeth.
Desk A table for school work.
Doll A toy that looks like a person.
Drum You hit it with sticks to make a beat.
Duck A bird that quacks.
Flag A cloth with the colors of a country.
Frog A green animal that hops and croaks.
Gift A present.
Goblin A small, tricky creature in fairy tales.
Hand It has four fingers and a thumb.
Helmet A hard hat for riding a bike.
Hilltop The highest part of a hill.
Hubcap The round cover in the middle of a car wheel.
Insect A tiny animal with six legs.
Jump To push off the ground with both feet.
Lamp A light that sits on a table.
Laptop A computer that folds shut.
Milk A white drink from cows.
Muffin A small sweet cake for breakfast.
Napkin You wipe your mouth with it.
Nest A bird lays its eggs in it.
Nutmeg A brown spice for pies.
Picnic A meal eaten outdoors.
Pigpen Where pigs live on a farm.
Plum A purple fruit with a pit.
Pond A small lake.
Pumpkin A big orange fruit carved in the fall.
Puppet A doll you move with your hand or with strings.
Rabbit An animal with long ears that hops.
Sandbox A box of sand to play in.
Sled You ride it down a snowy hill.
Sock You wear it inside your shoe.
Step One move of your foot when you walk.
Sunset When the sky turns orange at the end of the day.
Suntan Skin made browner by sunshine.
Swim To move through water.
Tennis A game with rackets and a net.
Tent A cloth house for camping.
Twig A tiny branch.
Velvet A soft, thick cloth.
Zigzag A line that turns left, right, left, right.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Every word was looked up on 2026-10-09 in English Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/, for its spelling and its vowel sound. The five short vowel sounds, as in cat, bet, sit, hot and cup, follow the Phonics article of English Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/, read on 2026-10-09. Licence: own work

How it works

This free printable short vowel word search opens on 10 lower-case words from a mixed list of 20, four for each vowel: cat, bed, kid, fox and bug are in the first grid.

Read the full guide

A free printable CVC word search for each vowel

Start from a list has Short A (30 words: bat, jam, van), Short E (24: bed, jet, web), Short I (32: lip, six, wig), Short O (26: dog, mop, box) and Short U (26: bug, cup, tub). A child who knows the letter sounds can read each word before hunting for it.

Vowel swaps and longer words

Vowel Swap CVC Words hides sets that differ only in the middle letter: bag, beg, big, bug; hat, hit, hot, hut. Longer Short Vowel Words adds four-letter words such as frog and nest, and Two-Syllable Short Vowel Words has sunset, picnic and rabbit.

For a short vowel word search printable on one sound, pick Short A: every word has the a of cat.
No filler square holds a letter that starts one of the words, and words never cross, so a child meets no false start.
The sheet ends with a task: pick three words, write each one and circle its vowel.

Questions and answers

What is a CVC word?

A three-letter word spelled consonant, vowel, consonant, such as cat, bed or sun, in which the vowel has its short sound. Phonics teaching typically starts with one-letter sounds and simple CVC words such as these.

What are the five short vowel sounds?

The sounds of a, e, i, o and u in cat, bet, sit, hot and cup.

Why is car not a short vowel word?

Car has the consonant, vowel, consonant shape, but the r changes the sound of the a, so it is not the a of cat. Words such as car, her and fur are left out of these lists.

All 186 words

Short A 30

Short E 24

Short I 32

Short O 26

Short U 26

Longer Short Vowel Words 48

How it works

A free printable CVC word search for each vowel

Vowel swaps and longer words

Questions and answers

More tools