Ways to use this list
- Tap and blend: say each sound while tapping a finger, /p/ /i/ /g/, then sweep your hand along and say the whole word.
- Word chains: spin a word, change one letter to make a new real word, and keep going: cat, cot, hot, hop, top.
- Real or nonsense: swap the vowel in the spun word and ask whether the result is a real word, like pen to pin, or a made-up one, like pen to pon.
- Magnetic letters: spin, then build the word with letter tiles on the fridge or a tray before the next child spins.
- Write and draw: children write the word on a whiteboard and add a quick picture; nouns like bus, hen and jug are the most fun to draw.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (100 entries)
- cat
- bat
- hat
- mat
- rat
- sat
- can
- fan
- man
- pan
- van
- cap
- map
- nap
- tap
- bag
- rag
- wag
- jam
- ham
- bed
- red
- fed
- led
- leg
- peg
- beg
- hen
- pen
- ten
- men
- den
- jet
- net
- pet
- wet
- vet
- web
- yes
- set
- pig
- big
- dig
- wig
- fig
- sit
- hit
- kit
- bit
- lid
- kid
- bin
- pin
- tin
- win
- fin
- zip
- lip
- dip
- hip
- dog
- log
- fog
- hog
- jog
- cot
- dot
- hot
- pot
- lot
- mop
- top
- hop
- pop
- job
- cob
- rod
- nod
- pod
- sob
- bug
- hug
- jug
- mug
- rug
- bus
- cut
- hut
- nut
- run
- sun
- fun
- bun
- gum
- mud
- bud
- cub
- tub
- cup
- pup
Questions people ask
What are CVC words?
CVC stands for consonant-vowel-consonant. They are three-letter words like cat, pen and sun, where each letter makes one sound and the vowel in the middle is short. That makes them the first words most children learn to sound out.
When do children learn CVC words?
Usually in kindergarten in the US, or Reception and Year 1 in the UK, once they know their letter sounds. By first grade most children read them quickly and move on to words with blends, like frog and stop.
Why are fox and box not on the list?
The letter x makes two sounds, /k/ and /s/, so many teachers leave words like fox, box and six out of early CVC practice. Words ending in w or y, like saw or day, are left out too, because those letters change the vowel sound.
Which short vowel is hardest for children?
Short e and short i are the pair children mix up most, because the sounds are close, as in pen and pin. Practise them separately with the Short e and Short i buttons before mixing them.