Who We Are
CVC Words (cvc-words.com) is a free early-reading resource created by a small team of primary teachers, early-literacy specialists and parents. We focus on one thing and try to do it well: helping children aged 4–7 master consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words — the short, regular words like cat, pig and sun that form the bridge from knowing letter sounds to reading real text.
The site began as a set of printable picture cards shared between classrooms. Teachers kept asking for the same thing — a reliable, uncluttered list of CVC words with pictures and pronunciation — so we published it openly. Today the site offers word lists by vowel and word family, 200+ picture word cards, a spelling game, a recognition quiz, decodable sentences, worksheets and a full phonics teaching guide — all free and usable without an account.
Our Mission
Reading is not a single skill; it is a sequence of small, learnable steps. CVC words are one of the most important of those steps, because they let a child use letter sounds independently for the first time — decode c-a-t and the code of written English has begun to open.
Our mission is to make that step as easy as possible for the adults supporting a child:
- Clarity over clutter. Large type, a calm palette, one idea per page, and no pop-ups or anything that interrupts a lesson.
- Accuracy over volume. Every word is checked for CVC structure, correct pronunciation and suitability for young learners.
- Access over ownership. Everything is free to use in classrooms and at home, on any device, without an account.
- Safety by design. No data entry, no social features, no tracking of individual learners — see our privacy policy.
What You Will Find Here
| Resource | Best for | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| CVC word lists | Planning, spelling practice | Words grouped by short vowel and by word family, with example sentences. |
| Word families | Building rhyme awareness | Explore -at, -ig, -ock and 40+ other families. |
| Picture word cards | Vocabulary & sound boxes | Tap any card for pronunciation, sound-by-sound blending and example sentences. |
| Flash-card spelling game | Independent practice | Type the word for the picture; progress stays in the browser tab. |
| Multiple-choice quiz | Quick recognition checks | Choose the correct word for a picture, filtered by vowel. |
| Decodable sentences | Reading in context | Short sentences made only from taught sounds. |
| Worksheets | Print & pencil practice | Simple routines for tracing, matching and writing. |
| Phonics guide | Teachers & home educators | A step-by-step sequence, activity ideas and assessment notes. |
| Teaching resources | Lesson planning | Grouping suggestions, routines and printable ideas. |
How Our Content Is Made
Every word list, game and guide follows the same short process. We think it is worth describing openly, so you can judge whether the material suits your learners.
- Selection. Words are drawn from established early-reading word lists and classroom materials used in UK and US primary settings. We include only words that follow a regular consonant-vowel-consonant pattern with a short vowel sound, and that are familiar or easily illustrated for young children.
- Phonics check. Each entry is checked against its IPA transcription and sound structure — for example, that ship is treated as a digraph rather than a true CVC word, and that fox is flagged as a three-sound word ending in x.
- Suitability review. Entries are reviewed for age-appropriate meaning and illustration. Words with unsuitable or confusing meanings are excluded, even if phonetically correct.
- Editorial review. Pages are reviewed by teachers with classroom experience in early years or Key Stage 1 / kindergarten settings, who check the teaching sequence, example sentences and activity instructions.
- Publication and maintenance. The site is reviewed in full at least once a year, with smaller corrections applied whenever a reader reports an issue.
Editorial Standards
We hold ourselves to the following standards, and we welcome being held to them:
- Accuracy first. If a word, pronunciation or teaching claim is wrong, it is a bug, and we fix it. See our corrections process below.
- Evidence-informed. Our teaching guide reflects widely accepted phonics practice — systematic, explicit instruction in letter–sound correspondences, blending and segmenting, with regular review. It is a practical summary for teachers and parents, not a substitute for a published curriculum or professional training.
- Transparent sourcing. Where we describe a teaching approach, it is one used in mainstream early-literacy practice. We do not present original research or make medical or diagnostic claims.
- Editorial independence. Advertising is kept clearly separate from the educational content. A sponsor or advertiser never chooses, edits or approves a word list, lesson sequence or recommendation, and we do not publish paid placements or sponsored word lists.
- Respectful of children. Language is warm, simple and encouraging. Nothing on the site asks a child for personal information.
Accessibility
We want the site to work for as many children and adults as possible, including those using screen readers, magnification or a keyboard instead of a mouse. Our approach includes:
- semantic HTML with clear heading structure and labelled navigation;
- keyboard-accessible buttons and cards, with visible focus outlines;
- high-contrast text and large, dyslexia-friendly display type;
- respect for the operating system's "reduce motion" setting;
- text alternatives for images, and word labels beside every picture.
The site does not claim formal conformance with a specific accessibility standard, but we review it against the WCAG 2.2 guidelines and fix issues we find. If something does not work for you or your learners, please tell us — accessibility reports are treated as high priority.
Children's Safety and Privacy
The site is designed to be used by children with adult supervision, and it is built so that a child cannot accidentally share personal information while using it: there are no accounts, no forms, no comment boxes and no uploads. Games keep score only in the memory of the browser tab. Analytics are aggregate and never used to follow an individual learner.
For full details of what is and is not collected, and how to exercise your data rights, please read our Privacy Policy.
How the Site Is Supported
CVC Words is a labour of love run alongside teaching work. We keep it free for everyone, including teachers, by displaying a small number of adverts through Google AdSense. Those adverts pay for hosting and upkeep; they do not pay for influence over the content. We never sell personal information and never accept sponsored content.
Because much of our audience is very young, we have configured advertising to run in non-personalised mode: adverts are not selected using a child's browsing history or interests, and we ask the network to treat this site as child-directed. Adverts sit away from word cards and game controls, so a child tapping the screen is not likely to hit one by accident. If you would rather use the site without adverts, the word lists, worksheets and teaching guide are all fully usable with a content blocker switched on. Questions about how advertising works here are always welcome at our contact address below.
Using Our Materials
- Classroom and home use. Teachers, tutors and parents may print and use pages and word lists with their own learners free of charge, including in commercial tutoring settings.
- Sharing. You are welcome to link to any page. Please link to the original page rather than copying whole pages, so that corrections reach everyone.
- Republishing. Please do not republish substantial portions of our text or images on another website, app or printed product, or use them for AI training datasets, without written permission. Ask first — we usually say yes to sensible requests.
- Images. Illustrations on this site are used for educational purposes; if you believe an image should not be used, contact us and we will review it promptly.
Corrections and Feedback
Because this is a teaching resource, mistakes matter: a wrong pronunciation or a miscategorised word can confuse a child. If you spot an error, please email us with the page address and what you think is wrong. We aim to review reported corrections within a few working days and to update the page where a change is justified. We are also glad to hear about features that would help your class, and about pages that work especially well — that feedback shapes what we build next.
Contact Us
We would love to hear from you — whether it is a correction, a question about the content, a request to use materials, or a privacy concern.
- Email: [email protected]
- Topics: corrections, permissions, privacy requests and general questions
- Response time: usually within a few working days