CVCC Words: The Step After CVC
A CVCC word is a consonant, a vowel and two consonants — hand , jump , milk , nest . The pattern is the first real step up from CVC, because the child now has to hold four sounds in their head and blend them in the right order.
The good news is that nothing changes at the front of the word. an becomes and , han becomes hand : the vowel stays short and the beginning is unchanged. That is why CVCC is easier than CCVC (clap , stop ), where the two opening consonants have to be blended before the vowel is even reached.
This page lists 179 CVCC words by short vowel, grouped by word family, each with a short example sentence. 74 opening-blend words are on the CCVC page .
Teaching sequence: read the CVC base word, add the final consonant, then read the new word with the base word still visible. an → and , han → hand , sand → sand . Only remove the base word when the child blends the four sounds unprompted.
Jump to a Vowel
Short A
Short E
Short I
Short O
Short U
CVCC Words with Short A 48 words
-amp -and -ang -ank -ant -ark -ash -ask -asp -ast -ath Already on the site with pictures and guides: back , hack , jack , lack , pack , rack , sack , tack , bash , cash , dash , hash , lash , rash , bass , lass , mass , pass .
Word Family Example sentence band -and The band played all night. bank -ank We put the coins in the bank. bath -ath Take a warm bath. camp -amp We sleep in a tent at camp. cast -ast Cast the line into the pond. damp -amp The towel is still damp. fast -ast The car can go fast. hand -and Hold my hand. hang -ang Hang your coat on the hook. lamp -amp Turn on the lamp. land -and The plane will land soon. last -ast This is the last one. mash -ash Mash the soft potatoes. mask -ask Wear a mask at the clinic. mast -ast The sail hangs on the mast. math -ath We do math after lunch. pant -ant The dog will pant in the heat. park -ark We play in the park. past -ast Walk past the shop. path -ath Follow the path to the gate. ramp -amp The ramp is beside the steps. rang -ang The bell rang at nine. rank -ank She is top of the rank. sand -and The sand is warm today. sang -ang We sang a happy song. sank -ank The boat sank in the storm. sash -ash Tie the sash on the dress. task -ask Finish the task first. vast -ast The sky looks vast at night. wasp -asp A wasp is near the jam.
CVCC Words with Short E 38 words
-eft -eld -elp -elt -end -ent -esk -est -ext Already on the site with pictures and guides: deck , neck , peck , bell , fell , sell , tell , well , mesh , less , mess .
Word Family Example sentence belt -elt Fasten your seat belt. bend -end Bend your knees to jump. best -est That was the best day. dent -ent The car has a dent. desk -esk My book is on the desk. felt -elt The hat is made of felt. held -eld He held the cup. help -elp Can you help me? kelp -elp Kelp grows in the sea. left -eft Turn to the left. lend -end Please lend me a pen. melt -elt The ice will melt. mend -end Mend the torn sock. nest -est A bird sits in the nest. next -ext The next one is mine. pest -est A fly is a pest. rent -ent They rent a small flat. rest -est Let us rest on the bench. send -end Send the letter today. sent -ent She sent a card. tent -ent We slept in a tent. test -est We have a spelling test. vent -ent Air comes from the vent. vest -est He wears a warm vest. weld -eld They weld the metal. went -ent We went to the park. west -est The sun sets in the west.
CVCC Words with Short I 37 words
-ift -ilk -ilt -ind -ing -ink -int -isk -ist Already on the site with pictures and guides: kick , lick , pick , sick , tick , wick , fill , gill , hill , mill , pill , sill , dish , fish , wish , hiss , kiss , miss .
Word Family Example sentence fist -ist Make a soft fist. gift -ift This gift is for you. hint -int Give me a hint. lift -ift Lift the box with both hands. list -ist Write a shopping list. milk -ilk Drink your milk. mint -int The mint smells fresh. mist -ist Mist covers the hill. pink -ink She has a pink hat. ring -ing The phone will ring. rink -ink We skate at the rink. risk -isk Take no risk in the road. silk -ilk The scarf is silk. sing -ing Sing a short song. sink -ink Wash the cup in the sink. tilt -ilt Tilt the lid to open it. tint -int The glass has a blue tint. wind -ind The wind blew the leaves. wink -ink He gave me a wink.
CVCC Words with Short O 23 words
-oft -old -olf -ond -ong -ost Already on the site with pictures and guides: dock , lock , mock , rock , sock , posh , boss , loss , moss , toss .
Word Family Example sentence bold -old Use a bold pen. bond -ond They share a strong bond. cost -ost What is the cost? fond -ond I am fond of my cat. golf -olf Dad plays golf on Sunday. gong -ong Hit the gong once. host -ost She is a kind host. lost -ost The dog is lost. pond -ond Ducks swim in the pond. soft -oft The pillow is soft. sold -old The bike was sold. song -ong Sing a happy song. told -old She told a funny tale.
CVCC Words with Short U 33 words
-ulf -ulk -ulp -ump -und -ung -unt -usk -ust Already on the site with pictures and guides: buck , duck , luck , puck , suck , tuck , buff , cuff , huff , muff , puff , bush , push , bull , full , pull .
Word Family Example sentence bulk -ulk Buy the rice in bulk. bump -ump Do not bump the table. dump -ump Dump the sand here. dust -ust Dust the shelf. fund -und They fund the school. gulf -ulf A gulf is a big bay. gulp -ulp Take a gulp of water. gust -ust A gust blew my hat. hunt -unt We hunt for shells. jump -ump Jump over the rope. just -ust Just one more page. lump -ump A lump of clay. lung -ung The lung fills with air. must -ust You must wash up. pump -ump Pump the tyre up. rust -ust The gate has rust. tusk -usk The elephant has a tusk.
How to Teach CVCC Words
1. Start from a word they already read
Do not introduce CVCC as a new list to memorise. Take a CVC word the child can already blend — han is not a word, so use sand from a known family, or an from the sight-word list — and add one sound to the end.
2. Tap four times, not three
The Elkonin boxes on the sound box printable are three squares; draw a fourth by hand. Four counters, four sounds, one word. Saying the four sounds separately is the whole skill.
3. Keep the final blend together
In hand the ending is /n/ + /d/, not a chunk called “nd”. Say both sounds, then join them. Word family pages do this explicitly: see -and and -ent .
4. Move to CCVC only when CVCC is fluent
Opening blends are harder. Wait until the child reads a CVCC page at roughly 90% accuracy before starting CCVC .
CVCC Words FAQ
What is a CVCC word? A CVCC word follows consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant: the short vowel is closed by two consonants at the end, as in hand (h-a-n-d) or jump (j-u-m-p). The vowel stays short because it is still closed.
When should I teach CVCC words? After a child can blend CVC words without help — usually mid to late kindergarten. The new skill is holding four sounds in working memory instead of three, so teach it by adding one sound to a word the child already reads: an → and .
How is CVCC different from CCVC? CVCC puts the extra consonant at the end (hand ), CCVC at the start (clap ). The ending blend is easier because the first two sounds are unchanged, so CVCC normally comes first. See the CCVC word list .
How many CVCC words are on this page? 179 CVCC words: 106 on this page plus 73 four-letter words that already have their own picture pages (bell, fish, duck and similar).
