Free CVC Word Families Cheat Sheet (Printable)
CVC words, consonant-vowel-consonant words like cat, dog, and sun, are where reading really begins. Once a child learns that changing one letter turns cat into hat into bat, whole groups of words unlock at once. This free printable organizes 80+ CVC words into families by short vowel sound, plus a simple step-by-step routine to help your child sound out and blend words with confidence. It's the same building-block approach behind every decodable reader on our site.
Page 1: 16 word families sorted by short vowel. Page 2: how to teach blending, plus a build-your-own activity.
No sign-up required. Free to print and use at home or in the classroom.
How to Use the Cheat Sheet
Start with one word family, the -at family is a great first step. Point to a word and have your child say each sound slowly (/c/ /a/ /t/), then blend the sounds together faster until they hear the whole word. Once they've got it, show them the magic of a word family: swap the first letter and cat becomes hat, then bat, then sat. Because only one sound changes, kids feel successful quickly, which builds momentum. Work through one vowel sound at a time, and use the practice page on the back to let your child build their own word families from scratch.
Practice With Real Stories
Word families click fastest when children meet them inside a real story instead of on a list. These free decodable readers are built from the same CVC patterns on the cheat sheet:
Browse all free readers →
Every Unit-1 reader on Little Readers Nook is free, decodable, and designed to reinforce the exact sounds your child is learning.
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