What grades is this for?

Kindergarten through second, at the start of decoding.

Do I need to sign up?

No, all sixteen words play free with no login.

My student memorises these instead of decoding. Is that a problem?

It limits what they can do with a new word. Mixing in nonsense words, or covering the last letter and revealing it, forces decoding where recognition would otherwise take over.

CVC Word Flashcards

Read and say short CVC words.

Use with a student — free

Card 1 of 16

cat

Say it out loud

This pass0 correct · 0 cued · 0 incorrect · 0/16

Demo — these marks stay on this screen.Save these marks to a student, free →Sign in

Session summary (SOAP)

Student initials (optional)

Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.

Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.

How to run it

Ask the student to sound it out rather than recognise it. A word recognised at a glance teaches nothing about decoding, and the point of a CVC list is that every word can be built from its letters. Cover the final consonant and reveal it last for a student who is guessing from the first two letters, which is the most common early habit. Eight minutes covers the sixteen with sounding out.

Cueing ladder

Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.

Step 1IndependentShow the card and wait 3 seconds for the student to read it.Log as correct
Step 2Point to itPoint to the letter pattern that matters, or tap under each sound.Log as cued
Step 3Sound it outSay the first sound together, then let the student blend the rest.Log as cued
Step 4ModelRead it, tapping each sound; the student reads it after you.Log as cued

Adjust it

Easier

Use fewer cards and start with the patterns the student already reads, such as 'cat' and 'dog'.

Harder

Read the words in a sentence, or spell them from dictation.

Matching IEP goal

Given decodable word cards, such as 'cat' and 'dog', Student will read the target pattern accurately in 8 of 10 words across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual cue.

Send it home through the parent portal →

About this activity

Sixteen three-letter short-vowel words: cat, dog, sun, pig, bed, hop, run, mud, net, cup, fan, top, bug, hat, jet, lip. Every one is consonant-vowel-consonant with a short vowel and no complications, which makes this the first list a beginning reader can decode entirely from the letters rather than from memory.

What to listen for

Watch the vowels. All five short vowels appear here, and /e/ in bed and net against /i/ in pig and lip is the pair most often confused. Notice whether errors are decoding or memory: a student who reads cat instantly and stalls on jet is recognising familiar words rather than decoding, and the unfamiliar ones are the useful data.

Carrying it home

CVC words are short enough to write on anything. Ask the child to sound out three words from a shopping list or a sign, rather than reading a whole page.

What's in this activity

Questions

What grades is this for?: Kindergarten through second, at the start of decoding.
Do I need to sign up?: No, all sixteen words play free with no login.
My student memorises these instead of decoding. Is that a problem?: It limits what they can do with a new word. Mixing in nonsense words, or covering the last letter and revealing it, forces decoding where recognition would otherwise take over.

Use this board with your caseload

With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.

Track progress free

Free for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.