What are CVC words, CCVC words and CVCC words?

A CVC word is a word that is made up of a consonant, vowel and consonant sound.

Cat, hot, tip, man and hut are all CVC words.

They're often some of the first words children learn to read because they're simple and easy to sound out.

Let's break it down further:

1. A consonant is the sound produced by partially or completely blocking the airflow as it leaves the vocal tract. Examples of consonant sounds include /b/, /c/, /d/, /f/, /g/, etc. In CVC words, the first and last letters are consonants.
    
2. A vowel is the sound produced without significant constriction or blockage of airflow in the vocal tract. Examples of vowel sounds include /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, etc. In CVC words, the vowel sound is in the middle.

Putting it all together, CVC words follow this pattern: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant.

Examples of CVC words:

• Cat: C is the consonant, A is the vowel, and T is the consonant.
• Dog: D is the consonant, O is the vowel, and G is the consonant.
• Sun: S is the consonant, U is the vowel, and N is the consonant.
  
  
  

CVC blending game
Blending CVC words game (Phonics 2)
Be a CVC word hunter
Full circle: reading CVC words
Roll a CVC word
Short vowels in CVC words
Missing CVC words game
 

Consonant, consonant, vowel, consonant words, for example: trap, chop, stun, grit, shop.

This is a step up from CVC words, adding an extra consonant at the beginning. So, CCVC words are four-letter words where the first two letters are consonants, followed by a vowel, and then ending with a consonant.

Here's a breakdown:

1. Consonant: The first and second letters are consonant sounds. 
    
2. Vowel: The third letter is a vowel sound.
    
3. Consonant: The fourth and final letter is another consonant sound.

Examples of CCVC words:

• Spot: S and P are the consonants, O is the vowel, and T is the consonant.
• Clap: C and L are the consonants, A is the vowel, and P is the consonant.
• Grin: G and R are the consonants, I is the vowel, and N is the consonant.

Blending CCVC words
CCVC words revision (Phase 4 phonics)
Writing CCVC words
Phonics Learning Journey
Parents' guide to Phase 4 phonics

Examples of CVCC (consonant, vowel, consonant, consonant) words are: hunt, fast, cart, milk, want

CVCC words are also part of early reading instruction and help children expand their vocabulary and reading skills. They're slightly more complex than CVC and CCVC words, but they're still manageable for young learners as they continue to develop their literacy skills.

Here's a simple breakdown:

1. Consonant: the first letter is a consonant sound.
    
2. Vowel: the second letter is a vowel sound.
    
3. Consonant: The third and fourth letters are a consonant sounds.

Examples of CVCC words:

• Bend: B is the consonant, E is the vowel, N and D are the consonants.
• Lamp: L is the consonant, A is the vowel, M and P are the consonants.
• Send: S is the consonant, E is the vowel, N and D are the consonants. 

Reading CVCC words
Building CVCC words with a frame
Parents' guide to Phase 4 phonics

Children start to learn their letter sounds in Reception, then start to 'blend' sounds to read words.

As a first step children focus on decoding (reading) three-letter words arranged consonant, vowel, consonant (CVC words). They will learn other letter sounds, such as the consonants g, b, d, h and the remaining vowels e, o, u. A child who already knows all their letter sounds might be shown the CVC word 'pit' and asked to read it out loud. This is the point where they are required to use their knowledge of the individual sounds of each letter and 'blend' these letter sounds together, so they are saying the whole word and not three individual sounds.

For more information on phonics and how it's used to teach children to read look through our parents' guides, or find phonics worksheets and phonics games for your child to help them practise early reading at home.