Short Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A tiny bug crawled on the leaf.
Bug is a CVC word: b-u-g. The u between two consonants makes the short u sound /u/, as in umbrella or up. Short u is often the last short vowel Grade 1 learners master.
2. I drink water from a blue cup.
Cup follows the CVC pattern c-u-p. The short u sound is trapped between consonants. Short u words are everywhere in Grade 1 reading, so knowing this sound builds fluency.
3. The sun shines brightly during the day.
Sun is s-u-n, a classic CVC word. The u says its short sound because it is surrounded by consonants with no silent e. Short u sounds like /u/ in up.
4. I hopped on the school bus this morning.
Bus is a CVC word b-u-s. Short u is the middle sound. Every short vowel in a CVC word follows this rule: one vowel trapped by consonants makes the short sound.
5. The cat ran after the mouse.
Cat has the short a sound in a CVC pattern. Reviewing short a alongside short u helps first graders hear how each short vowel is distinct and unique.
6. I laid my head on the soft bed.
Bed uses short e in the CVC pattern b-e-d. Practicing short e in sentences alongside other short vowels builds strong vowel discrimination skills for Grade 1.
7. The pig oinked in the mud.
Pig is a CVC word with the short i sound. Short i is often confused with short e, so hearing pig alongside bed helps Grade 1 readers separate the two sounds.
8. A dog wags its tail when happy.
Dog has short o in the CVC pattern d-o-g. Short o sounds like /o/ in octopus. Including all five short vowels on one worksheet builds strong foundational phonics.
9. A little bug buzzed near the flower.
Bug repeats the short u sound to reinforce learning. Repetition across sentences helps Grade 1 readers automatically recognize the short u sound in CVC words.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
short a sound
→ cat
pig
short e sound
→ bed
bug
short i sound
→ pig
cat
short u sound
→ bug
bed
Each short vowel has a signature sound: short a is /a/ in cat, short e is /e/ in bed, short i is /i/ in pig, and short u is /u/ in bug. In CVC words, the single vowel between consonants always makes its short sound unless a silent e is added.