Short I CVC Words

Free printable short i phonics worksheets. Five practice activities: decodable passage, word sort, phrasing cards, rapid naming chart, and word search.

Grade: K Phase 1: Foundations Pattern: CVC with short i
sit hit bit fit kit pig big dig wig fig pin win

1 Decodable Reading Passage

A short, decodable story embedding short i words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.

Peg's Big Bin
Skill: Short I  •  Sight Words: the, is, a, and, to, was, it, on, his, her
Peg's Big Bin illustrated mini-book cover
Illustrated mini-book

Peg sat in the sand to dig. She had a big tin bin.

"I will fill my bin," said Peg.

She hit a rock in the sand.

"Oh no," said Peg.

Peg got up to tug on the rock. She got the rock out! Now Peg can fill her bin.

This story is part of Level 1. Get every Level 1 illustrated mini-book in one print-ready file ($14) →

2 Short I Words

The words this story set practices, in the two groups used by the word sort.

Real Words (11)

sit, hit, bit, pig, big, dig, pin, win, lip, zip, nip

Nonsense Words (9)

zit, bim, hig, lig, rin, mib, fip, gid, vig

Phrases to read
the big pig · sit on it · a bit of jam · dig in the mud · pin on her lip · rip the bin · a tin lid · tip and dip · Kim and the pig
RAN chart words
sit, pig, big, pin, lip
Sight words
the, is, a, and, to, was, it, on, his, her

3 Short I Picture Worksheets

Short I words to read, match and write, with pictures. Each PDF has its answer key on page 2.

Find the Word: a short i picture worksheet

Find the Word

Look at each picture and circle the right word out of three.

Download PDF
Circle the Picture: a short i picture worksheet

Circle the Picture

Read a word, then circle its picture out of three.

Download PDF
Which Sentence?: a short i picture worksheet

Which Sentence?

Look at a picture and pick the sentence that matches it.

Download PDF
Read and Fill In: a short i picture worksheet

Read and Fill In

Read a short story, then fill in the missing words.

Download PDF
Sound Boxes: a short i picture worksheet

Sound Boxes

Say each picture and write one letter in each box.

Download PDF
Read and Match: a short i picture worksheet

Read and Match

Read each word, then draw a line to its picture.

Download PDF
Level 1 Word Work: CVC Words pack cover

Level 1 Word Work pack: all 77 CVC worksheets in one file

The sheets above are free. The pack is every sheet for short a, i, o, e and u in order, a review set and all the answer keys, ready to print.

Get the pack for $7 See every kind of sheet

Teaching more than one level? All 6 levels, 600+ worksheets, for $19.

4 Story Worksheets

4 ready-to-print PDFs for this story's short i words. Each one opens as its own file.

Short I word sort printable preview

Word Sort

Cut-apart word cards to sort: Real Words or Nonsense Words. Answer key on page 2.

Download PDF
Short I phrasing cards printable preview

Phrasing Cards

Short phrases to cut out and read smoothly, for fluency.

Download PDF
Short I word search printable preview

Word Search

Find 12 short i words in the grid. Answer key on page 2.

Download PDF
Short I ran chart printable preview

RAN Chart

A grid of five words to read fast, with room to record three timed tries.

Download PDF

More picture worksheets: beginning sounds, ending sounds, rhyming and syllables — new pictures every time you print.

📖 More Short I Stories

A new decodable story with the same short i sounds — each comes with its own set of worksheets.

← Long I (igh) Worksheets View All Phonics Skills Short O CVC Words →

Free Printable Short I CVC Words

The short 'i' sound, as heard in words like "sit" and "pig," is a crucial foundational phonics pattern for kindergarteners, often introduced after short 'a'. This CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) structure is essential for early decoding. A common challenge with short 'i' is its close proximity in articulation to short 'e' and short 'u'. Young learners might confuse "pin" with "pen" or "bin" with "bun" due to subtle mouth position differences. They might also over-articulate, adding an extra schwa sound, making "dig" sound like "di-guh." Emphasizing the quick, crisp sound, almost like a tiny "ih," helps distinguish it from other vowels and prevents these common mispronunciations as they begin to read words like "kit" and "lip." Our short 'i' worksheets provide targeted practice to build fluency and accuracy. Begin with the decodable passage from "Pip's Big Fig," guiding your student to sound out each word, focusing on that distinct 'ih' sound. The word sort activity helps them categorize words like "win" and "rip," reinforcing the pattern visually and phonetically. Use the phrasing cards to practice reading short 'i' words in meaningful groups, improving reading rhythm and comprehension. Finally, the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart is excellent for building speed and automaticity with our target words such as "tin," "zip," and "fig," allowing students to recognize these high-frequency short 'i' words instantly.

For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.