What comes after middle sounds?

The CVC picture words sheet, where the child writes the whole word from the picture, and the sound boxes sheet, which splits a word into its three sounds.

1st grade middle sounds

1st grade middle sounds worksheets

First graders hear the short vowel in the middle of a word and write it. This sheet blanks exactly that letter, mixes all five short vowels across the page, and draws a fresh set of pictures each print, so the child listens to the middle of every word instead of pattern-matching.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RF.1.2.c.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of pictures you'll get

Say the picture's name slowly. Write the vowel you hear in the middle.

Each print draws a fresh set of pictures. Under every picture the word is spelled out with one letter missing, and a box to write it in; the key gives the letter and the word.

Every print pulls a new set of pictures at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

1st grade sheets draw from 92 pictures, 12 to a page. Kindergarten and 1st grade print from the same 92 pictures. What changes is the standard (RF.1.2.c here) and the teaching notes below.

Some of the words:

caplaphenbinhoppodjogbuncutmud

Picture sounds. Say the picture's name slowly. Write the vowel you hear in the middle. 12 pictures per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Read the finished words back. Then take one word and swap its vowel aloud: cat, cot, cut. Ask which of the three is on the page. Playing the swap shows why the middle letter matters and makes the next sheet faster.

Watch for: Guessing the vowel from the picture's shape rather than its sound. Every middle sound on this sheet is one of five short vowels, so a child who is unsure can try each one in the word and hear which fits. Saying the long vowel. Caaat with a short a, not 'kate'. If the child says a long vowel, say the word back correctly and stretch it.

Common questions about 1st grade middle sounds

What comes after middle sounds?: The CVC picture words sheet, where the child writes the whole word from the picture, and the sound boxes sheet, which splits a word into its three sounds.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core RF.1.2.c. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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