C Words for Kids

Take a look at our assortment of C words for kids below, which can be incorporated into vocabulary lessons. We’ve also provided some fun text ideas that you can use by copying and pasting into your lesson materials.
In this series, our alphabet friends, A through Z, become tourists in America’s cities. At each of their stops, letters dig into their supplies in order to learn a new word study skill or vocabulary term.
C has packed its clutch, a small handheld bag, for Chicago, Illinois! During C’s trip, C is excited to learn about different syllable features and patterns through the use of a tiny stash of word lists in C’s clutch. C is looking forward to exploring landmarks in Chicago, visiting “c”-named animals at the zoo and aquarium, reviewing technology words that begin with “c”, and learning all about communication words, like emotions, that start with the letter “c”. Let’s journey to Chicago for a day of wandering, exploring, and reading adventures! We hope you have a cool day with C!
Tip: Best educational practices related to word study include: read-alouds, discussion, and writing. It is important to build rich connections between readers and the vocabulary words they learn. For instance, discuss sample sentences and make other personal associations to bolster recall, decoding, and encoding. As always, remember that some words may require frontloading and framing depending on the learner’s age, background, and needs. Helpful reminders for readers: A vowel is a speech sound produced by letters a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y. A consonant is a speech sound produced by all of the other letters in the alphabet.
CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) Words: C’s first adventure in Chicago is to learn all about CVC words. C first stops for some cheesy Chicago-style deep dish pizza for breakfast. Sounds tasty, C! CVC words are one of the building blocks of early literacy. These words consist of a consonant, followed by a vowel, followed by another consonant. Examples of CVC words include “cat,” “sit,” and “fun.” These words are important to learn because they help readers develop their phonemic awareness, which is the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds in words. Below is a short list of consonant-vowel-consonant words that begin with the letter “c.” Let’s see what C sees!
cab | can | cut | cog |
cap | cop | cub | cob |
cat | cot | cod | cup |
Closed Syllables: C is off to a crazy fun day as it heads to the top of the Willis Tower. C can really see far and wide from this tall tower! After taking a silly selfie, C reads a list about closed syllables. When the vowel of a syllable is short, the syllable is closed off by one or more consonants. Examples of closed syllable words include “hat,” “pin,” and “dotted.” These types of words are important to learn because they are some of the most common words and eventually, many readers recognize these words by sight. Let’s review these words with C.
crunch | collect | comma | carpet | cabin |
crust | cricket | compass | catch | cactus |
cupboard | crisp | computer | coffee | camera |
cupcake | crumb | concert | comic | candy |
Magic-E: While cruising around Chicago, C makes its way to The Bean (Cloud Gate) to get an up close look at this giant, sculptural wonder. This art piece is open for all to see. After a tour, C goes into its clutch and pulls a list all about the magic “e”. “E” becomes a magical letter when it’s placed at the end of a word. Although the “e” is silent, it helps the other vowel or vowels in the word pronounce themselves. Let’s review with “C”!
cake | chime | cure | cope | case |
cane | chive | cute | core | cage |
care | chore | code | crate | |
cave | cite | cone | cube |
Silent Vowel Pairs (or Teams): C finds its belly rumbling with hunger and catches a cab to the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan. Full of life, there’s plenty to eat, see, and explore! While at lunch, C reviews another list– this time it’s silent vowel pairs! Silent vowel pairs have two vowels together: one of them stays silent. Examples of silent vowel pair words include “boat,” “rain,” and “suit.” Even though the vowels are a pair or team, the first vowel to appear in the pair makes the sound. Below is a list of words that begin with “c” that have a silent vowel pair.
clean | cream | creepy | coarse | cheese |
clear | coast | cleats | ceiling | cheap |
creak | creek | croak | caffeine | coal |
creaky | creep | coach | cease | coat |
R-Controlled Vowels: C decides to take a boat down the Chicago River and enjoys views of different buildings and restaurants on both sides! After the boat ride is finished, C sits on a bench and pulls another list from its clutch. This list is all about “R” and how it can be a bossy letter. R-controlled vowels happen when a vowel is controlled by the letter “r.” Examples of r-controlled vowels include “car,” “bird,” and “fern.” C reviews the list below:
car | career | curl | corn | charm |
carbon | carnival | current | circle | circus |
card | cart | curse | cord | concert |
care | ceremony | curtain | cure | core |
Final Stable Syllables: C has such a great time on the boat that C decides to take a ride on the “L,” Chicago’s elevated rail system. While enjoying the views from the “L,” C enjoys a list of final stable syllables. Final stable syllables are found in the final (last or lattermost) position of words. These syllables contain a consonant and one of the following vowel endings: -ble, -cle, -dle, -fle, -gle, -kle, -ple, -sle, -tle, -zle, -tion, -sion, -ture, -cian, -cious, and -tious. They are called “stable” because the pronunciation of each is reliable and predictable (always the same). Here’s the list that C reads:
cable | caption | cattle | creation | coachable |
cackle | capture | caution | culture | cradle |
candle | caricature | circle | curvature | |
capable | castle | clinician | cycle |
“C” in Animals: Later on, C hops off the “L” and journeys to the Lincoln Park Zoo! What a collection! Explore animals from all over the globe, all of which begin with the letter, “c.”
camel | caribou | cheetah | chipmunk | cougar |
capybara | cat | chimpanzee | cobra | crocodile |
“C” in Technology: After the zoo, C decides to enjoy a bit of history and visits Wrigley Field, a baseball field more than 100 years old! As C stops for a bag of popcorn and a hot dog, C pulls out the next list from its clutch. This one is all about technology. Here’s what C sees!
computer | cyber | code | cache |
charger | cloud | cursor | connection |
“C” in Communication: Before C leaves for the day, C decides to visit The Field Museum for more education and exploring. After seeing several exciting exhibits, C takes a break on a comfy bench and reads another list. These are important words! Here are nouns, adjectives, and verbs that readers and communicators should become familiar with.
concern | conversation | comfort | challenge | clarity |
confident | cooperation | care | communicate | calm |
call | courage | commitment | charming | carefree |
connection | courtesy | companion | chatty | caring |
considerate | creativity | compassion | cheer | celebration |
contentment | curiosity | compliment | cheerful | choice |