A consonant digraph is two consonant letters that team up to spell one sound, like sh in ship or ch in chin. This consonant digraphs list covers sh, ch, both sounds of th, wh, ck and ph, with fresh practice words for each, plus quick sort and sound hunt games to play at home.
Below you'll find what a digraph is, which ones to teach first, how to say each sound clearly, and simple games that take five minutes or less.
Reading Universe, a teacher resource from WETA, the Barksdale Reading Institute and First Book, defines a digraph as two letters that come together to make one sound. The first digraphs most children learn are made of two consonants.
This can feel like a twist for a new reader. Up to now, one letter has meant one sound. Now two letters stand for one brand new sound. The s in ship doesn't say /s/ and the h doesn't say /h/. Together they say /sh/.
A quick way to show this: say chop slowly and tap once for each sound. You get three taps, /ch/ /o/ /p/, even though the word has four letters. Teachers call a letter or letter team that spells one sound a grapheme, but you don't need that word at home. "Two letters, one sound" is enough.
That shapes how digraphs are taught. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) foundational reading guide says a digraph makes a single sound and must be taught as a unit, rather than sounded out letter by letter.
These practice words were picked for this page. Most use short vowels, because Reading Universe notes children read and spell digraphs more easily when they first meet them in short vowel words.
sh as in ship: sh shows up at the start or end of short words. Practice words: shop, shed, shut, shin, fish, dish, cash, rush.
ch as in chin: In short words, ch is almost always at the start. Reading Universe points out four common short words that end with it: much, such, rich and which. Practice words: chip, chat, chug, check, chest, plus those four.
th, unvoiced, as in thin: only air comes out and your voice stays off. Practice words: thin, thump, theft, math, moth, cloth, tenth.
th, voiced, as in this: your voice buzzes. Reading Universe notes it often starts small everyday words with short vowels. Practice words: this, that, them, then, than. It also turns up in the middle of words like mother.
wh as in when: in one-syllable words, wh only comes at the beginning. Practice words: when, which, whip, whim, whiff, whisk.
ck as in duck: used right after a short vowel at the end of a one-syllable word. Practice words: deck, lick, rock, tuck, pack, neck.
ph as in phone: says /f/. Very few early words use it. Practice words for later: phone, photo, graph, dolphin, alphabet.
If your child is still shaky on short vowels, our short vowel sounds guide is a good place to warm up first.
Reading Universe starts with ch, sh and th, because children can read and spell many words with them using letters they already know. It introduces wh and ph but doesn't spend much practice time on them early, since only a handful of beginner words use them.
Readiness matters more than age. Reading Universe says a child is ready for digraphs once they know consonant and short vowel sounds and can blend three-letter words like cat and mop. If that isn't solid yet, spend time on CVC words first. It generally begins digraphs in first grade, though some children are ready at the end of kindergarten. The Common Core standards for first grade also list knowing the sounds of common consonant digraphs.
Teach one digraph at a time with a young child. Later, once your child has learned long vowel patterns, words like shake, cheese and wheat become good practice too.
ck: Reading Universe calls ck a pseudo-digraph, because c and k each spell /k/ on their own. Its spelling rule: when a one-syllable word has a short vowel right before the /k/ sound at the end, spell /k/ with ck, as in luck. With a long vowel and a silent e, it's ke instead, as in bake, not back.
ng: this is a digraph too, as in sing. Many programs teach it in chunks like ing, ang, ong and ung.
gh: spells /f/ at the end of a few words like cough and laugh. It usually waits until later.
Extra ch sounds: ch can also say /sh/ as in chef or /k/ as in school. Reading Universe treats this as background knowledge for adults, not something to teach early.
sh: put a finger to your lips like you're saying "shush." Reading Universe suggests hand motions like this for children who mix up sounds.
ch: make it short and crisp, like a sneeze starting. Don't stretch it the way you can stretch sh.
Unvoiced th: tongue peeks between the teeth and air flows out. Hold a hand in front of your mouth to feel the air.
Voiced th: same tongue spot, but your voice turns on. Put a hand on your throat and feel the buzz in this, then compare it with thin.
Reading Universe notes that /th/ is pronounced differently in some varieties of English, and it can take extra practice for English learners and children with speech or language difficulties. A mirror helps. If you have concerns about your child's speech, talk with the teacher.
Three-cup sort. Label three cups sh, ch and th. Write short words on slips of paper. Your child reads each word and drops it in the right cup. Next round, sort by whether the digraph is at the start or the end.
Sound hunt. Walk around the house looking for things with a digraph sound. Some finds: shoe, shelf, chair, cheese, bath, dish, toothbrush. Toothbrush has two!
Swap the first sound. Write chip, then change the ch to sh (ship), then to wh (whip). Try chop to shop, chin to shin to thin, and chat to that.
Signal game. Say a word. Your child puts a finger to their lips for /sh/ and pulls an imaginary train whistle for /ch/.
Tap the sounds. Tap one finger per sound in shed, much and moth. A digraph gets one tap, not two.
Quick spell. Say three words with today's digraph. Your child writes them, then reads them back to you.
This is an example only. Keep it light and stop while it's still fun.
One minute: say today's digraph sound in a mirror together.
Two minutes: swap the first sound with four words.
One minute: a three-cup sort with six slips of paper.
One minute: spell two words, then done.
Reading Universe names ch, sh, th, wh and ph as the most common. It adds that ng is a digraph too, and ck is often grouped with them.
In a digraph, two letters make one new sound, like sh. In a blend, each letter keeps its own sound, like the s and t in stop. You can hear both sounds in a blend.
It's often grouped with digraphs, since it spells one sound. Reading Universe calls it a pseudo-digraph and teaches it with its own spelling rule.
Usually first grade, once short vowels and three-letter words are solid. Some children start at the end of kindergarten.
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English Language Arts Standards, Reading: Foundational Skills, Grade 1 (Common Core State Standards)