Digraphs: sh, ch, th

🎯 What You'll Learn

You will learn about digraphs — two letters that team up to make one completely new sound: sh, ch, and th.

🌟 Let's Start

In a blend, you hear both sounds (like s and t in stop). But in a digraph, two letters make one brand new sound! In the word ship, the letters s and h work together to make the /sh/ sound — not /s/ and not /h/, but /sh/!

📚 New Concept

A digraph is two letters that make ONE new sound.

sh — the "quiet" sound:

• Put your finger to your lips: shhhh!
• Words: ship, shop, fish, wash, shell, shut

ch — the "sneeze" sound:

• Like a train: ch-ch-ch!
• Words: chip, chop, chin, rich, much, such

th — the "tongue" sound:

• Put your tongue between your teeth and blow: th!
• Words: this, that, then, thin, with, bath

Important: Do not try to hear two separate sounds. sh is ONE sound, ch is ONE sound, th is ONE sound.

🎮 Let's Practice

1. Read: shop. What digraph does it start with?
2. Read: chin. What digraph does it start with?
3. Read this sentence: "I fish in the thin ship."

Click to see answers

1. shop starts with the digraph sh.
2. chin starts with the digraph ch.
3. "I fish in the thin ship." — fish has sh at the end, thin has th at the start, ship has sh at the start. Well read!

💡 Remember

Digraphs are two letters that make one new sound. sh says /sh/, ch says /ch/, th says /th/. They are different from blends because you hear ONE new sound, not two separate sounds.