What Are Digraphs?
A digraph is two letters that work together to make one brand-new sound. Unlike blends (where you can hear both letters), digraphs create a single sound that's different from either letter alone. The four most common digraphs young readers encounter are:
- SH — as in ship, shoe, fish, brush
- CH — as in chip, cheese, lunch, bench
- TH — as in this, the, bath, math (voiced and voiceless)
- WH — as in when, where, whale, white
Children typically learn digraphs after mastering single letter sounds and CVC words. If your child is reading words like "cat" and "sit" confidently, they're ready for digraphs.
Teaching Digraphs Step by Step
1. Introduce One Digraph at a Time
Don't teach all four digraphs simultaneously. Spend a full week on SH before introducing CH, then TH, then WH. Starting with SH is a natural choice because the /sh/ sound is familiar and easy to produce — children make this sound when they say "shhhh" for quiet.
2. Show That Two Letters Make One Sound
Write S and H separately on two cards. Say each letter's individual sound. Then push the cards together and explain: "When S and H are together, they stop making their own sounds and make a new team sound: /sh/." The physical act of pushing cards together visually demonstrates the concept.
3. Listen for the Sound
Say a list of words. Some start with the target digraph, some don't. Your child claps or raises their hand when they hear the digraph sound. For SH: "ship" (clap!), "sand" (no clap), "shop" (clap!), "cat" (no clap). This trains auditory recognition.
4. Read Digraph Words
Create flashcards with digraph words. Start simple: shin, shed, shop, shut. Point to the digraph and say: "What sound does SH make?" Then have your child blend through the whole word. Our flashcard maker lets you create custom digraph word cards in seconds.
5. Write Digraph Words
Dictate simple digraph words and have your child write them. Emphasize that the digraph sound gets written with two letters, not one. If your child writes "sip" instead of "ship," gently remind them that /sh/ needs both S and H working together.
Common Confusions and How to Address Them
SH vs CH
These two digraphs sound similar to young ears. Have your child watch your mouth. For /sh/, your lips push forward. For /ch/, your tongue touches the roof of your mouth and releases a burst of air. Practice minimal pairs: ship vs chip, share vs chair, shoe vs chew.
TH: Voiced vs Voiceless
TH makes two different sounds. The voiceless /th/ (as in "thin") and the voiced /th/ (as in "the"). For young readers, don't worry about teaching this distinction explicitly. Just model both pronunciations and let your child absorb the difference naturally through reading exposure.
Practice Activities
- Digraph sorting: Make columns for SH, CH, TH, and WH. Sort picture cards or word cards into the correct column.
- Digraph word search: Use our word search generator to create custom puzzles filled with digraph words.
- Digraph sentences: Write simple sentences that are loaded with one digraph: "She has a shell from the shore."
- Worksheets: Our kindergarten worksheets include digraph-specific practice pages with picture matching, fill-in-the-blank, and word building exercises.
Digraphs are a major milestone in phonics development. Once your child masters SH, CH, TH, and WH, they can decode hundreds of new words and their reading fluency will take a noticeable leap forward.
