Kids Learning Arcade
Digraph games: sh, ch, th and wh
A digraph is two letters that make one sound: sh in ship, ch in chick, th in tooth, wh in whale.
In the game
The age 5 deck starts with 44 digraph words in four groups:
- sh: ship, fish, shell, shirt, shoe, sheep ...
- ch: chick, chips, chair, cheese, cherry, chess ...
- th, wh: three, thumb, tooth, bath, math, think ...
- ng, nk: ring, king, wing, sing, song, drink ...
ship
chick
tooth
whale
ring
drink
How to practice
- Say the sound alone: "sh" like a quiet finger on the lips.
- Hear where it is: at the start (ship) or the end (fish)?
- In the game each letter is its own tile, so your child sees both letters of the sound.
Questions parents ask
What is a digraph?
Two letters that make one sound, like sh in ship, ch in chick, th in tooth and wh in whale.
What is the difference between a blend and a digraph?
In a blend you hear both letters, like fr in frog. In a digraph the two letters make one new sound, like sh in ship.