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Digraphs Worksheets and Chart

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A digraphs chart, a word list and picture sorts, fill-ins and read-and-match pages for sh, ch, th, wh and ck, each with an answer key.

Download the digraphs worksheets

Digraphs chart and word list

Sort pictures by digraph

Cut-and-glue sorts. The pictures have no words, so children sort by the sound they hear.

Hear and write the digraph

Read and match

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

More digraphs worksheets

About these digraphs worksheets

A digraph is two letters that make one sound. The common consonant digraphs are sh (ship), ch (chair), th (thumb), wh (whale) and ck (duck). Children can't sound them out letter by letter: s-h does not make sh. They have to learn each pair as one sound, the same way they learned single letters.

Digraphs are a 1st grade standard, and many children start them in the second half of kindergarten, once they know their single letter sounds and can read simple CVC words like cat and hop. These pages are written for that point: big pictures, short words and one job per page.

Start with the digraphs chart and word list below, then move to the sorts, fill-ins and read-and-match pages. Each digraph also has its own page of worksheets and a word list: sh words, ch words, th words and wh words. Pages with right answers have an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.AKnow the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.BDecode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3.ADemonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.2.DIsolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2.CWrite a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).

How to use them

  1. Teach one digraph at a time, in this order: sh, ch, th, then wh and ck. Show the chart, say the sound and the key word together (sh, ship), and have your child say it back.
  2. Before any page, say every picture's name together. A picture can have more than one name, and the sound only works with the name on the answer key.
  3. On the sorts and the beginning-or-end pages, have your child say the word slowly and listen for where the digraph is: at the start (ship) or at the end (fish).
  4. Use the fill-in pages for writing practice. Your child says the word, writes the two letters in the boxes, then reads the whole word back.

Teaching tips

  • If your child reads sh as s-h, cover the h, say s, then uncover it and say sh. Two letters, one new sound.
  • Mixing up ch and sh is common. Have your child feel the difference: sh is a long, quiet push of air, and ch is a short sneeze.
  • th has two sounds: quiet in thumb and buzzy in this. Both are spelled th, so either is right on these pages.
  • ck only comes at the end of a short word, right after a short vowel: back, duck, sock. ph says f (phone) and is a later skill, so it appears on the chart only.
  • Cut the chart into cards and play a sound hunt: call out a word and have your child hold up its digraph.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What is a digraph?

A digraph is two letters that spell one sound, like sh in ship or ch in chair. A child can't blend the two letters; they learn the pair as a single sound.

What are the consonant digraphs?

The common consonant digraphs are sh, ch, th, wh and ck. ph (phone) is another one, usually taught later. Some lists also include ng (ring) and kn (knee).

What is the difference between a digraph and a blend?

In a digraph the two letters make one new sound (sh). In a blend you still hear both sounds, said quickly together (s-t in stop).

When do kids learn digraphs?

Digraphs are a 1st grade standard, and many children begin them late in kindergarten, once they know their letter sounds and can read CVC words like cat, pig and hop.