Some sounds need two letters working together. These pairs are called digraphs. They come right after short vowel words because they make many short words: ship, chip, thin, when, duck.
| Letters | At the start | At the end |
|---|---|---|
| sh | ship, shell | fish, dish |
| ch | chin, chair | lunch, peach |
| th | thin, thumb | bath, tooth |
| wh | when, whale | |
| ck | duck, sock, truck |
Key idea
Two letters can spell one sound: sh, ch, th, wh, and ck at the end of a short word.
Why it works
English has more sounds than the alphabet has letters. So some letters team up. Ship is not s + hip; the s and h together make one new sound.
Worked example: Ship or sip?
Spell the word for a big boat.
- Say it: ship. The first sound is sh.
- One s alone would make sip, a different word.
- Use both letters: sh.
Answer: ship
Worked example: Where does ck go?
Spell the bird that says quack.
- Say it: d-u-ck.
- The last sound comes right after a short vowel at the end of a short word.
- That sound is spelled ck.
Answer: duck
Common mistake
Writing one letter for the sound (sip for ship, cin for chin), or putting ck at the start of a word. Words start with c or k, never ck.
For the grown-up. Say pairs that differ by the digraph, like sip and ship or cat and chat, and let your child hear the change. The site’s Phonics Practice has a digraph section.