Consonant Digraphs

When your child starts reading, they’ll soon meet consonant digraphs — special pairs of letters that make one new sound. Unlike regular consonant sounds (like b, t, or m), digraphs work as a team to create a completely different sound.

For example, in “ship”, the letters s and h join to make the /sh/ sound. You can’t separate them because they make a single sound together — that’s what makes it a digraph!

Here are some common consonant digraphs your child will come across while learning to read:

• ch – as in chair, chip, cheese, bench
• sh – as in ship, shop, shell, brush
• th (soft sound) – as in thin, thumb, moth, bath
• th (hard sound) – as in this, that, them, father
• wh – as in what, when, where, whale
• ph – as in phone, photo, dolphin, graph

Learning consonant digraphs helps children move from simple letter sounds to fluent reading. It improves their spelling, decoding, and pronunciation skills.

To make learning fun, use free consonant digraph worksheets that include pictures, word lists, and matching activities. These worksheets make it easier for kids to connect sounds with visuals — perfect for early readers!

Consonant Digraph Worksheets

Explore More Phonics Worksheets

If your child enjoys learning digraphs, explore our other phonics worksheets on:

• Beginning blends with S, L, and R
• Short and long vowel sounds
• Word families and CVC words

Together, these activities build a strong reading foundation — one sound at a time!