Consonants
Consonant digraphs
A consonant digraph is two consonants that together make one new sound, as in “ship”, “chin”, “that”, “when” and “phone”. They matter early because a reader who sounds out s-h will never arrive at “ship”, so the pair has to be taught as a single unit rather than separate sounds.
Worth separating from blends explicitly. In a digraph the two letters make one sound; in a blend you still hear both. Children who confuse the two tend to over-segment digraphs and under-segment blends.
Patterns and example words
Every word below is from the word list Cody generates from, not a hand-picked sample. The count is how many words in that list carry the pattern.
sh
3,231 wordsshe should show showed showing shown shows share shared shares sharing short shorted shorter shortest shorting shorts shop shopped shopping shops relationship relationships wish
ch
2,468 wordswhich much such child children change changed changes changing each reach reached reaches reaching research researched researches researching choose chooses choosing chose chosen approach
th
3,085 wordsthe their theirs them they that those with these this there think thinking thinks thought thoughts other others than then thing things through both
wh
419 wordswhich who whom whose when what where why while whether whole wholes white whiter whites whitest whatever somewhere anywhere somewhat everywhere meanwhile elsewhere wheel
ph
969 wordsphone phoned phones phoning telephone telephoned telephones telephoning physical physicals photograph photographed photographing photographs photo photos atmosphere phase phased phases phasing phrase phrased phrases
ck
3,330 wordsback backed backing backs black blacked blacker blackest blacks check checked checking checks pick picked picking picks attack attacked attacking attacks lack lacked lacking
ng
6,496 wordsbeing beings having doing willing saying sayings going knowing getting liking thinking making timing seeing taking coming working workings using looking wanting giving finding
voiced th
506 wordsthe their theirs them they that those with these this there other others than then another though farther farthest whether although within rather together
unvoiced th
2,580 wordsthink thinking thinks thought thoughts thing things through both something month months without thank thanked thanking thanks anything nothing everything health growth growths method
Curricula that teach this
Cody generates material against the scope and sequence you already teach. This skill appears in Custom Pattern Selection, Reading Simplified: 1st Grade Pathway, Reading Simplified: 2nd Grade & Up Pathway, Reading Simplified: Kindergarten Pathway, Slant System, UFLI Inspired.
Common questions
What is the difference between a digraph and a blend?
In a digraph the two letters make one new sound, so sh says /sh/. In a blend you can still hear each letter, so bl says /b/ then /l/ quickly together.
Make a decodable story for this skill
Cody generates stories, word lists and worksheets constrained to the patterns a student has already been taught, so practice on consonant digraphs does not smuggle in something they have not met yet.