Two letters, one sound (digraphs)
A short captioned lesson on how sh, ch, th and ng work, for children. Free, with a full transcript and teaching notes.
Read the whole lesson
Digraphs Hello again! Did you know that sometimes two letters work together to make just one sound? They are called digraphs. Let us meet some.
sh First, s and h. Put them side by side and they say sh. Can you do it? Put a finger on a quiet mouth. Sh! Like a librarian.
ship shop fish Sh is in ship, shop and fish. Say the sounds, then blend them: sh, i, p. Ship! Slide your finger under sh like it is one sound.
ch Next, c and h make ch, like the sound of a train. Ch, ch, ch! Ch is in chip, chat and chin.
th Now t and h. Put your tongue between your teeth and blow gently. Th! It is in thin, thick and thumb.
ng And last, n and g make ng, a sound that hums at the back of your mouth. Ng! It is at the end of ring, sing and king.
Name the digraph Let us play a quick game. I say a word, you tell me the digraph. Fish. Sh! Chin. Ch! Ring. Ng! Wonderful.
Spot a digraph Remember, two letters, one sound. Look out for digraphs in your books today, and give a finger-slide when you spot one. Bye for now!
For grown-ups Teaching notes
- A digraph is two letters that make one sound. This video covers sh, ch, th and ng, the ones children meet first.
- Ask children to put a finger on both letters and slide it across as they say one sound. That shows them it is one sound, not two.
- Th has two sounds (this and thin). The video mentions it lightly; teach the voiced and unvoiced difference in a separate short session.
- Follow the video with word lists for reading and spelling: ship, shop, chip, chat, thin, ring.
Tip: pause the video after each picture, ask the child to say the answer, then press play.