What is a digraph in reading?

In reading, a digraph is a pair of letters that stand for one sound, like "sh" in "ship" or "ea" in "leaf." Knowing common digraphs helps children sound out and spell many words more easily.

What is a digraph and how is it different from a blend?

A digraph has 2 letters that make 1 sound, such as "ch" for /ch/. A blend also has 2 or 3 letters together, like "st" or "pl," but in a blend you can still hear each sound separately, such as /s/ and /t/ in "stop."

What are some common digraphs my child should know?

Common consonant digraphs include "sh," "ch," "th," "wh," and "ph." Common vowel digraphs include "ai" (rain), "ea" (team), "oa" (boat), and "ee" (tree). These patterns appear often in early reading books.

How can I help my child practice digraphs at home?

You can read aloud together and pause to point out words with digraphs, asking your child to underline or say the letter team and its sound. Simple word sorts, where your child groups words by digraph (for example, "sh" words vs. "ch" words), also build strong recognition.

What Is a Digraph? Definition and Examples

Digraph explained for kids

A digraph is when 2 letters sit side by side and make just 1 sound. In the word "ship," the letters s and h make the /sh/ sound together. In "chop," c and h make the /ch/ sound. The 2 letters are like teammates making one voice!

Examples of digraphs

Example 1 (younger readers):

Look at the word "ship." Say the sounds slowly: /sh/ /i/ /p/.

The letters s and h are next to each other.
Together they make the one sound /sh/ at the beginning of the word.
So "sh" is a digraph, because 2 letters are making 1 sound.

Now try "chop." Say the sounds: /ch/ /o/ /p/. The letters c and h make the one sound /ch/, so "ch" is a digraph too.

Example 2 (older readers in this band):

Look at the words "phone," "graph," and "elephant."

In "phone," the letters p and h together say /f/. The digraph is "ph."
In "graph," the letters p and h at the end also say /f/. Again, "ph" is a digraph.
In "elephant," the letters p and h in the middle say /f/. The same digraph shows up inside a longer word.

In all 3 words, the digraph "ph" has 2 letters but only 1 sound, /f/. Recognizing that "ph" is a digraph helps your child read and spell many words that use this pattern.

How digraphs fit into reading and spelling

Digraphs are an important part of phonics, which is learning how letters and groups of letters match sounds in spoken words. When your child knows common digraphs, it becomes much easier to sound out and spell longer or less familiar words.

Some digraphs are made from consonant letters, such as "sh," "ch," "th," "wh," and "ph." Others are made from vowel letters, such as "ai" in "rain" or "ea" in "team." In every case, the key idea is that the 2 letters are working together to stand for one sound, or one phoneme.

As your child moves through elementary grades, they will meet more complex digraphs and patterns, and they will use this knowledge to decode new words, spell more accurately, and build toward fluent reading. Digraphs also connect to skills like phonological awareness and phonemic awareness, where children listen for and work with the sounds in spoken words before or alongside print.

Common mistakes with digraphs

Thinking each letter in a digraph must be sounded separately. For example, reading "ship" as /s/ /h/ /i/ /p/ instead of /sh/ /i/ /p/. Correction: Remind your child that some letter pairs, like "sh" and "ch," make one sound together.
Mixing up digraphs that look or sound similar. A child might read "chop" as "shop" or "thin" as "then." Correction: Practice listening closely to the different sounds /ch/, /sh/, /th/, and /th/ (as in "this") and matching each sound to its correct letter pair.
Confusing digraphs with blends. A child may think "st" in "stop" is a digraph. Correction: Explain that in a blend you can still hear each sound (/s/ and /t/), but in a digraph the 2 letters make just one new sound, like /sh/ or /ch/.

Where kids see digraphs in everyday life

Digraphs show up in many words your child sees every day, such as "shop," "chair," "thumb," "white," and "photo." They appear on signs, in book titles, in game instructions, and in friends' names. Pointing out letter teams like "sh," "ch," and "th" as you read together helps your child notice and remember these common patterns.

Related terms to explore

Explore reading and language arts practice on Learning Hub

Create a free account to explore free K-12 reading and language arts practice with your child on Learning Hub.

What is a digraph?