Consonant Digraphs and Final -ck

These words practice sh, ch, th, and wh at the beginning of short-vowel words, then revisit final ck in back, duck, sock, and check. Grouping them together reinforces one important idea: a single consonant sound may require a two-letter spelling. The digraph determines the beginning of ship, chin, thin, and when, while the child still maps the remaining sounds in order.

This lesson follows the FLOSS Rule because children have already seen that the number of written letters does not always match the number of sounds. Here the two-letter spelling represents one sound unit rather than a doubled final consonant convention. Wh remains a useful spelling pattern even for speakers who pronounce when and whip with the same initial sound as w words.

How to practice this list

Say a word without showing it and ask which target sound is heard and where it occurs. Have your child map the word by spelling parts—for example, sh-i-p, ch-a-t, th-i-n, or du-ck—then write and check it. Practice one digraph at a time before mixing sh, ch, th, and wh; keep final ck words in the mix so the child must also attend to position.

Writing sip for ship or cin for chin is a normal early attempt: the child may hear one sound but not yet remember its two-letter spelling. Point to a known example, say the digraph as one sound unit, and let the child repair it. The two common pronunciations of th, heard in words such as thin and this, use the same th spelling; do not require a child to change their home pronunciation.

When your child can spell these words in mixed order, preserve both letters of the target digraph or final ck, and correct an occasional one-letter attempt after comparing it with a known word, they are ready for Beginning Consonant Blends.