Kindergarten · Core Spelling
Consonant Digraphs
Nine words built on the SH, CH, and TH digraphs — ship, shop, fish, wish, chat, chin, chip, bath, and path — where two letters team up to make one new sound.
These spelling words are a good fit for students who...
- can spell short-vowel words such as “cat,” “sit,” and “run”
- recognize that sh, ch, and th each use two letters for one sound
- try spelling a new digraph word by sounding it out, even if one of the two letters sometimes gets left out
Word list
The 9 words to practice in this step
Kindergarten · Core Spelling
- ship
- shop
- fish
- wish
- chat
- chin
- chip
- bath
- path
9 words
Spelling Skills
Spelling skills for this list
Learn how each pattern works, see examples, common mistakes, and teaching guidance.
Why these words — and what they teach
Sometimes two consonant letters work together to represent one main consonant sound. This list practices three of those digraphs: sh, as in ship, shop, fish, and wish; ch, as in chat, chin, and chip; and th, as in bath and path. In a blend such as st, both consonant sounds remain audible; in these digraphs, the pair is treated as one sound unit.
This step comes after the mixed CVC review because the child has already practiced mapping individual consonant and short-vowel sounds in order. These words keep that short-vowel spelling work, but add a new job: noticing when two consonant letters should be treated as one sound unit while the rest of the word is sounded out.
How to practice this list
Say a word without showing it and ask which digraph is heard. Have your child say that pair as one sound, stretch the whole word by sound units—sh-i-p, w-i-sh, ch-i-p, or b-a-th—and then write and check it. After practicing one digraph at a time, mix sh, ch, and th words so the child must choose the pair by listening.
Writing only one letter of a digraph is a normal early error: the child may hear one sound but not yet remember that its spelling needs two letters. Point to a known example, say the pair together, and let the child repair it. If the digraph is secure but the vowel or another consonant changes, listen to that part separately rather than reteaching the pair.
When a child can spell these words in mixed order, preserve both letters of the target digraph while spelling the rest of the word, and correct an occasional omission after comparing with a known example, they are ready for the 1st Grade CVC and C/K Rule unit that follows in the Core sequence.