Consonant sounds & digraphs
Match consonant sounds, digraphs and blends to the letters that spell them.
Consonant sounds and digraphs cover the single consonants, the two-letter sounds (sh, ch, th, wh, ck) and blends (bl, st, tr). Single letters are Kindergarten work; digraphs and blends run through Grade 1. The distinction matters: a digraph is one sound written with two letters, a blend is two sounds kept together. Children who treat sh as s plus h will misread ship, and children who write blends with one letter (sop for stop) have not yet heard both sounds. Expect th to be the slowest — it has a voiced and an unvoiced form. These worksheets match sounds to pictures and complete words with the missing digraph or blend; the games test hearing before spelling.
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Games that practise it
Teacher FAQ
What is a digraph?
Two letters that make one sound: sh, ch, th, wh, ck. A blend, by contrast, is two consonants that each keep their sound, like st or bl.
Which digraph takes longest to learn?
th, because it has two sounds (this / thin) and neither exists in many other languages.
When are blends taught?
Grade 1, after single consonants and short vowels are secure, since a blend only makes sense once each consonant sound is known.