Focused phonics guideConsonant patterns
How should children read ch without sounding c and h separately?
Quick answer
In early phonics, ch is commonly taught as one grapheme representing /ch/ in words such as chat, chip and much. Less common pronunciations can be introduced later.
Pattern to notice
CH digraph
ch
How to teach this pattern
- Begin with the frequent early correspondence and already taught vowels.
- Later contrast alternative pronunciations as vocabulary expands.
Common confusions to watch for
- Saying separate c and h sounds instead of recognising the digraph.
- Introducing /k/ in chemist or /sh/ in chef before the main pattern is secure.
Simple practice ideas
- Highlight ch as one grapheme before blending.
- Sort decoded words with ch at the beginning and end.
Learning sequence
Helpful first
What can come next
Explore related phonics patterns
More from consonant patterns
These links are selected from the published Tiny Steps phonics graph, prioritising nearby patterns in the same family before adjacent curriculum concepts.
KN and the silent KIn familiar words beginning with kn, the spelling represents /n/: knot sounds like not. Children can recognise the written pair while attending to the single initial sound.NG digraphN and g frequently work together as the grapheme ng, representing /ng/ in words such as sing, ring and long.SH digraphThe letters s and h frequently work together as the digraph sh, representing /sh/ in words such as ship, shop and fish.TH: voiced and voicelessTH commonly represents two related sounds: voiceless /th/ as in thin and voiced /th/ as in this. Children benefit from hearing and feeling the contrast.
Related Tiny Steps resources
Keep the pattern inside the bigger reading pathway
Need help finding the actual gap?
Use an assessment when practice alone is not showing what is stuck.
The focused guide explains one pattern. A broader assessment can separate sound knowledge, blending, decoding, spelling and fluency needs.