Consonant Digraph Word-Building Worksheet: sh, ch, th Practice

Writing and Handwriting Paper Guides

This worksheet helps learners build and write words containing the consonant digraphs sh, ch, and th. A digraph is two letters that work together to make one sound. Here, sh, ch, and th each represent a single sound at the start, middle, or end of a word. Learners use picture clues and a word bank to complete words, then write them neatly using a simple handwriting convention. The convention defines x-height as the distance from the baseline to the midline, and allows valid letter-style alternatives. All tasks are self-contained: where a picture clue is needed, the text describes it. Numerical values in examples are hypothetical and should be replaced by measurements of the actual paper and writing tools used.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Understanding the Three Digraphs

The digraph sh appears in words such as ship, fish, and brush. The digraph ch appears in words such as chip, lunch, and bench. The digraph th appears in words such as thin, bath, and moth. Each digraph can be at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word. When building a word, say the whole word aloud, listen for the digraph sound, and decide which two letters make that sound.

A word bank lists words that fit the task. Use the bank to check spelling after you have tried to build the word from the picture clue. The picture clues in this worksheet are described in words so that the tasks work without images. For example, a picture clue for ship might be described as a large boat that travels on the sea.

1. Say the name of the picture clue aloud.
2. Listen for the sh, ch, or th sound in the word.
3. Write the missing letters in the blank spaces.
4. Check the completed word against the word bank.
5. Read the whole word aloud to confirm it makes sense.

Handwriting Convention for This Worksheet

Use a baseline, a midline, and a top line on your paper. The x-height is the distance from the baseline to the midline. Lowercase letters such as a, c, e, i, j, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, and z sit between the baseline and the midline; i and j have dots above the x-height body. Letters with ascenders, such as b, d, h, k, l, and t, reach above the midline toward the top line. Letters with descenders, such as g, j, p, q, and y, go below the baseline. The digraph letters sh, ch, and th follow the same rules: the s, c, and t are x-height letters, while the h has an ascender.

Letter styles vary. A learner may use a printed style, a joined style, or a rounded style, as long as the letters are legible and consistent. The rubric below allows valid alternatives. Do not treat one style as the only correct answer. Measure your own paper and writing tools to set spacing; any numbers given here are hypothetical examples only.

1. Draw or identify a baseline and a midline on your paper.
2. Write the x-height letters so they touch the baseline and reach the midline.
3. Write h with its ascender reaching above the midline.
4. Keep spaces between words roughly the width of one lowercase o, measured on your own paper.
5. Check that every digraph is written as two separate letters that sit close together.

Building Words with Picture Clues and a Word Bank

Each task gives a picture clue in words, a word bank, and blank spaces. The blank spaces show where the digraph belongs. For example, a clue might describe a small round piece used as a game token or eaten as a snack, and the blank spaces might be _ _ p. The word bank includes chip, ship, and thin. Only chip matches both the clue and the _ _ p pattern: ship is a boat, and thin does not end in p. So the correct word is chip, completed by the digraph ch.

When a word has the digraph in the middle or at the end, the same process applies. Say the word, isolate the digraph sound, and write the two letters in the correct position. Use the word bank to confirm spelling. If the word bank contains more words than blanks, cross out words as you use them.

1. Read the picture clue description.
2. Say the word aloud and identify the digraph sound.
3. Find a word in the word bank that matches the clue and contains the digraph.
4. Write the missing letters in the blank spaces.
5. Read the completed word and check it against the clue.

Checking Your Work

After completing each word, check three things: the digraph letters are correct, the word matches the clue, and the handwriting follows the convention. For handwriting, check that x-height letters reach the midline and that h has an ascender. Allow valid style alternatives. For spelling, compare with the word bank. For meaning, read the word aloud and ask whether it names the thing described in the clue.

A simple check method is to cover the word bank, write the word from memory, then uncover the bank and compare. If the word is correct, move to the next task. If not, say the word again, isolate the digraph sound, and rewrite the word.

1. Cover the word bank and write the word from memory.
2. Uncover the bank and compare letter by letter.
3. Check the digraph position: beginning, middle, or end.
4. Check handwriting against the convention, allowing style alternatives.
5. Read the word aloud to confirm it matches the clue.

Worked example

Picture clue: a small round piece used as a game token or eaten as a snack. Blank spaces: _ _ p. Word bank: chip, ship, thin. Build the word and write it using the handwriting convention.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Writing the digraph letters too far apart, so sh looks like two separate sounds. Write the two digraph letters close together, closer than the space between two separate words, while keeping each letter legible.
• Using the wrong digraph, such as writing th when the word needs sh. Say the word aloud, isolate the target sound, and compare it with the three digraph sounds before writing.
• Making x-height letters too tall or too short. Use the baseline and midline as guides: x-height letters touch the baseline and reach the midline. Measure your own paper to set these lines.
• Ignoring the picture clue and choosing any word from the bank. Read the clue description carefully, say the word it describes, and then find the matching word in the bank.

Self-check rubric

• Digraph accuracy: the correct digraph (sh, ch, or th) is used in each word.
• Word meaning: the completed word matches the picture clue description.
• Spelling: the completed word matches the word bank entry.
• Handwriting convention: x-height letters touch the baseline and reach the midline; h has an ascender; digraph letters sit close together.
• Style flexibility: printed, joined, or rounded letter styles are accepted if legible and consistent.
• Neatness: spaces between words are roughly one lowercase o wide, measured on the learner's own paper.

Questions and answers