Digraph and Blend Chart
Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. Blends are two sounds said fast.
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How to do it
- Say each picture's name.
- Look at the two blue letters.
- Make the sound on its own.
Teaching tip
Digraphs make one new sound. Blends keep both sounds. Have your child tell you which is which. This sheet is aligned with Common Core RF.1.3a.
About this chart
The four digraphs and fourteen blends, each with a picture, on one page.
What kids practice
A digraph is two letters that make one new sound, like sh in ship, ch in chair, th in thumb and wh in whale. A blend is two letters next to each other where you still hear both sounds, like cr in crab or st in star. First graders learn to read and spell both. Blends and digraphs are the next step in phonics after short vowel words.
Watch for
- Reading digraph letters separately, like /s/ /h/ /i/ /p/ for ship.
- Mixing up ch and sh. Have your child feel the puff of air on ch.
- Dropping the second letter of a blend, like reading sed for sled.
- Saying f for th (fumb for thumb). That's common and usually fades with practice.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full blends and digraphs phonics guide for 1st grade.
More sheets in this set
2. Digraph PicturesEight pictures with sh, ch, th or wh at the start or end of the word.
3. Fill in the DigraphTen picture words with the digraph missing at the start or end.
4. Fill in the BlendTen picture words that start with a blend like cr, st, fl or sw.
5. Digraph SortTwelve words to sort by digraph.
6. Which Word Fits?Ten sentences with a missing blend or digraph word and two choices.
7. Color by DigraphA hidden picture made of words with sh, ch, th, wh and ck. Includes an answer key.