Blends and Digraphs: Putting Sounds Together

Grade 1 · English · Study Guide

Learn how consonant blends and digraphs create new sounds in words.

When two or more consonants appear together in a word, they can work in two different ways: as a blend or as a digraph.

A consonant blend is when two or three consonants appear together and you can still hear each individual sound. For example, in the word 'flag,' you can hear both the /f/ and the /l/ sounds together at the beginning. Common beginning blends include bl (black), cl (clap), fl (flag), gl (glad), pl (play), sl (sled), br (brim), cr (crab), dr (drop), fr (frog), gr (grip), pr (print), tr (trip), st (stop), sk (skip), sm (smell), sn (snap), sp (spin), sw (swim), and tw (twin).

A digraph is when two consonants come together to make one completely new sound — a sound that is different from either letter alone. For example, the letters 'sh' together make the /sh/ sound, as in 'ship.' The letters 'ch' make the /ch/ sound as in 'chip.' The letters 'th' make the /th/ sound as in 'that' or 'thin.' The letters 'wh' make the /wh/ sound as in 'when.'

Digraphs can appear at the beginning or end of words. The word 'fish' has the digraph 'sh' at the end. The word 'much' has the digraph 'ch' at the end.

Knowing blends and digraphs helps you sound out and spell many new words.

Key terms

blend

Two or three consonants together where you can still hear each sound, like 'bl' in 'black'

digraph

Two consonants together that make one new sound, like 'sh' in 'ship'

consonant

Any letter that is not a vowel — like b, c, d, f, g

sh

A digraph that makes the /sh/ sound, as in 'ship' or 'fish'

ch

A digraph that makes the /ch/ sound, as in 'chip' or 'much'

th

A digraph that makes the /th/ sound, as in 'this' or 'thin'

Flashcards

blend

Two or three consonants where you can hear each sound — example: 'fl' in flag

digraph

Two consonants that make one new sound — example: 'sh' in ship

sh

Digraph — /sh/ sound — ship, fish, shell

ch

Digraph — /ch/ sound — chip, bench, much

th

Digraph — /th/ sound — this, thin, math

wh

Digraph — /wh/ sound — when, where, wheel

bl

Blend — /b/ + /l/ sounds — black, blue, blow

fl

Blend — /f/ + /l/ sounds — flag, flat, fly

Questions

1. What is a digraph?

   1. Two vowels together
   2. Two consonants that make one new sound
   3. Three consonants together
   4. A silent letter
   Show answer

   Answer: Two consonants that make one new sound

   A digraph is two consonants that come together to make one completely new sound.

2. In a consonant blend, you can still hear the individual sounds of each consonant.

   Show answer

   Answer: True

   In a blend, you can hear both consonant sounds — like /f/ and /l/ in 'flag.'

3. Which word has the digraph 'sh'?

   1. clap
   2. frog
   3. ship
   4. step
   Show answer

   Answer: ship

   'Ship' starts with the digraph 'sh' which makes the /sh/ sound.

4. The letters 'ch' in the word 'chip' are an example of a ______.

   Show answer

   Answer: digraph

   'Ch' is a digraph because the two letters make one new sound /ch/.

5. The word 'flag' starts with a consonant blend.

   Show answer

   Answer: True

   'Flag' starts with the blend 'fl' where you can hear both /f/ and /l/.

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