1st Grade Beginning Digraphs (sh, ch, th) Worksheets
First graders are expected to know the common consonant digraphs on sight: sh as in shell, ch as in chair, th as in thumb. Sorting words by their opening team builds the automatic recognition that turns sound-by-sound decoding into smooth reading.
Free printable PDF, aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.a. One skill per page, answer key on page two.
Every sheet is one of a kind and prints with a version code, so you can reprint the exact same one later. New version every click.
The kind of words you'll sort
Write each word from the bank under its beginning sound.
thoseshipshadethatchinshoutchatcharmtherechurchthirteenshower
Columns: sh and ch and th. "shade" belongs under sh; "church" belongs under ch; "that" belongs under th.
Every print draws a fresh mix of word lists at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Sorting. Write each word from the bank under its beginning sound. 15 words per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
The reliable check is the mouth itself: sh pushes air with rounded lips, ch pops like a sneeze, th puts the tongue between the teeth. When a word stalls a reader mid-sort, have them say it to a partner and watch what their mouth does first.
Watch for: A digraph is two letters but only one sound. Ship starts with one sound, not two. Th actually makes two close sounds (thin and this); both are spelled the same way.
Common questions about beginning digraphs (sh, ch, th)
- Why do sh, ch, and th matter so much in 1st grade?
- They appear constantly in early books, and the grade-1 phonics standard expects children to know them cold. A reader who still sounds out s-h-i-p letter by letter stalls; one who sees sh as a unit reads ship in one beat.
- My child mixes up ch and sh. Any tricks?
- Exaggerate the mouth feel: sh is the quiet-in-the-library sound that can stretch forever, while ch is a quick sneeze that can't. Have your child hold each sound as long as possible; ch gives itself away by stopping short.
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Aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.a. Reviewed by the One More Sheet curriculum team. Content version 68, updated July 2026.