1st Grade Ending Digraphs (sh, ch, th) Worksheets
First graders read and spell words that end in sh, ch, and th: brush, branch, tooth. Hearing the final digraph is what stops the classic spelling losses (bruch for brush), and sorting keeps ear and eye working together where words end.
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
Say each word and listen to its ending. Write it under its final sound team.
crashpeachbothwhichvanishsouthcrunchsmashmothearthdishsuch
Columns: -sh and -ch and -th. "smash" belongs under -sh; "crunch" belongs under -ch; "moth" 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. Say each word and listen to its ending. Write it under its final sound team. 15 words per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
When a word lands in the wrong column, don't fix it silently; say the word together and hold the last sound. Spelling practice can ride along: cover the word, say it, and ask which team closes it before your child writes it out.
Watch for: The same team can start one word and end another: shop and fish share the sh sound in different places. The ending is still one sound, not two; lunch ends in the single ch sound, not a c and an h.
Common questions about ending digraphs (sh, ch, th)
- What spelling mistakes does this sort prevent?
- The missing-h family: bruch for brush, mont for month, mat for math. A first grader who has sorted dozens of -sh, -ch, and -th words expects two letters at the end and writes them as a unit instead of guessing.
- Why isn't catch on this worksheet?
- Catch, match, and pitch end in a three-letter spelling, tch, that says the same ch sound. It's a real pattern with its own rule (short vowels usually take tch), but mixing it in would muddy a two-letter sort. It gets its own moment later.
Related worksheets
Ready to print one?
One page, answer key included. A fresh version every time you click.
Aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.a. Reviewed by the One More Sheet curriculum team. Content version 68, updated July 2026.