Ch words: beginning ch, ending ch and tch
Ch is the sharp sound in chin and lunch, a bit like a small sneeze. Hear every word, learn when to write tch instead of ch, and try the listening game.
Ch words list (48 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
Ch at the beginning
Ch at the end
Tch at the end (after a short vowel)
Ch words game: listen and find
Hear a word from the list and pick it from four look-alike words. Eight rounds, about two minutes.
Ch words spelling game: build the word
Hear a word and build it from letter tiles, one sound at a time. Letter pairs like sh or ck come as one tile, because they spell one sound. Six rounds.
Short answer
What are ch words?
Ch words contain the consonant digraph ch, two letters that spell the single sound /ch/, as in chin, chip, lunch and beach. At the end of a word, the sound is spelled tch straight after a short vowel (catch, itch) and ch after a consonant or a long vowel (lunch, peach), with a few common exceptions such as much, such and rich. Ch is usually taught alongside sh and th, just after CVC words.
- Ch is a digraph: c and h together make one sound, /ch/.
- After a short vowel at the end of a one-syllable word, /ch/ is usually spelled tch: catch, fetch, itch.
- Much, such, rich and which are common exceptions that end in ch after a short vowel.
- Ch can also say /k/ as in school and /sh/ as in chef, but /ch/ is by far the most common sound.
About ch words
The /ch/ sound is a quick stop-and-release: the tongue presses up behind the top teeth, then lets the air out in a short burst, with the lips pushed forward. Unlike /sh/, it cannot be stretched; say it once, crisply. Children often find it helpful to think of ch as a little sneeze, which also makes it easier to tell apart from the long, quiet /sh/.
Start with the beginning ch words that have a short vowel: chin, chip, chop, chat and chest. The child sees ch, says one sound, and blends the rest. Then move to ch at the end of words, first after a consonant (lunch, bench, inch) and then after a vowel team (beach, peach, coach). Words like cheese, chair and choose use vowel spellings that come later in most programmes, so they can wait.
The third group shows a useful spelling rule. When /ch/ comes straight after a short vowel at the end of a one-syllable word, it is almost always spelled tch: catch, fetch, itch, hutch. The t is silent and just keeps the vowel short, much like ck does for /k/. The main exceptions are much, such, rich and which, and they are worth learning as a small set. Watch is on the list too, but its vowel is not a short a, so treat it as a word to learn by practice.
Ch words in sentences
Decodable sentences: every word can be sounded out with the patterns on this page, plus a few very common words.
- The chick is on the bench.
- I can chop a bunch of chips.
- We had lunch at the beach.
- Sit on the chair and munch a peach.
- Check the chest for a gold chain.
- The dog can catch and fetch.
- The coach can teach us to pitch.
- I have an itch on my chin.
- Watch the chimp chew.
Common mix-ups with ch words
Ch and sh (chop and shop)
Hold your hand in front of your mouth. /sh/ is a long stream of air; /ch/ is a short puff. Read pairs like chip and ship, chin and shin, much and mush, and have your child feel the difference.
Ch and j (chin and jam)
/ch/ and /j/ are made in the same place; /j/ just uses the voice. Put a hand on the throat: it buzzes for /j/ and stays still for /ch/. Compare chin and jin, chest and jest, chunk and junk.
Ch that says /k/ or /sh/
In school, chorus and stomach, ch says /k/; in chef and machine it says /sh/. These come from other languages and are best taught later, as words to learn. On this page every ch says /ch/.
Ch words activities
Train sound game
Chugging trains say ch-ch-ch. Read words from the list and some sh words; your child moves their arms like train wheels only when they hear /ch/. This builds listening for the sound before reading it.
Ch or tch sort
Write ending words on cards: lunch, bench, peach, catch, itch, fetch. Sort them into two piles and look at the letter just before the /ch/. Your child should notice that tch follows a single short vowel.
Word building
Use letter tiles, with ch on one tile. Build chip, then swap letters to make chop, chat, chin, then move ch to the end: inch, bench, lunch. Reading each new word aloud shows ch works in both positions.
Chalk and say
Outside or on a board, write ch in big chalk letters while saying /ch/. Then write whole words from the list, saying each sound as you write. Big arm movements help the letters stick for many children.
Ch words: frequently asked questions
What are some easy ch words?
Chin, chip, chop, chat, chest, chick, much, such, rich, lunch, bunch and inch. They have short vowels, so every other letter makes one sound.
When do you use tch instead of ch?
Use tch right after a single short vowel at the end of a one-syllable word: catch, fetch, itch, hutch. Use ch after a consonant (lunch, bench) or a vowel team (beach, coach). Much, such, rich and which break the rule.
Is tch a digraph?
Tch is often called a trigraph: three letters for one sound. The t is silent. Many teachers simply call it the tch spelling of /ch/.
Why does ch sound like k in some words?
Words like school, echo and character came into English from Greek, where ch stood for a /k/-like sound. They are taught later, as a separate pattern.
Practise next
- Sh wordsSh is the quiet sound in ship and fish, the one you make when you ask someone to be quiet. Hear every word, read the sentences, and try the listening game.
- Th wordsTh is the digraph where the tongue peeks out between the teeth. It has two sounds, the quiet one in thin and the buzzing one in this. Hear every word and try the game.
- Ck wordsCk is the /k/ sound at the end of duck, sock and kick. It only comes after a short vowel, which makes it a clear rule to learn. Hear every word and try the game.
- Consonant blendsA consonant blend is two consonants side by side where you still hear both sounds, like fr in frog and st in nest. Hear every word, read the sentences, and play the game.