The /sh/ and /ch/ sounds can be tricky for many learners. Whether it’s “chip” vs. “ship” or “mash” vs. “match,” minimal pairs give students repeated practice hearing and producing these similar sounds until they can confidently tell them apart. That’s why working with minimal pairs SH and CH is such an important part of phonics and speech instruction.
In this post, I’ll share why sh ch minimal pairs matter, how they connect to digraphs sh and ch digraphs, and my favorite activities and resources to make practice both effective and engaging.
Why Focus on SH and CH Minimal Pairs?
Both /sh/ and /ch/ are digraphs—two letters that make one sound. Because the tongue placement is similar, students often confuse them in both reading and spelling. This is especially common for:
- Early readers still learning digraphs sh and digraphs ch
- English language learners
- Students with speech sound errors
Working with minimal pairs sh and ch gives students the chance to compare the two sounds directly. This not only improves speech clarity but also supports decoding and encoding in reading and writing.
For more on how minimal pairs fit into structured literacy, see my post on Affricate Sound Activities to Help with Auditory Discrimination or my post on TH, V, and F Made Fun.
Targeted Practice for CH vs. SH
To give students plenty of hands-on, visual practice with sh ch minimal pairs, I created a dedicated CH vs SH Word Sort.
It includes:
- 7 different pre-done sorts covering words that start or end with /sh/ or /ch/
- 130 picture cards to make your own sorts. Making this activity accessible to all learners!
You can use these sorts in small groups, literacy centers, or intervention sessions. The visual support and repeated exposure help students quickly recognize which sound belongs in each word, reinforcing both digraphs sh and digraphs ch.
More Activities that Strengthen SH and CH Sound Discrimination
While my dedicated CH vs SH Word Sort gives students targeted practice with these two sounds, it works even better when paired with other activities that reinforce digraphs sh and digraphs ch in a variety of contexts.
For example, my Beginning and Ending Digraph Word Sort gives students the chance to compare /sh/ and /ch/ alongside other digraphs, helping them notice patterns across different positions in words. This is especially useful for learners who can recognize a sound at the start of a word but struggle to hear it at the end—or vice versa.
Once students are comfortable identifying the sounds, games like Beginning and Ending Digraph Roll and Read or Beginning and Ending Digraph Word Bump add an element of fun and repetition that keeps practice engaging. Both games allow for multiple exposures to the same target words in a single session, which is essential for mastering sound discrimination.
For even more variety, my Beginning and Ending Digraph Phonics Board Games provide a familiar, replayable format that works well in literacy centers or small group intervention. Because the game format stays consistent, you can swap in new word lists without reteaching the rules—keeping students focused on sh ch minimal pairs rather than game setup.
By rotating these activities throughout the week, students get multiple opportunities to hear, read, and write words with /sh/ and /ch/, solidifying their ability to distinguish between the two.
You can SUBSCRIBE to access my free ch vs. sh phonics board game in my resource library or click here to access it on TPT. If you’re already subscribed, simply go to the Freebie Library to download it right away.
Teaching Tips for SH and CH
When introducing digraphs sh and digraphs ch, I recommend:
- Modeling each sound clearly and discussing how your mouth moves differently for each
- Using mirrors so students can see the placement of their lips and tongue
- Providing both auditory and visual practice—like hearing a word, saying it, and then sorting its picture
- Revisiting these digraphs in different contexts to ensure retention
You can read more about how I teach specifically sounds in Learning Blends in Phonics: Games and Resources That Build Confidence.
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