Letter pairs: sh, ch, th, ph, ng

Th has two sounds: think starts without voice, and this starts with voice.

Some consonant sounds in English are written with two letters. A pair of letters that makes one sound is called a digraph. The most common are sh, ch, th, ph, wh, ck and ng. When you read, do not say the two letters one by one. Say the single sound they make together. Ship is not s, h, i, p. It is sh, i, p: three sounds.

sh and ch

Sh as in ship, shop and fish is a long, soft hissing sound. Round your lips a little and push air out. Ch as in chair, chin and lunch starts with a stop and then opens into the sh sound, like t and sh joined. If you cannot hear the difference, try share and chair, or wash and watch.

Two sounds of th

Th is the pair learners talk about most. To make it, put the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth, or just behind your top teeth, and let air pass over it. There are two th sounds. In think, three and thank, your voice is off: only air. In this, that, the and mother, your voice is on: you can feel your throat buzz. Put your fingers on your throat and say thhh, then add voice. The tongue stays in the same place.

A study from Seoul National University lists the two th sounds among the English sounds that have no match in Korean. Korean speakers often replace the voiceless th with s or t, so thank sounds like sank or tank, and the voiced th with d, so they sounds like day. Keep the tongue tip out a little and make the sound long enough to hear air.

ph, wh, ck and ng

Ph sounds like f, as in phone and photo. Wh usually sounds like w, as in what and when, but in who and whole it sounds like h. Ck comes after a short vowel and sounds like k, as in back and duck. Ng as in sing, long and ring is one nasal sound made at the back of the mouth. It is like an n made with the back of the tongue, and in most words you do not hear a hard g after it.