Two adjacent letters do not always work in the same way. In ship, sh represents one sound. In stop, the beginning letters s and t represent two sounds. Knowing the difference helps you model a word accurately.
What is a digraph?
A digraph is two letters representing one phoneme in a particular word. In ship, the three phonemes are represented by sh – i – p. Count sounds, not simply letters. The word has four letters but three phonemes.
Other examples include ch in chat and th in thin. The letters th can represent a different sound in this. Use words and sound models matched to what your child is being taught rather than introducing every variation at once.
What is a consonant blend?
In a consonant cluster, often called a blend in teaching materials, each consonant sound remains audible. In stop, say the /s/ and /t/ without inserting an extra vowel between them. In flag, the first two sounds are /f/ and /l/.
Sh in ship is a digraph, not a two-sound consonant blend. A child also needs to know the vowel and ending pattern; identifying the beginning alone is not enough to read the word.
Try a sound-and-print activity
Use ship and stop only if the relevant patterns are familiar. Write one word, read it together and move a counter for each sound. For ship, use three counters; for stop, use four.
Then underline the spelling representing each sound. Keep sh together. Model the whole word again and ask what it means. If your child cannot hear the sounds, demonstrate and keep the activity short.
Make a word chain that actually changes one part
With taught patterns, try ship → shop → chop. First change the vowel spelling, then change sh to ch. Read each word and discuss its meaning. Describe the change accurately: the second change replaces a two-letter spelling representing one sound.
Do not use a picture book as independent decoding practice merely because some pages contain target sounds. Ask for a passage matched to all the child’s taught patterns.
When a consonant disappears
If your child reads “top” for stop, point to the whole beginning and model both sounds. Tell the teacher the exact printed word and response. A pronunciation or reading observation alone does not establish its cause.
Related reading
- My Child Knows Letter Sounds but Cannot Blend: What Can I Try?
- Short and Long Vowels: Compare Familiar Word Patterns
Discuss your child’s next step
If you would like help choosing suitable reading practice, book a complimentary assessment or explore our reading programme.
