Blends are when two or three letters come together and mix their sounds so that gently flow from one consonant sound to the next. An example of a blend is the word “black” where you quickly need to transition from the “b” to the “l” sound quickly.
In contrast, a digraph is a unique sound represented by two letters that makes a sound completely different from what those letters represent. For example, the “ch” in cheese doesn’t make a “c” or “h” sound at all. “Ch” instead makes its own unique sound that will need to be learned separately.
Finally, trigraphs are similar to digraphs, but instead of being represented by two letters, a trigraph is represented by three letters. A great example of a trigraph is the tch in the word “watch.”
Children learning English do not need to know these grammatical terms. However, they do need to be able to read these letters and make the correct sounds. This guide will help you master blends, digraphs, and trigraphs through common patterns, word lists, and examples so that you can get one step closer to English fluency.
Learning about Blends
Mistakes in pronouncing blends usually occur for one of two reasons. The first is being unable to switch between different sounds quickly and accurately. This problem should sort itself out as your child becomes more familiar with the sounds of English. The second problem happens when your child drops one of the sounds that make up a blend. Listen carefully to their pronunciation and make gentle corrections as necessary.
Consonant Blends Word List
To help you out, we have put together a list of common consonant blends that your child should encounter throughout their early English education. Your child probably already knows a lot of these words. If they don’t, then I imagine they will get introduced to them naturally over time.
Intro Consonant Blends Word List
Bl
Black, Blue, Blow, Blanket, Block, Blonde
Br
Brush, Brown, Broccoli, Brother, Bring, Bright, Bridge, Break, Bread, Brave, Branch, Brain
Cl
Clown, Clap, Clue, Cloud, Climb, Clean, Class, Classroom
Cr
Crazy, Crack, Crab, Cry, Crunch, Crocodile, Crayon, Create, Crash
Dr
Drive, Drip, Drop, Dry, drum, Drink, Dream, Dress, Draw, Dragon
Fl
Fly, Flat, Flush, Flower, Flip, Flavor, Flashcard, Flag, Flamingo
Fr
Fry, Freeze, Frog, Friend, Fresh
Gl
Glad, Glue
Gr
Green, Great, Grape, Grow, Group, Ground, Gross, Grin, Greedy, Grab, Grass, Grasshopper, Grandma, Grandpa, Grandparent, Grandchild, Grade
Pl
Place, Please, Plane, Plural, Plus, Plum, Plenty, Play, Playground, Plan, Planet, Plastic, Plate
Pr
Price, Pretty, Proper, Proud, Problem, Probably, Pro, Prince, Princess, Price
Tr
Trap, Truck, Trade, Traffic, Trail, Train, Trip, Trash
Tw
Twelve, Twenty, Twice, Twig, Twin, Twinkle, Twirl, Twist
Two* (does not make the w sound)
Wr
Wrong, Wreck, Wrap, Wrestle, Write
Consonant Blends with S Word List
As there are lots of blends with s, we decided to give you a separate list of consonant blends with s.
Sc
Scare, Score, Scarf, Scary
*Scissors, *Science (the c in these words are silent)
Sk
Skate, Skateboard, Skill, Skunk, Skeleton, Sky, Skip, Skin, Skirt, Ski
Sl
Slam, Slap, Slug, Slow, Sled, Slide, Slime, Slip, Slippers, Slice, Sleeve, Sleep
Sm
Small, Smack, Smooth, Smart, Smell, Smoke
Sn
Snore, Snot, Snack, Snail, Snap, Snow, Snowflake, Snowman, Sneak
Sp
Spy, Spoon, Space, Spaghetti, Spot, Sports, Sparkle, Speak, Special, Speed, Spell, Spill, spin, Spinach, Spit, Sponge
St
Stop, Stand, Still, Stairs, Stare, Star, Stick, Step, Sting, Stone, Stomach, Store, Storm, Story, Student
Sw
Swallow, Swap, Sweat, Sweater, Sweet, Swing, Swipe, Swim, Swimsuit, Switch
Sword* (does not make the w sound)
Common Ending Consonant Blends Word List
There are many ending blend patterns, so this is a list of some of the more common ones with some sample words that would be good for children to know. You do not need for your child to memorize all of them, but a well-rounded English education should have them encounter and learn these words naturally.
-mp
Lamp, Lump, Jump, Camp, Bump, Dump
-nk
Thank, Bank, Rank, Honk, Think, Drink, Blank
-nt
Ant, Pants, Went, Tent, Hint, Front, Point, Paint, Chant, Giant, Want
-lk
Milk, Walk, Talk, Chalk, Sidewalk
-lt
Salt, Melt, Adult, Fault, Result
-lf
Golf, Shelf, Wolf, Self, Half, Elf
-nd
And, End, Send, Sound, Round, Found, Wind, Hand, Find, Bind, Kind, Bend
-ft
Gift, Soft, Left, Lift, Craft
-st
Past, Must, Rust, East, West, Dust, Vest, Fast, Most, Last, Ghost, First, Worst
-sk
Ask, Disk, Risk, Desk, Mask
-rd
Word, Bird, Hard, Third, Board, Weird, Card, Yard, Lizard
-ld
Would, Could, Should, Bold, Cold, Fold, Sold, Hold, Wild, Build, Gold, World
-lp
Help, Kelp
-rk
Mark, Bark, Shark, Park, Pork, Dark
-pt
Adopt, Except, Accept, Attempt, Kept, Subtract
-ct
Act, Fact, Exact, React, Expect, Respect, Select, Object
List of Most Common Digraph Examples
Ch
Cheese, Chin, Check, Cheek, Chair, Chain, Champion, Challenge, Chance, Change, Channel, Chant, Chase, Chat, Cheer, Cheetah, Chew, Chest, Chicken, Child, Chimp, China, Chocolate, Choice, Chop, Choose
Ph
Phone
Sc
Science
Sh
Shoe, Shin, Shape, Share, Show, Shut, Shout, Shoulder, Shot, Should, Shop, Shoot, Shirt, Ship, Shiny, Shell, Shelf, Sheep, She, Shark, Shake, Shadow
Th
Thank, Thumb, thunder, Thursday, Thousand, Though, Those, This, These, That, Third, Thirsty, Think, They, Thick, Thief, Their, Them, Then, There, Their, They’re, The
Wh
White, Whale, When, Where, What, Why, Whistle, While, Wheel
List of Most Common Trigraph Examples
This is a list of the most common trigraphs found in English. for your convenience, we’ve sorted this list by beginning trigraph examples and mid/ending trigraph examples.
Beginning Trigraph Examples
Spl
Splash, Split, Spread
Sch
School, Schedule
Scr
Screen, Scrapbook, Scratch, Scream
Spr
Spring, Spread, Sprint, Spray
Str
Strength, Strong, Straight, Strawberry, Stretch, Street
Squ
Square, Squid, Squirrel, Squish, Squirt
Shr
Shrink, Shred, Shrimp, Shrug
Thr
Throat, Through, Three
Ending and Mid-Trigraph List
-air
Hair, Fair
-are
Dare, Share, Care, Bare, Rare
-dge
Edge, Fridge, Fudge, Judge
-ear
Tear, Fear, Beard, Ear, Dear
-eer
Deer, Cheer, Career
-igh
Light, High, Bright, Flight, Fight, Lightning, Right, Tonight
-ore
Core, More, Adore, Shore, Score, Store, Chore, Bored
-tch
Catch, Pitch, Patch, Itch
-ure
Sure, Cure, Pure
Is ing a Trigraph?
No, “ing” is not a trigraph. We think of “ing” as saying i + n + g, so it does not count. That being said, I often teach “ing” like a trigraph as these three letters are usually found together. I find that thinking of it as one entity makes it easier for children to learn.
How to Teach Blends, Digraphs, and Trigraphs
If you are teaching your child phonics, there is no need to teach them what a digraph or trigraph is. What you want is to get them used to recognizing these letter combinations and remembering that they make a unique sound. So it is important that they understand the sounds these digraphs and trigraphs make. However, they do not need to understand the grammar or even know of these grammatical terms.
As people who have been on this website before know, I am a big proponent of learning through reading and playing. While teaching blends, digraphs, and trigraphs, I would avoid worksheets or rote memorization of important words that fit these patterns.
Final Thoughts
Blends, digraphs, and trigraphs are important pieces of grammar for people who are teaching English to others. Although they are very similar ideas, there are small differences that make these three grammar points unique from each other. Before you start teaching your child these patterns, make sure you understand the basic concepts involved. When you start teaching, practice these patterns one-by-one and review them often. It may seem a long way off now, but practicing these English fundamentals will help make your child a fluent English speaker in no time at all. Good luck, and keep on practicing.
If you are looking for tips and tricks take a look at our post on teaching phonics to your kids and important things to know before starting your child’s phonics education.
If you need any more help, take a look at our Vowels and Consonants Resources with free flashcards, lessons, and articles to help you teach your child phonics.