Consonant Blends and Digraphs Worksheets
23 worksheets · Sounds & spelling
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Blends & digraphs worksheets
23 printable worksheets with answer keys.
Warm-ups and fillers
Quick Fun Corner activities on the same theme: no preparation.
- Tongue twister · KidsSounds: /θ/ and /t/; /ɜr/
- Tongue twister · KidsSounds: /f/ and /fl/; /ð/ in feathers
About Blends & digraphs
A consonant blend is two or three consonants next to each other in which each sound is still heard: bl in black, st in stop, tr in tree, spr in spring. A digraph is two letters that spell a single sound: sh (ship), ch (chip), th (thin, this), ph (phone), wh (when) and ck (duck).
Blends and digraphs are core phonics content for young learners, usually after single letter sounds and CVC words, and are revisited at A2 for spelling. Learners often read digraphs as two separate sounds (s-h for sh), drop one consonant from a blend (sop for stop), or insert a vowel to break up the cluster (sitop), a common first-language transfer.
This page provides printable blends and digraphs worksheets with answer keys, including picture sorting, word building and reading tasks, which you can print as PDF or complete online via a class link.
Teaching tips: Blends & digraphs
- Teach digraphs as one unit on a single card (sh, ch) so learners see and say them as one sound.
- Watch for vowel insertion in blends, such as 'sipoon' for spoon; practice holding the first consonant and sliding into the second.
- Contrast th voiceless /θ/ (thin) and voiced /ð/ (this) with a hand on the throat to feel the vibration.
- Use word-building tasks that add a letter to make a blend: lip → slip, top → stop.
Questions teachers ask
What is the difference between a blend and a digraph?
In a blend each consonant keeps its own sound (b + l in blue), while a digraph makes one new sound (s + h = /ʃ/ in shop).
Is 'ck' a digraph?
Yes. It spells one /k/ sound and normally appears straight after a short vowel, as in duck, back and sock.
Which digraphs should I teach first?
Most programs begin with sh, ch, th and ck because they are frequent in simple words, followed by wh, ph and ng.