LumiraWhat is a consonant digraph?
In a digraph, two letters work together to make a single new sound that neither letter makes on its own. Readers need to be taught explicitly that the pair is one sound, or they will try to blend two.
The tch digraph — word list
Every word below appears in the decodable book on this page, so a reader who practises the list will meet the same words again in context.
- catch
- crutch
- fetch
- hatch
- latch
- match
- notch
- patch
- stitch
- watch
- witch
Free decodable book: Decodable TCH Ending
This is an original Lumira decodable reader, written so that a child can sound out nearly every word using patterns they have already been taught. The full text is below — read it here, or open it in the app to read it together with the words highlighting as you speak.
Mia can catch. Leo can catch too. Mia and Leo can catch.
Leo has a watch. Mia has a watch too. They like it.
Mia and Leo saw a match. The match was fun.
Leo did not like the witch. Mia did not like the witch too.
Mia can fetch. Leo can fetch too. Mia and Leo fetch and fetch.
Leo had a patch. Mia had a patch too. They like it.
Catch match watch witch fetch stitch notch crutch patch latch hatch.
How to teach it
- Say the sound on its own first, several times, before showing any letters.
- Show the spelling and name it explicitly — tell the reader what it says rather than asking them to work it out.
- Blend two or three words from the list together, out loud, slowly.
- Read the decodable book above, where the pattern repeats in real sentences.
- Come back to it two or three days later. Cumulative review is what makes it stick.
Lessons that practise this pattern
tch ending
Read tch as /ch/ right after a short vowel