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 th 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.
- bath
- math
- moth
- path
- that
- the
- them
- then
- thin
- this
- thud
- with
Free decodable book: Decodable Digraph TH
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.
Seth had a bath. Beth had a bath. Seth and Beth had a bath.
Seth is thin. Beth is thin too. Seth and Beth had a bath.
Seth did sit on the path. Beth did sit on the path. Seth and Beth sat on the path.
This is a moth. That is a moth too. Seth and Beth had this and that.
Seth had math. Beth had math. Seth and Beth had math with them.
Seth sat. Then Beth sat. Then Seth and Beth had a bath.
Seth had a moth. Beth had a moth. Kit had them.
Seth can sit with Beth. Beth can sit with Seth. Seth and Beth sit with them.
That cat sat on that mat. This cat sat on this mat. Seth and Beth had that cat.
Seth did thud. Beth did thud. Seth and Beth had a big thud.
This that then them with bath path moth math thin thud.
Seth had a bath. Then Beth had a bath. Seth and Beth had this and that.
This moth is thin. That moth is not thin. Seth and Beth had them.
This that then them with bath path moth math thin thud.
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
Build words: th digraph
Read th as one sound — voiceless at the start, often softer at the end
Word sort: sh, ch, th, wh
Sort words by their initial consonant digraph