Phonics worksheet · Digraphs and blends

Digraph: wh

wh at the start of words: read and trace whale, when and wheel, color the wh words, finish six words with wh and read a sentence. All the question words are here.

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Grade level
1st grade
Time
About 15 minutes
Answer key
Yes, page 2 of the PDF
Kids practice
Digraphs, Consonant blends, Spelling rules, Decoding longer words

What kids do

“wh starts a lot of question words! Read, trace, find and sort the wh words.”

Printed on the sheet:

  1. 2. Read and trace whale when whip wheel white whisk
  2. 3. Color every word with wh
  3. 4. Write wh or w to finish each word
  4. Tip: wh only comes at the start of a word. Most question words start with it: what, when, where, which, why.
  5. 5. Read the sentence. Trace the wh words.
  6. When did the white whale swim by?
  7. 6. Draw a whale on a wheel

Teacher tip

Blow on your hand for /wh/. Make a list of question words together.

How to use it

  • Teach a digraph as “two letters, one sound” and a blend as “two letters, two sounds”.
  • Use a hand motion for each digraph, like a finger on lips for sh.
  • Say every word on the sheet together before kids start, stretching the sounds.

Watch for

th has two sounds (thin and this). Accept both when kids read.

Talk about it

  • Do you hear two sounds or one new sound?
  • What sound does this letter or letter team make?

Take it further

Go on a digraph hunt in a classroom book and tally sh, ch and th.

US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.

More digraphs and blends worksheets

Digraph Sound Boxes: free printable phonics worksheet
1st grade

Digraph Sound Boxes

Sound boxes for words with sh, ch, th and ck: ship, chin, fish, duck, bath and moth. The two letters of a digraph share one box because they make one sound.

See all 200 phonics worksheets

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