Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: SH at the Start vs SH at the End.
SH at the Start
SH at the End
ship
shop
shed
shell
shut
shin
shag
shade
fish
dish
wish
wash
rush
push
mash
cash
gush
hush
ash
rash
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3 Phrasing Practice Cards
Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.
the shell shop
a fish dish
she had shells
shut the shed
wish to shop
rush to the ship
cash and dash
mash and wash
hush and push
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4 RAN Chart (Rapid Naming)
Read each word in the grid as quickly as you can. Time yourself and try to beat your best time!
Decodable RAN Chart — Digraph SH
wash
ship
wash
fish
fish
fish
ship
ship
ship
shell
shell
shut
shell
wash
shut
shut
Target words: ship, fish, shell, wash, shut
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5 Word Search
Find and circle the digraph sh words hidden in the grid. Words go across, down, and diagonally — a fun way to reinforce digraph sh word recognition.
Digraph SH Word Search
S
M
F
I
S
H
J
W
D
E
S
Q
Y
H
G
H
Z
A
L
Y
H
R
S
S
S
I
U
U
W
A
I
K
U
H
H
H
B
T
L
Y
P
G
X
S
O
A
E
D
U
B
S
X
S
N
H
P
G
D
I
Q
H
H
T
G
W
D
I
S
H
M
E
C
I
K
R
I
R
N
V
Z
L
L
Z
N
L
X
S
Z
B
L
L
X
W
A
S
H
S
H
T
M
DISHFISHRUSHSHAGSHEDSHELLSHINSHIPSHOPSHUTWASHWISH
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📖 Decodable Readers for Digraph SH
Next step: once your child can sound out these words, have them read a matching decodable mini-book. Each Digraph SH reader is a printable story + coloring page using only sounds they've learned.
The SH digraph is a foundational phonics skill where two letters, S and H, combine to make a single new sound, /sh/, as heard at the beginning of "ship" or the end of "fish." This is a crucial step for kindergarten and first-grade students, building on individual letter sounds and preparing them for more complex blends. A common challenge with SH is that young learners might try to pronounce each letter separately, saying /s/ /h/ instead of /sh/, leading to mispronunciations like "s-hip" instead of "ship." They might also confuse it with other similar-sounding digraphs or blends, especially when encountering it initially or finally in words like "shed" versus "said," or "wash" versus "was." Recognizing SH as one cohesive sound is key to accurate decoding and encoding.
To effectively practice the SH digraph, utilize these worksheets purposefully. After introducing the /sh/ sound, have your child read the decodable passage "Shelly and the Shag," focusing on fluent reading and identifying SH words like "shell" and "shag." Use the word sort activity to help them categorize words based on whether SH appears at the beginning (ship, shop) or end (fish, wash), reinforcing positional awareness. The phrasing cards are excellent for building fluency and comprehension with short phrases containing SH words, such as "a red shed" or "push the cart." Finally, the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart for SH words will help build automaticity, allowing them to quickly recognize and vocalize words like "rush," "mash," and "cash" without conscious effort.
