SH Digraph: Word List & Practice
SH Digraph words follow one repeating pattern, so a child who can read one of them has most of what they need to read the rest. This list has 14 kindergarten–grade 1-level words plus 4 decodable sentences. Practice them out loud — the most common error is trying to sound out 's' and 'h' as two separate sounds.
- ship
- shop
- shed
- shell
- shine
- share
- fish
- wish
- dish
- cash
- wash
- brush
- crash
- flash
Practice these words out loud
Have your child read these sentences to Word Wiz AI. It listens and shows exactly which sounds they missed, not just whether the word was right. Free, no sign-up needed to try.
Try these out loudDecodable Sentences
Every word in these sentences uses sounds your child has already learned, so they can be read by decoding rather than guessing.
- The ship will shop for a shell.
- Wish for fish in the dish.
- Wash the cash and brush.
- Share the shine, then crash.
How to Teach SH Digraph Words
The digraph 'sh' is usually the very first two-letter-one-sound combination a child learns, and it is worth being explicit about what makes it different from a blend: in a blend like 'st,' you can still hear both the /s/ and the /t/, but in 'sh,' the s and h disappear completely into one brand-new sound that neither letter makes on its own. Say 'sh' by itself, finger to lips, and have your child feel that it is a single continuous sound rather than two clicks.
'Sh' shows up at the beginning ('ship,' 'shop'), the end ('fish,' 'wish'), and occasionally in the middle of words, so give your child practice spotting it in all three positions rather than only at the start of a word. A quick sorting game — cards with 'sh' at the beginning versus the end — helps children notice the digraph regardless of where it lands.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Trying to sound out 's' and 'h' as two separate sounds
- Confusing 'sh' with 'ch' since both are common early digraphs
- Missing 'sh' when it appears at the end of a word instead of the beginning