Consonant blends and digraphs are two phonics skills often taught in late Kindergarten and first grade. 

Many consonant blends and digraphs appear similar, as 2-letter combinations like "fl" and "sh." However, blends and digraphs are different in nature and should therefore be taught differently.

In this article, we'll explore these two phonics skills in depth, as well as provide guidance for when and how to teach them.

What is the difference between blends and digraphs?

Blends are made up of consonants that represent separate sounds, such as "pl" in "plum," the "st" in "fast," or the "spr" in "spring." They are sometimes called consonant clusters.

From those examples above, you probably noticed that:

• Blends can be made up of 2 or 3 letters
• Blends can come at the beginning or end of a word

In a blend, each letter retains its individual sound (this is important!). For example, in the word brag, you can still hear the individual /b/ and /r/ sounds in the "br" blend.

This is different from a digraph. A digraph is a two-letter combination that represents a single sound (phoneme). There are consonant digraphs and vowel digraphs, but we'll focus on consonant digraphs here. 

A consonant digraph is made up of two letters that work together to create a unique consonant sound. For example, in the word "shed," the s and h work together to make the /sh/ sound. Another example is the "ch" in "much."

When should you teach blends and digraphs?

Different phonics programs cover blends and digraphs at different times. Developmental spelling research indicates that students usually master digraphs before they master consonant blends. Children typically master both skills after learning short vowels but before mastering long vowels.

Here's how our phonics program, From Sounds to Spelling, covers consonant digraphs:

Kindergarten: ch, sh, th, wh, ck (a high level of spelling mastery is not yet expected with wh and ck); "qu" is also taught/reviewed in this unit, even though it can technically be considered a blend of the sounds /kw/

1st grade: review ch, sh, th, wh, qu, ck; ng words are also introduced

2nd grade: review ch, sh, th, wh, qu, ck, ng

Here's how the phonics program covers consonant blends:

Kindergarten: introduce initial s blends, initial l blends, initial r blends 

1st Grade: review initial s, l, r blends (only 2-letter blends, omit the 3-letter blends listed above), teach final blends, teach digraph-blend -nch

2nd Grade: review initial and final blends, teach 3-letter blends, teach remaining digraph-blends

Helpful hint: even when you've moved on to other spelling patterns (like long vowels), it's relatively easy to have students keep practicing digraphs and blends blends. For example, if you're working on silent e, you can work on the words broke, drive, prime, shape, etc. 

How should I teach digraphs and blends?

When you're working with students on digraphs, a first step is for them to learn the digraph pairs and recognize the pairs in the context of words.

We want students to, for example, sound out the word "shop" as /sh/ /o/ /p/, not /s/ /h/ /o/ /p/. It's very normal for students not to recognize the pairs in context, even after you've taught them - it takes time and practice!

When you're working on blends, remind students that each letter retains its unique sound. Students do not need to memorize all the different consonant blends - they just need to practice blending sounds together.

In the From Sounds to Spelling phonics program, there are many opportunities for students to work with digraphs and blends. For example, students will:

• Blend to read words with digraphs and blends blends (example: the teacher has 4 cards with individual letters, s-t-e-p; students say /s/ /t/ /e/ /p/, step OR the teacher has 3 cards with digraphs and letters, r-u-sh; students say /r/ /u/ /sh/, rush)
• Write words with blends on whiteboards; make blend words using magnetic letters or magnetic letter tiles
• Circle, underline, or highlight words with digraphs BEFORE reading a decodable text with digraphs (this helps students recognize digraphs in context and makes it more likely that they'll be able to read them correctly!)
• "Does It Have the Digraph?" game (students show "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" if a picture has a specific digraph - this helps them distinguish between sounds like /sh/, /s/, and /h/; you can play this whole group, small group, and eventually students can play with a partner)

To learn more about how the From Sounds to Spelling phonics program helps build students’ understanding of digraphs, blends, and many other phonics concepts, click here.