CH Sounds — Lesson & Activities

Lesson: Three CH Sounds in English

The letters ch can make three different sounds in English:

  1. /ʃ/ — “sh” as in chef
  2. /tʃ/ — “ch” as in chair
  3. /k/ — “k” as in architect

Tip for students:

  • Words from French often use the “sh” sound.
  • Most everyday English words use the regular “ch” sound.
  • Words from Greek usually use the “k” sound.

Word Lists with CH

Study these words and their pronunciation groups.

CH = “SH” (/ʃ/)

  • chef
  • chandelier
  • champagne
  • machine
  • chic
  • brochure
  • crochet
  • cache
  • charade
  • chauffeur
  • cliché
  • chamois
  • chenille
  • ricochet
  • quiche
  • chanteuse

CH = “CH” (/tʃ/)

  • chair
  • cheese
  • chalk
  • church
  • chin
  • champion
  • children
  • choose
  • chocolate
  • check
  • chimney
  • cheek
  • cherry
  • chip
  • charm
  • chatter
  • chop
  • lunch
  • ketchup

CH = “K” (/k/)

  • architect
  • archaeology
  • chorus
  • chaos
  • character
  • Christmas
  • chemical
  • chemistry
  • ache
  • anchor
  • stomach
  • scheme
  • scholar
  • school
  • monarch
  • orchid
  • charisma
  • chasm

Activity 1 — Which CH Sound?

Choose the correct sound for each word: SH, CH, or K.

Answered: 0 / 10 · Correct: 0 / 10
```
1. champagne
2. church
3. architect
4. machine
5. character
6. check
7. chef
8. chorus
9. choose
10. chaos

```

Activity 2 — Fill in the Blanks

Choose the best word from the list. Pay attention to the ch sound.

Word bank: chef, chocolate, children, architect, school, chorus, champagne, machine

```
Filled: 0 / 6 · Correct: 0 / 6

1. At the new restaurant, the prepares amazing food in an open kitchen.

2. The at my sing a song with a beautiful .

3. The designed a modern house, and we used a special to cut the stone.

Extension (Speaking / Writing)

  • Write three sentences that use a word with CH = SH, one with CH = CH, and one with CH = K.
  • Practice saying the pairs: chef / check / character aloud with your group.
```
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