Digraphs, Blends and Spelling Patterns: Grade 1 Study Guide
After the single letter sounds, children learn that some letters work together to make one sound.
A digraph is two letters that make one sound: sh in ship, ch in chip, th in thin and wh in whale. A blend is two or three letters whose sounds are said quickly together, but each is still heard: st in stop, bl in blue, str in street.
Grade 1 also introduces long vowels. The silent e at the end of a word changes the vowel sound before it: cap becomes cape, kit becomes kite, hop becomes hope.
Sounds that go together
| Pattern | Type | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| sh, ch, th, wh | Digraph | ship, chat, this, when |
| bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl | L-blend | blue, clap, flag |
| br, cr, dr, fr, gr, tr | R-blend | bring, crab, drum |
| st, sp, sk, sn, sm | S-blend | stop, spin, skip |
| a_e, i_e, o_e, u_e | Silent e | make, bike, hope, cube |
Blending and spelling
To read an unknown word, look for patterns. In shrimp, spot the digraph sh, the blend mp and the short vowel i. To spell a word, stretch the sounds and write a letter or letter pair for each. chip has three sounds: /ch/ /i/ /p/ (3 sounds, 4 letters).
ship
/sh/ /i/ /p/ = 3
sh, i, p
Read it back.
Endings and word families
Add -s or -es to make more than one (cat → cats, dish → dishes). Add -ing to show action happening now (jump → jumping) and -ed for the past (jump → jumped). Word families such as -at (cat, hat, mat) and -ight (light, night) help with spelling because the ending stays the same.
Worked examples and common mistakes
Read: The frog on the log can jump up the hill. Spell: 'brave' is /b/ /r/ /ā/ /v/ with silent e. Common mistakes: forgetting the silent e (writing 'kit' for 'kite'), reversing blends and breaking digraphs (reading 'sh' as /s/ + /h/). Use letter tiles to move the e on and off and hear the vowel change.
Check your understanding: model answers
1. ch. 2. hope. 3. /t/ /r/ /i/ /p/ gives t-r-i-p.
✨ Key Takeaways
- A digraph is two letters with one sound.
- A blend keeps each sound, said quickly.
- Silent e makes the vowel say its name.
- Endings like -s, -ing and -ed change word meaning.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Circle the digraph in 'chop'.
- Add silent e to make a new word: 'hop'.
- Write the word 'trip' by stretching its sounds.
Print lined paper for spelling practice →