Digraphs Teaching Resources
Explore digraph worksheets, learning games and more phonics teaching resources created by teachers for teachers like you!
This collection of printable and digital digraph teacher resources is aligned with the Australian English curriculum and included everything you need to build your lesson plans. You'll find easily editable options, created by our teacher team so that you can easily differentiate instruction.
Are you new to teaching early literacy? Or are you looking for a refresher? Read on for a digraphs primer from our teacher team!
What Is a Digraph?
If you're teaching phonological awareness or reading, you'll need to know! A digraph is a building block of literacy for any young reader.
But how do you teach digraphs in phonics? And what is a consonant digraph?
Digraph Definition
To really answer the question 'what is a digraph,' it's worth going back to the word origin.The word digraph dates back to the 1700s, and it's built from the roots di- (meaning twice) and -graph (meaning something written).
By definition, a digraph is the term used to describe two consecutive letters that work together to make one sound.
If you want to get technical, digraphs are a kind of grapheme — a word that refers to any unit (such as a letter or group of letters) in a writing system. In this case, graphemes are letters or groups of letters in English.
Making sense? We've got one more important phonics term for you! The English language is comprised of about 44 phonemes (the word for the individual speech sounds that make up words). Phonemes can be written in more than 200 letter combinations known as — you guessed it — graphemes and digraphs!
What Are the Most Common Digraphs in the English Language?
Digraphs are often taught in order, starting with those most commonly appearing in English words. Here are some common digraph examples students will encounter:
- ch (as in chin),
- ch (as in school),
- ng (as in sing),
- ph (as in phone),
- sh (as in ship),
- th (as is think),
- wh (as is wheel)
What Is the Difference Between a Digraph and a Blend?
Have you heard the terms digraph and blend thrown around? They seem like they'd be the same thing, but don't be deceived!
While they look the same, there is a major difference between a digraph and a blend. A digraph is defined as two letters that make a single sound. The blend is a combination of letters whose sounds are linked together, but not combined when forming a word. The blend stands apart because its letters still make two distinct sounds.
For example, the 'sl' combination in 'sleep' is a blend, rather than a digraph. That is because you still pronounce the /s/ and /l/ sounds when pronouncing the word.
Another difference between a digraph and a blend is that a digraph can be made up of two consonants or two vowels, while blends are only made up of consonants.
Teaching About Digraphs — Why It's Important
The teaching of phonic digraphs helps students to understand that letter combinations can represent more than one sound and that a syllable must contain a vowel sound.
Teaching students about phonic digraphs in your primaryclassroom will also help them to recognise and associate sounds of the letters of the alphabet, which will help them to improve their reading skills and efficiency.
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Decodable Text Worksheets – Common Consonant Digraphs (Set 1)
A set of 10 decodable text worksheets for early readers.
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OW and OU Words - Word Search
Explore words containing ‘ow’ and ‘ou’ with this set of differentiated word searches.
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Decodable Text Worksheets – Common Consonant Digraphs (Set 2)
A set of 10 decodable text worksheets for early readers.
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Vowel Digraphs Worksheet Pack
Practise writing and enhancing knowledge of vowel digraphs with this worksheet pack.
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Digraph Handwriting - Worksheets
24 digraph worksheets that focus on handwriting and vocabulary activities.
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Diphthong Colouring Activity Worksheets
Practise finding different vowel team diphthongs with this set of fun colour-by-code worksheets for your students.
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Th Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the th digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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OI and OY Words - Word Search
Explore words containing ‘oi’ and ‘oy’ with this set of differentiated word searches.
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My Diphthong Cheat Sheet
Help students learn all about diphthongs with this handy diphthong student reference sheet.
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Consonant Digraphs Worksheet Pack
Practise writing and enhancing knowledge of consonant digraphs with this worksheet pack.
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Ph Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the ph digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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Consonant Digraph Sound Wall Cards
Guide students through phonics with these consonant digraph sound wall cards for a classroom display.
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Sounds of 'OO' - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Sort words according to whether they contain a long or short ‘oo’ sound with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Vowel Digraphs Poster Pack
Expose your students to the most common vowel digraphs with this set of 24 posters.
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Wh Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the wh digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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Vowel Digraph Dominoes - OA, OW, and OE
Decode words with oa, ow, and oe vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds using this set of 28 dominoes.
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Long E Words - Word Search
Explore words containing some of the most common ‘long e’ graphemes with this set of differentiated word searches.
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Consonant Digraphs Poster Pack
Expose your students to the most common consonant digraphs with this set of 9 posters.
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Vowel Digraph Roll Game (Blue)
A phonics game played in pairs and focusing on the following digraphs: ar, ai, ay, ee, ea and ey.
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Sh Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the sh digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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Diphthongs Maze Worksheet
Excite your students to practise their knowledge of diphthongs with this fun clue-based maze worksheet.
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Th Word List and Flash Cards
Practice reading and spelling words with the Digraph TH with a list of 50 words and accompanying illustrated flash cards.
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Ch Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the ch digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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Diphthongs Interactive Activity
Practise knowledge of diphthongs during your phonics lessons with this fun bubble-themed interactive activity.
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Sounds of OO - Glasses Template
Review the long and short ‘oo’ sound by creating a pair of ‘sOOper’ funky glasses!
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Vowel Digraph Roll Game (Red)
A phonics game played in pairs and focusing on the following digraphs: oi, oy, ur, er, ir and oa.
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Wr Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the wr digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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Read and Type Diphthongs Interactive Activity
Practise diphthong vowel team knowledge with this engaging ‘read and type’ style interactive activity
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Diphthong Fluency Charts
Practise reading out these word lists that contain different diphthongs with these fluency charts
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Ar Digraph Words With Images
Learn words that contain the 'ar' digraph with these word and picture flashcards.
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Kn Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the ng digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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Ng Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the ng digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.