Digraph Flashcards: The Essential Guide To Teaching “Ch”, “Sh” & More So Kids Actually Remember Them – Even If Phonics Feels Overwhelming Right Now

What Even Is A Digraph? (And Why It Confuses So Many Kids)

Let’s skip the fluff.

A digraph is just two letters that make one sound.

Think:

• sh as in ship
• ch as in chair
• th as in this or thin
• ph as in phone
• wh as in whale

Kids are used to “one letter = one sound”.

Then suddenly: “Nope. Two letters. One sound. Surprise.”

That’s why digraph flashcards are insanely helpful: they make this jump super visual and repetitive in a good way.

And this is exactly where an app like Flashrecall makes life easier:

You can create digraph flashcards in seconds, have the app remind your child to review, and it uses spaced repetition so those tricky sounds finally stick.

Try it here (free to start):

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Why Digraph Flashcards Work So Well

Flashcards are basically:

• Quick
• Visual
• Repetitive (in a good, brain-friendly way)

For digraphs, they help kids:

1. Recognize the letter pair (sh, ch, th…)

2. Connect it to a sound

3. See it inside real words

You’re training the brain to go:

> “Oh, I see ‘sh’ together – that’s /sh/, not ‘s’ + ‘h’.”

With Flashrecall, you can:

• Show the digraph on the front
• Put pictures, example words, or even audio on the back

And because Flashrecall has built‑in active recall, kids have to think first, then check — which is exactly how memory strengthens.

Types Of Digraphs You’ll Want Flashcards For

When you start making digraph flashcards, these are the main groups to cover.

1. Consonant Digraphs

These are the big ones:

• sh – ship, fish, brush
• ch – chair, lunch, cheese
• th – this, that, thin, bath
• wh – when, what, whale
• ph – phone, photo, elephant
• ck – duck, back, rock

Great flashcard idea:

• Front: `sh`
• Back: “/sh/ as in ship” + a picture of a ship

In Flashrecall, you can literally:

• Snap a picture from a kids’ book
• Highlight the word ship
• Turn it into a flashcard in seconds

2. Vowel Digraphs (Vowel Teams)

These are two vowels making one sound:

• ai – rain, snail, train
• ea – seat, leaf, read
• ee – tree, feet, green
• oa – boat, coat, road
• ie – pie, tie, field (tricky because it changes)

Flashcard idea:

• Front: `ea`
• Back: “/ee/ as in leaf and seat” + images or simple sentences

With Flashrecall, you can:

• Paste a list of words with ea
• Have the app automatically generate flashcards from the text

Super fast, no formatting headache.

3. Tricky “Th” And Other Confusing Ones

Some digraphs are extra annoying for kids:

• th (voiced) – this, that, them
• th (unvoiced) – thin, bath, think
• ph vs f – phone vs fun
• wh vs w – when vs went

You can make separate flashcards like:

• Front: `th` (voiced)
• Back: “Like in this, that, them – put your hand on your throat and feel the vibration.”

In Flashrecall, you can even:

• Record yourself saying the sound
• Attach the audio to the card

So kids can hear the difference, not just see it.

How To Make Super Effective Digraph Flashcards (Step‑By‑Step)

Step 1: Start With The Plain Digraph

Keep it simple first.

Examples:

• Card 1:
• Front: `sh`
• Back: “/sh/ sound – like in ship”
• Card 2:
• Front: `ch`
• Back: “/ch/ sound – like in chair”

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Create these manually in a few taps
• Or type a list like: `sh – ship`, `ch – chair`, `th – this` and turn it into cards instantly.

Step 2: Add A Picture Or Real Word

Kids remember better when they see it in context.

Examples:

• Front: `sh`
• Back: Picture of a ship + word “ship”
• Front: `ch`
• Back: Picture of cheese + word “cheese”

With Flashrecall you can:

• Import images from your camera roll
• Or screenshot pages from a phonics workbook / PDF
• The app can pull out the text and help you turn it into cards

Step 3: Move To Whole Words

Once they know the sound, move to reading.

Example cards:

• Front: `ship`
• Back: “Find the digraph: sh” + picture of a ship
• Front: `phone`
• Back: “This ‘ph’ says /f/”

In Flashrecall:

• You can highlight the digraph in bold or color on the back
• Or add a note like “Two letters, one sound!”

Step 4: Mix The Digraphs (This Is Where Learning Really Happens)

Don’t keep them in neat groups forever.

Mix sh, ch, th, ph, wh so kids must really think.

Example:

• Front: `ship`
• Back: “Which digraph? → sh”
• Front: `chair`
• Back: “Which digraph? → ch”
• Front: `whale`
• Back: “Which digraph? → wh”

Flashrecall is perfect here because:

• It uses spaced repetition
• It automatically shows harder cards more often
• Easy cards show up less, so you don’t waste time

You don’t have to track anything. The app does the scheduling.

Why Use Flashrecall Instead Of Paper Digraph Flashcards?

Paper cards are fine… until:

• They get lost
• They’re all over the floor
• You forget to review them
• You want to add audio or pictures or change something

• 📱 Works on iPhone and iPad
• 🖼️ Make cards from images, text, PDFs, YouTube links, or typed prompts
• Snap a page from a phonics book → turn words into cards
• Paste a word list → app makes cards for you
• ✍️ You can still make cards manually if you like control
• 🧠 Built‑in active recall – you see the front, answer in your head, then reveal
• ⏰ Spaced repetition with auto reminders – no need to remember when to review
• 🔔 Study reminders – gentle nudges so practice actually happens
• 📶 Works offline – perfect for car rides, waiting rooms, travel
• 💬 You can even chat with the flashcard if you’re unsure and want more explanation
• 🎓 Great for kids’ phonics, languages, exams, school subjects, university, medicine, business – literally anything

Grab it here:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Free to start, so you can play around and see if your kid vibes with it.

Example Digraph Flashcard Set You Can Copy

Here’s a simple starter set you can recreate in Flashrecall in a few minutes.

Set 1: Consonant Digraphs

• Front: `sh`
• Back: “/sh/ as in ship, shop, fish” + picture of a ship

• Front: `ch`
• Back: “/ch/ as in chair, cheese, lunch” + picture of cheese

• Front: `th`
• Back: “/th/ as in this, that (feel your throat vibrate)”

• Front: `th` (no vibration)
• Back: “/th/ as in thin, bath (no vibration)”

• Front: `wh`
• Back: “/wh/ as in what, when, whale” + whale picture

• Front: `ph`
• Back: “/f/ as in phone, photo” + phone icon

You can also add audio on the back for the sound only. Kids tap, listen, and repeat.

Set 2: Vowel Digraphs

• Front: `ai`
• Back: “/ay/ as in rain, train”

• Front: `ee`
• Back: “/ee/ as in tree, feet”

• Front: `ea`
• Back: “Most often /ee/ as in leaf, seat”

• Front: `oa`
• Back: “/oh/ as in boat, coat”

Once these are solid, start mixing them into words and sentences.

Using Spaced Repetition To Make Digraphs Stick (Without Nagging)

The big problem with any flashcards:

People start strong… then forget to keep going.

Spaced repetition solves that by:

• Showing cards right before your brain is about to forget them
• Spacing reviews out:
• New → soon
• Medium → later
• Easy → much later

Flashrecall has this built‑in:

• You just study a few minutes
• Mark if a card was easy / hard / forgot
• The app schedules the next time automatically
• You also get study reminders, so there’s one less thing to remember as a parent or student

It’s basically “set it and forget it” for digraph practice.

Fun Ways To Use Digraph Flashcards With Kids

To keep it from feeling like a chore:

• Speed rounds

“How many digraphs can you get right in 1 minute?”

• Treasure hunt

Show a digraph card (e.g., `sh`) then ask them to find an object or picture starting with that sound.

• Story time

Pick a card (`ch`), then make a silly story using as many `ch` words as possible: chipmunk, cheese, chair, chocolate…

• Mix with handwriting

Show the card, have them write 2–3 words with that digraph.

You can log all the words you come up with into Flashrecall as new cards, so practice grows naturally over time.

Final Thoughts: Digraph Flashcards Don’t Have To Be Complicated

Teaching digraphs doesn’t need a giant curriculum or fancy program.

You really just need:

1. Clear, simple digraph flashcards

2. Regular review so the sounds actually stick

3. A way to keep it fun and low‑effort for you

Flashrecall makes that whole process smooth:

• Create cards from text, images, PDFs, YouTube, or manually
• Let spaced repetition + reminders handle the scheduling
• Use it anywhere, even offline, on your iPhone or iPad

If you’re teaching a child to read, or you’re working on phonics yourself (ESL, dyslexia support, teacher, tutor, whatever) it’s absolutely worth trying.

You can grab Flashrecall here and start building your digraph set in minutes:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the fastest way to create flashcards?

Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.

Is there a free flashcard app?

Yes. Flashrecall is free and lets you create flashcards from images, text, prompts, audio, PDFs, and YouTube videos.

How do I start spaced repetition?

You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.

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