10 printable sets · answer key on every set

Blends and Digraphs Worksheets

CCSS RF.1.3.a
20 items per set
Answer key included

What this skill is

Reading two consonants that blend together (bl, tr) or combine into one new sound (sh, th).

When it comes up: First grade.

The mistake to watch for

Dropping one letter of a blend — reading "desk" as "dek", or reading a digraph as two separate sounds — sounding out "sh" as "s" then "h".

How to help

Practice the blend or digraph in isolation first, several words with the same one in a row (ship, shop, shell), before mixing with other patterns.

Next: Long vowels with silent e, the next layer of spelling patterns.

A worked example

In 'ship', the letters s and h work together to make one new sound, /sh/ — that is a digraph. In 'stop', s and t each keep their own sound side by side, /s/ /t/ — that is a blend.

Words to know

blend: Two or three consonants side by side that each keep their own sound, like st in stop.
consonant: Any letter that is not a vowel, like b, c, d or f.
sound: What you hear when you say a letter or a word.
letter: One of the symbols we use to write words, like a, b or c.
vowel: The letters a, e, i, o and u. Every syllable has a vowel sound.

Practice

Name the blend or digraph in each word.

Showing Set 1 · 20 items

What sound starts (or is inside) 'much'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'bread'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'grass'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'blue'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'glad'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'trip'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'with'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'glass'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'float'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'dress'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'block'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'green'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'clock'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'brush'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'flat'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'blend'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'plant'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'chip'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'slow'?
What sound starts (or is inside) 'drop'?

Download this set20 items · answer key included PDF

Answer key

All 10 sets

Each set is a different list of 20 items with its own answer key. Use the buttons above to look at one on this page, or download any of them as a PDF.

How these sheets were made

Problems are generated for each set and checked against RF.1.3.a before the sheet is built — no duplicates, and every problem falls inside the standard's number range.