Pronunciation - CH
Reading & Pronunciation
The combination of the letters CH can create 3 sounds:
/tʃ/
CH is sometimes pronounced like /tʃ/ :
Initial Sound: chair, cheese, choose, chimney, check
Medial Sound: reached, launches, batches, switching, inches
Final Sound: each, lunch, match, sandwich, bunch
/k/
CH is sometimes pronounced like /k/. Most of these words are Greek in origin:
Initial Sound: chrome, chorus, Christmas, Christian, chord
Medial Sound: ache, headache, mechanic, stomach, echo
/ʃ/
CH can also make an -SH sound /ʃ/. Most of these words have French origins:
chef, machine, machinery, parachute, Chicago
Common words with a /tʃ/ sound:
chain
cheek
chimney
chair
cheese
chin
chase
chest
chirp
check
chicken
choose
beach
each
reach
bench
lunch
rich
branch
match
sandwich
bunch
much
scratch
catch
patch
teach
teacher
change
checkers
cherries
launch
child
chant
peach
punch
bench
wrench
coach
watch
match
roach
such
crunch
pitch
switch
ditch
porch
Common words with a /ʃ/ (SH) sound:
chef
Chicago
machine
machinery
Michigan
parachute
charade
chivalry
nonchalant
machete
pistachio
brochure
chandelier
chic
crochet
cache
chauffeur
chute
quiche
champagne
cliché
mustache
ricochet
Common words with K sound:
ache
archeology
chameleon
charisma
technician
monarch
backache
architect
schedule
stomach
archive
technology
character
psycho
scheme
synchronize
chorus
chaos
headache
anchor
Christmas
mechanic
zucchini
psychology
chrome
chemistry
school
chord
echo
stomach
chemical
chloride
Practice this sound
You can listen to words with this sound on my Memrise course here. Practice saying the sound in isolation. Consider doing this activity to get used to saying it while speaking.
/tʃ/ sound
chair
cheese
chin
check
choose
beach
each
reach
lunch
rich
branch
match
bunch
much
catch
teacher
change
child
which
such
watch
K sound:
ache
archeology
technician
architect
schedule
stomach
archive
character
chorus
headache
mechanic
zucchini
chemistry
school
chord
technology
chaos