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Consonant

CH Sound

The CH sound is a voiceless post-alveolar affricate. It starts like a T sound (/t/) with the tongue tip at the alveolar ridge, but then quickly releases into an SH sound (/ʃ/) as the tongue pulls back slightly.

Phonetic
ch
Voicing
Voiceless
Place of Articulation
Post-alveolar
Manner of Articulation
Affricate
Mouth Position

Start by placing the tip of your tongue on the ridge behind your upper teeth (like for T). Quickly pull the tongue back slightly and release air through the narrowing, creating the SH part of the sound. It's a quick t+sh combination. Vocal cords do not vibrate.

How to Make This Sound

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Example Words

chairMain Example
/tʃɛr/
choose
/tʃuz/
church
/tʃɜrtʃ/
teach
/titʃ/
watch
/wɑtʃ/
future
/ˈfjutʃər/
question
/ˈkwɛstʃən/
catch
/kætʃ/
kitchen
/ˈkɪtʃən/
lunch
/lʌntʃ/

Pronunciation Practice

11 words

Speak the words aloud to get instant feedback on your pronunciation

Quick Practice

3-5 essential words

Full Practice

All 11 words

Minimal Pairs

Listen and compare similar sounds

ch
chair
/tʃɛr/
Compare with
C
share
/ʃɛr/
ch
choose
/tʃuz/
Compare with
C
shoes
/ʃuz/
ch
catch
/kætʃ/
Compare with
C
cash
/kæʃ/
ch
witch
/wɪtʃ/
Compare with
W
wish
/wɪʃ/

Tongue Twister

Practice: Consonant
Chester cheetah chewed a chunk of cheap cheddar cheese.
Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation