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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
chVoicing
VoicelessPlace of Articulation
Post-alveolarManner of Articulation
AffricateMouth 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