Sound Safari
Stopping
/ch/ → /t/
Typically resolves on its own by around age 4; worth a check-in if it persists.
What helps →
Build /ch/ from /t/ slowly: "t … sh … ch" — show that /ch/ has the /t/ plus a release into "sh".
Speech Sound Guide
The CH Sound: Norms, Challenges & Word Lists
The /ch/ sound typically develops by age 5. This guide covers when /ch/ develops, what typically goes wrong, simple ways to practice it, and over 90 /ch/ words organized by position.
When should a child say /ch/?
Developmental norms — when the /ch/ sound typically emerges and is mastered.
5
Age of 90% mastery
years;months notation
50% mastery
Age 3;6
90% mastery
Age 5
Manner
affricate Affricates start as a stop and release into a fricative (like /ch/ and /j/).
Voicing
Voiceless Voiceless sounds don't vibrate the vocal cords — just air, no buzz.
Where /ch/ falls on the speech-sound timeline
2 yrs4 yrs6 yrs8 yrs
Source: McLeod & Crowe (2018); Crowe & McLeod (2020), AJSLP.
A child still substituting or distorting /ch/ after age 5 is a good candidate for a speech-language evaluation — earlier if they're hard to understand or frustrated.
Find out where /ch/ stands — in 5 minutes
Sound Safari's 24-sound screener checks against the McLeod & Crowe norms above.
Common challenges with /ch/
What typically goes wrong — and whether it's age-appropriate.
Deaffrication
/ch/ → /sh/
Typically resolves on its own by around age 4; worth a check-in if it persists.
What helps →
Add the stop back: have the child briefly hold the tongue, then release into the /sh/. Feel the puff of air on a finger.
Voicing
/ch/ → /j/
Worth a speech-language evaluation when noticed at any age.
What helps →
Touch the throat — /ch/ is silent, /j/ buzzes. Compare "chip" and "jip" so the child hears the difference.
How to practice the /ch/ sound
Practical starting points for parents and SLPs. Always follow your SLP's plan if your child is in therapy.
- 1 Build /ch/ from /t/ + /sh/. /ch/ is two sounds blended together: a /t/ stop followed by a /sh/ release. Have your child say "t" then "sh" slowly, then closer and closer until they merge.
- 2 Round the lips. /ch/ uses rounded, slightly forward lips — like saying "oo" then dropping the voice. Watch in a mirror so the child sees and copies the shape.
- 3 Feel the puff of air. /ch/ releases a small puff of air. Have your child hold their hand in front of their mouth — they should feel a quick puff with each "ch".
- 4 Contrast pairs — /ch/ vs. /sh/. Saying "sh" instead of "ch" is the most common slip. Use pairs like chip/ship, cheap/sheep, watch/wash to train the ear and the mouth.
- 5 Start at the start of words. /ch/ is easiest at the beginning of a word. Master initial /ch/ ("chip", "chair") before moving to medial and final positions.
📖 For the full step-by-step therapy progression, see our complete
CH Sound Therapy Guide →
/ch/ word lists by position over 90 words
Every word from the Sound Safari practice library. The /ch/ in each word is bolded.
Initial — /ch/ at the start of the word (30)
-
cheese cheez -
cherry cher-ee -
chicken chik-en -
chocolate chok-lit -
chair chair -
chain chayn -
chalk chawk -
champ champ -
change chaynj -
chase chays -
chat chat -
check chek -
cheek cheek -
cheer cheer -
chef shef -
chest chest -
chew choo -
chick chik -
child chyld -
chill chil -
chimp chimp -
chin chin -
chip chip -
chirp churp -
choice choys -
chop chop -
church church -
churn churn -
chimney chim-nee -
cheerful cheer-ful
Medial — /ch/ in the middle of the word (30)
-
teacher tee-cher -
ketchup kech-up -
kitchen kich-en -
catcher kach-er -
matching mach-ing -
watching woch-ing -
reaching ree-ching -
teaching tee-ching -
preacher pree-cher -
pitcher pich-er -
butcher buch-er -
stretching strech-ing -
hatching hach-ing -
stitching stich-ing -
sketching skech-ing -
catching kach-ing -
patching pach-ing -
itching ich-ing -
switching swich-ing -
marching mar-ching -
arching ar-ching -
lurching lur-ching -
perching per-ching -
searching ser-ching -
scorching scor-ching -
torching tor-ching -
crouching krow-ching -
pouching pow-ching -
munching mun-ching -
crunching krun-ching
Final — /ch/ at the end of the word (30)
-
beach beech -
peach peech -
sandwich sand-wich -
watch woch -
batch bach -
bench bench -
branch branch -
bunch bunch -
catch kach -
coach kohch -
couch kowch -
crunch krunck -
ditch dich -
hatch hach -
inch inch -
itch ich -
latch lach -
lunch lunch -
march march -
match mach -
munch munch -
patch pach -
pitch pich -
pouch powch -
punch punch -
ranch ranch -
reach reech -
rich rich -
scratch skrach -
stretch strech
Minimal pairs for /ch/
Minimal pairs differ by a single sound — the heart of phonological therapy. Tap a card to hear it, or tap “vs” to hear a pair back-to-back.
- Chair
Bear - Cheese
Bees - Cherry
Berry
More /ch/ minimal pairs — tap a contrast to explore
/ch/ at the start · 10
- chair share
- chalk shock
- chew shoe
- chews shoes
- chip ship
- choose shoes
- chop shop
- chose shows
- itch wish
- itching wishing
/ch/ in the middle · 9
- catch cash
- ditch dish
- hutch hush
- march marsh
- match mash
- switch swish
- watch wash
- watching washing
- witch wish
IEP goals for /ch/
A starting point for SLPs writing articulation goals — across the six therapy levels.
Goal progression — tap a level to see the goal
Sample goal — word level
"Given a verbal model, [student] will produce /ch/ in the initial position of words with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions."
Track /ch/ progress automatically
Sound Safari logs every trial against your goals and writes the SOAP note for you.
/ch/ sound — frequently asked questions
At what age should my child say the /ch/ sound? +
Most children produce /ch/ correctly by age 5. About half can do it by age 3;6. Substituting "sh" or "t" for /ch/ is common in younger kids.
Is it normal for my child to say "sh" for "ch"? +
Yes — deaffrication (saying "sh" instead of "ch") is developmentally typical up to about age 4. If it persists past age 5, it's worth a check-in.
Why is the /ch/ sound so hard? +
/ch/ is an affricate — a stop and a fricative blended into one quick sound. The timing has to be exact, so it takes more motor control than simple stops or fricatives.
How can I help my child practice /ch/ at home? +
Build it from "t + sh" said slowly, watch lip rounding in a mirror, and use contrast pairs like chip/ship to train the ear. See "How to practice" above.
When should we see a speech therapist about /ch/? +
If /ch/ is still being replaced with /sh/, /t/, or /j/ after age 5, or sooner if your child is hard to understand.
Can older children and adults still correct /ch/? +
Yes. /ch/ responds well to direct instruction at any age — the stop+release sequence is something most older kids and adults grasp quickly once it's broken down.
Related sounds
Sounds that pair, contrast, or are commonly confused with /ch/.
