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Minimal Pairs Word List
CH vs SH Minimal Pairs
19 free CH–SH minimal pairs, sorted by position and ready to practice — the word list for deaffrication, when chip comes out as ship.
What are CH vs SH minimal pairs?
The /ch/ and /sh/ sounds are easy to blur together. Both are made toward the front of the roof of the mouth, but /ch/ is an affricate — it begins with a quick stop of air that bursts open into a fricative — while /sh/ is one long, smooth stream of air. A minimal pair sets them side by side: chip and ship, chew and shoe, watch and wash.
This list targets deaffrication: the pattern where the affricate /ch/ loses its little stop-and-burst and comes out as the smooth fricative /sh/, so chip becomes ship and cheese becomes she's. The contrast gives the child a reason to put that burst back — hold the air for a beat, then release it. Because chip and ship are not the same word, the meaning does the teaching.
Deaffrication is one of the phonological processes covered in our guide to phonological processes.
CH vs SH word pair list 19 pairs
Grouped by where the changing sound sits in the word. The sound that changes is highlighted in each pair.
At the start of the word (10)
- chair share
- chalk shock
- chew shoe
- chip ship
- chop shop
- chose shows
- itch wish
- itching wishing
- chews shoes
- choose shoes
In the middle of the word (9)
- catch cash
- ditch dish
- march marsh
- match mash
- watch wash
- watching washing
- witch wish
- hutch hush
- switch swish
Why minimal pairs work
Minimal pairs work because they make a sound matter. When the only thing separating two words is a single sound, saying that sound the wrong way changes what the child actually said — key becomes tea, cap becomes tap. That built-in feedback turns an abstract “say it this way” into a concrete mix-up the child can hear and fix.
This is the heart of the phonological (contrast) approach: instead of drilling a sound in isolation, you give the child a reason to keep the two sounds apart. Many children start to self-correct once they notice the listener heard the wrong word — the meaning contrast does the teaching. It is an evidence-informed technique widely used by speech-language pathologists, and it works just as well at the kitchen table as in the therapy room.
How to use CH/SH minimal pairs in therapy
A simple progression for SLPs and parents. If your child is in therapy, always follow your SLP's plan first.
- 1 Listen first. Read a batch of the pairs aloud so the child hears the CH–SH contrast many times, with no pressure to say anything back yet. This "auditory bombardment" tunes the ear before the mouth.
- 2 Point to the right one. Lay out a few picture pairs, say one word, and have the child point to the matching picture. This checks that they can hear the difference before they have to produce it.
- 3 Copy you. Have the child repeat each word after you, starting with the picture pairs. Model slowly and let them watch your mouth.
- 4 Say it on their own. Have the child name the picture without a model. If both words come out the same, that mix-up is the teaching moment — show how the sound changes which word they said.
- 5 Carry it over. Move from single words into short phrases and everyday talk, and send a few pairs home so practice keeps going between sessions.
Featured picture pairs
The 15 pairs that have a picture for both words. Tap a card to hear the word, or tap “vs” to hear the pair back-to-back.
-
catch
cash -
chair
share -
chalk
shock -
chew
shoe -
chip
ship -
chop
shop -
chose
shows -
ditch
dish -
itch
wish -
itching
wishing -
march
marsh -
match
mash -
watch
wash -
watching
washing -
witch wish
Practice these pairs in Sound Safari
Run CH/SH minimal-pair drills with built-in scoring and auto-generated progress notes.
CH vs SH minimal pairs — frequently asked questions
What are CH vs SH minimal pairs? +
CH vs SH minimal pairs are words that differ by only one sound — a /ch/ in one and a /sh/ in the other — such as chip/ship, chew/shoe, and watch/wash. That single difference gives each word a different meaning, which is what makes the pair worth practicing.
What phonological process do CH/SH minimal pairs target? +
They target deaffrication — the process where the affricate /ch/ is produced as the fricative /sh/, so "chip" sounds like "ship." Contrasting the two sounds directly shows the child that the quick stop-and-burst of /ch/ is what separates the two words.
How do you use CH and SH minimal pairs in speech therapy? +
Read the pairs aloud first so the child hears the contrast, then have them point to the word you say, repeat each word after you, name the pictures on their own, and finally use the words in short phrases. If chip and ship come out the same, model the difference — /ch/ stops the air for a beat and bursts, while /sh/ keeps it flowing.
When should a child stop saying "ship" for "chip"? +
Deaffrication usually fades during the preschool years as the affricate sounds come in; most English consonants are established by around age 5 (Crowe & McLeod, 2020). If a child is past that point, is still turning /ch/ into /sh/, or is hard to understand, it is worth talking with a speech-language pathologist. This page is informational and is not a diagnosis.
Keep exploring
The full guides for each sound — norms, common challenges, how to practice, and word lists by position.
Related contrasts
Looking for more contrasts? Browse the full minimal pairs word list library.
