How to Teach the CH Sound: A Parent’s Guide

✓ Reviewed against ASHA Practice Portal, ASHA developmental milestonesEvidence level ALast reviewed July 1, 2026Published July 1, 2026

CH is an affricate — a quick stop plus a fricative. Your child presses the tongue tip up behind the top teeth (like “t”), then releases into a rounded “sh” puff of air. Most children master CH by around age 4. Teach it by holding a “t,” then letting go into “sh.”

How the CH sound is made

CH — written /tʃ/ by speech-language pathologists — is what linguists call an affricate: a stop sound welded to a fricative. In plain terms, it is a “t” and an “sh” said so fast they become one sound. Understanding that two-part recipe is the key to teaching it.¹

To make CH, your child presses the tongue tip up behind the upper front teeth (the same contact as “t”), builds up a little air pressure, then releases it into an “sh”-style stream of air with the lips slightly rounded and pushed forward. The stop gives CH its sharp start; the fricative gives it that airy finish.¹

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The one-line recipe

CH = “t” + “sh.” Say “white shoes” quickly and listen to the middle: “whi-CH-oes.” That blend in the middle is exactly the sound you’re teaching.

When children typically master CH

Sounds come online in a predictable order, and CH is a mid-to-late developer. In a large review of U.S. children, CH was among the sounds produced correctly by about 90% of children by age 4, in the same wave as “sh,” “j,” “s,” and “l.” It is generally well established by age 5.^12,4

~Age 4when most children produce the CH sound correctly.¹²

Where CH falls in consonant development (Crowe & McLeod, 2020).
By age	Sounds typically in place
2 years	m, b, n, p, h, w, d
3 years	g, k, f, t, “ng”, y
4 years	s, z, l, “sh”, “ch”, “j”, v
5 years	r, voiced “th”
6 years	voiceless “th”

Where CH falls in consonant development (Crowe & McLeod, 2020).¹²

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Age matters

A 3-year-old who says “tip” for “chip” is often right on track. It’s a persistent CH error past age 4–5, or one that makes your child hard to understand, that’s worth a closer look.

Common CH error patterns

Because CH is two actions blended into one, children usually keep only half of it while they’re learning. Three patterns show up again and again:²

CH → SH (“ship” for “chip”): the child glides straight into the airflow and skips the stop. Losing the stop part of an affricate is called deaffrication.
CH → T (“tip” for “chip”): the child stops at the tongue-tip contact and never releases into the airflow — the reverse trade-off.
CH → “j” or CH → “d” for voicing mix-ups, or dropping CH entirely at the ends of words (“wa-” for “watch”).

These are ordinary developmental patterns, not signs of a “lazy” mouth. Naming which half your child is dropping tells you exactly what to add back.²

CH vs. SH: hearing the difference

CH and SH are close cousins — they share the same “sh” airflow — which is why they get swapped so often. The difference is the start: CH begins with a stop, and SH does not.¹

CH vs. SH at a glance.
	CH (/tʃ/)	SH (/ʃ/)
Feel	Tongue taps up, then pops off	Tongue hovers; no tap
Airflow	A quick burst of air	A long, steady stream
Cue	“Ch-ch-ch, like a train”	“Shhh, be quiet”
Example	chip, chair, watch	ship, share, wash

CH vs. SH at a glance.

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Make it physical

Have your child feel the air on their hand. CH gives short puffs; SH gives one long warm stream. Feeling the burst helps them add the “pop” that turns SH into CH.

Step by step: shaping CH from the T sound

The easiest path to CH runs through a sound your child already owns: “t.” This “shaping” approach builds the new sound from a familiar one, moving in small, winnable steps.¹

1Start with a big, held “t.” Have your child press the tongue tip up behind the top teeth and pause there — “get ready to say t.”
2Release into air. From that held “t,” let the tongue drop just a little and blow: “t…shhh.” Round the lips as the air comes out.
3Speed it up. Say “t-shh” faster and faster until the two snap together into “ch.” Exaggerate at first — it’s meant to sound choppy.
4Anchor it in a word. Move straight to CH at the start of easy words: “chip,” “chew,” “chair,” “cheese.”
5Climb the ladder. Once initial CH is easy, practice it in the middle and at the ends of words, then in short phrases and sentences.

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Keep sessions short

A few minutes of playful, high-repetition practice several times a day beats one long drill. Praise close tries — the “pop” comes with reps.

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CH practice words and minimal pairs

Once your child can make CH on its own, practice it in words, working through where it sits: at the start, in the middle, and at the end. Ending CH is usually the hardest, so save it for last.¹

CH words by position.
Position	Practice words
Beginning	chip, chew, chair, cheese, cherry, chin, chocolate
Middle	teacher, kitchen, sandwich, matches, pitcher
End	watch, beach, peach, lunch, sandwich, catch

CH words by position.

Minimal pairs — two words that differ by only one sound — are a proven way to help a child notice and fix a substitution. If your child says “sh” for CH, contrast the pair directly so the meaning changes when the sound does.²

CH vs. SH: chip / ship · chair / share · cheat / sheet · chop / shop · watch / wash
CH vs. T: chip / tip · chew / two · cheek / teak · chin / tin

Games and home practice tips

CH loves a sound effect, which makes it easy to fold into play. Repetition is what drives progress, so aim for lots of relaxed reps rather than a formal “lesson.”¹

Be a train: “ch-ch-ch-choo!” — the choppy engine sound is pure CH practice.
Sneezing puppets or a pretend camera (“cheese!”) give a reason to repeat the sound.
Hunt for CH: name things at snack time or on a walk — cheese, chips, chair, chalk.
Read CH-heavy books and pause on the word so your child fills in the “ch.”
Model, don’t correct: if they say “ship,” just repeat it warmly — “Yes, a chip!” — with a crisp CH.

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Little and often

Three or four two-minute bursts across the day will out-teach one long session — and keep it fun, which keeps them trying.

When to get help from an SLP

CH develops on its own for most children by age 4 to 5. But you don’t have to wait and wonder — if you’re concerned, an evaluation is always reasonable and never too early.^4,11

CH still isn’t appearing by age 4–5, or the error is getting more fixed rather than fading.
The same substitution affects a whole group of sounds, not just CH.
Your child is hard for unfamiliar people to understand, or gets frustrated when not understood.
You simply want peace of mind — trust your instinct and ask.

Start with your pediatrician, or find a certified speech-language pathologist directly through ASHA’s ProFind directory. Early, structured practice leads to better outcomes, and catching persistent sound errors early also supports later reading and spelling.^9,8,10

Frequently asked questions

How is the CH sound made?＋

CH (written /tʃ/) is an affricate — a stop sound joined to a fricative. Your child briefly presses the tongue tip up behind the upper front teeth, exactly like the start of “t,” then releases that contact into an “sh” stream of air with the lips slightly rounded. Say “t” and “sh” together quickly and you get CH.

What age should a child say the CH sound?＋

Most children produce CH correctly by around age 4, and it is generally solid by age 5. It appears in the same later group as “sh,” “j,” and “l.” A 3-year-old who still substitutes for CH is often right on schedule, so age matters when deciding whether to worry.

Why does my child say “t” or “sh” for CH?＋

CH is two actions blended into one, so children often keep just half of it. Saying “tip” for “chip” means they stop at the “t” and never release the airflow; saying “ship” for “chip” means they glide straight to “sh” and skip the stop. Dropping the stop part is called deaffrication, and both patterns are common while CH is developing.

How do I teach the CH sound step by step?＋

Start from “t,” since your child already has it. Have them press the tongue tip up as if to say “t,” hold it, then blow it out into a rounded “sh” — “t…shhh.” Speed the two up until they snap together into “ch.” Practice it alone, then at the start of words like “chip” and “chew,” before moving to harder positions.

What is the difference between CH and SH?＋

They share the same “sh” airflow, but CH begins with a stop and SH does not. CH is a quick pop of air (“ch-ch-ch, like a train”), while SH is a long, smooth hiss (“shhh, be quiet”). Minimal pairs like “chip/ship” and “chair/share” help a child hear and feel that difference.