sh words
SH words
The SH digraph is one consonant sound spelled with two letters, as in ship, fish, and wash. The same sound appears at the start, middle, or end of a word — use the position filter below to see each group. Below are decodable SH words for grades K-3 with example sentences and a printable worksheet.
Most common SH words
These are the highest-frequency words for this pattern — a good starting set for early readers. The full filterable list is below.
Word list
All SH words
Filter by syllable count, reading grade, or where the sound appears in the word, or search.
- sheShe likes to draw pictures.1Beginning
- shouldWe should share our toys.KBeginning
- showShow me your new book.KBeginning
- shortThe story is very short.KBeginning
- showsShe shows me her art.KBeginning
- sharePlease share the crayons.KBeginning
- wishI wish for a sunny day.3End
- publishedThe school published our poems.1Middle
- shallWe shall meet after lunch.KBeginning
- finishedI finished my homework.1Middle
- shipThe big ship sailed away.1Beginning
- cashWe paid with cash.1End
- finishLet's finish the puzzle.1End
- fishThe fish swims in the tank.1End
- shownShe has shown us the way.1Beginning
- shopWe went to the toy shop.1Beginning
- showingHe is showing his pet to us.1Beginning
- showedShe showed me her drawing.1Beginning
- freshI like fresh, cold water.1End
- fashionShe loves fashion and bright colors.1Middle
- pushPush the cart slowly.1End
- shutPlease shut the door.1Beginning
- shootHe likes to shoot hoops.1Beginning
- shapeDraw a round shape.1Beginning
- sharedWe shared the big pizza.1Beginning
- shoppingWe went shopping for shoes.1Beginning
- shoesTie your shoes before we run.1Beginning
- sharingSharing snacks is kind.1Beginning
- shirtHe wore a blue shirt.1Beginning
- sharesShe shares her lunch with me.1Beginning
- shiftLet's shift the chairs over.1Beginning
- crashThe toy cars went crash.1End
- shameIt is a shame it rained.1Beginning
- shipsThe ships float on the sea.1Beginning
- shippingThe shipping box is heavy.1Beginning
- shoulderI carry the bag on my shoulder.1Beginning
- showerI take a shower before bed.1Beginning
- bushA bird sat in the bush.1End
- rushDo not rush; take your time.1End
- sharpThe pencil has a sharp tip.1Beginning
- fishingWe went fishing at the lake.2Middle
- shortlyWe will leave shortly.2Beginning
- washWash your hands before lunch.3End
- flashThe camera made a bright flash.1End
- pushingHe is pushing the swing.2Middle
- shadowMy shadow is tall in the sun.2Beginning
- pushedShe pushed the heavy door.1Middle
- trashThrow the trash in the bin.1End
- sheetWrite on a clean sheet of paper.1Beginning
- friendshipOur friendship is strong.2Middle
- shellI found a pink shell.1Beginning
- shapedThe cloud is shaped like a dog.1Beginning
- wishesShe wishes for a new bike.2Middle
- shopsThe mall has many shops.1Beginning
- finishingHe is finishing his lunch.3Middlemulti-syllable
- worshipThey go to worship on Sunday.2Middle
- brushBrush your teeth twice a day.1End
- dishPut the dish in the sink.1End
- fleshThe peach has soft flesh.1End
- crushDo not crush the soft fruit.2End
- ashGray ash fell from the fire.2End
- sunshineWe played in the warm sunshine.2Middle
- workshopDad fixed the chair in his workshop.2Middle
- harshThe cold wind was harsh.2End
- dishesWe washed the dishes together.2Middle
- washingMom is washing the car.2Middle
- parishThe small parish has a church.2End
- selfishDo not be selfish with toys.2End
- publishThe class will publish a book.2End
- washedI washed my muddy hands.2Middle
- smashDo not smash the blocks.2End
- accomplishWe can accomplish this task.3Endmulti-syllable
- crashedThe wave crashed on the rocks.2Middle
- crushedThe empty can was crushed flat.2Middle
- thresholdShe stepped over the threshold.2Middle
- fisherThe fisher caught a big fish.2Middle
- dashWe made a quick dash inside.2End
- wishedShe wished upon a star.2Middle
- freshmanMy brother is a freshman.2Middle
- rushedWe rushed to catch the bus.2Middle
- townshipThe township has a small park.2Middle
- clashThe two teams clash today.2End
- rushingThe river is rushing fast.2Middle
- fashionedShe fashioned a hat from paper.2Middle
- wishingI am wishing for snow.2Middle
- ashesGray ashes filled the pit.2Middle
- danishI ate a sweet danish.2End
- offshoreThe small boat sailed offshore.2Middle
- finishesShe finishes her work fast.3Middlemulti-syllable
- goshOh gosh, that was funny!2End
- foolishIt was foolish to skip lunch.2End
- workshopsThe fair has many workshops.2Middle
- crashesThe big wave crashes loudly.2Middle
- distinguishCan you distinguish the two colors?3Endmulti-syllable
- marshFrogs live in the wet marsh.2End
- marshalThe marshal led the parade.2Middle
- rubbishWe picked up the rubbish.2End
- fellowshipThe club shares warm fellowship.3Middlemulti-syllable
- splashThe kids splash in the pool.2End
- nashNash is my best friend's name.2End
No words match those filters. Try widening the grade or syllable range.
Printable
Make a worksheet
The worksheet uses whatever filters are active above — filter to a grade or syllable count first, then print. Each word gets a dotted tracing line.
By position
SH word groups
Beginning
Middle
End
For teachers & parents
Teaching SH words
SH is typically introduced as the first consonant digraph in a structured sequence (Wiley Blevins, Scarborough's Rope), usually in late kindergarten or early grade 1, after the single consonants are secure. Position matters: SH appears about 60% in initial position (ship), 35% final (fish), and the small rest medial (fashion).
Common confusion: SH vs CH (ship/chip) is the most-mistaken digraph pair for new readers; SH is a hissing fricative, CH is an affricate stop. Suggested activities: (1) SH/CH minimal-pairs sort; (2) 'fish for SH' word fishing game with magnetic words; (3) a final-SH spelling list (fish, wish, dish, push, brush) to lock the end-position spelling.
How this SH word list was built
Every word here contains the SH sound
(SH in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary,
spelled sh). Candidates are matched by phoneme,
frequency-filtered so the list stays to words children actually meet, and
tagged with a reading grade from the Dolch and Fry lists.
Decodability rule: phoneme_match AND zipf>=3.0 AND syllables<=2 AND !archaic
Each of the 100 words has an editor-written example sentence (10 words or fewer, written for grades K-3) so the word can be read in context.
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (CMUdict 0.7b)Public-domain phoneme transcriptions used to match each word to its sound pattern.
- wordfreq (word-frequency data)Zipf-frequency filter (>= 3.0) keeps the list to common, decodable words.
- Dolch sight words (1948) + Fry list (1980)Public-domain grade bands used to tag each word K-3.
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