The tch or ch rule

When does the rule apply?

This is the same logic as ck and dge, which is the best reason to teach the three together. A short vowel on its own gets a guard letter: c in ck, t in tch, d in dge. When a consonant or a second vowel letter already stands between the vowel and the final sound, no guard is needed. The t in tch is silent, which is why students leave it out. Knowing the rule turns a silent letter into a predictable one.

Words that follow the rule

Words that break the rule

How do you teach it?

Teach tch after students know ch as a digraph and read closed syllables with blends. Contrast pairs that differ only before the final /ch/: "pitch" and "pinch", "hutch" and "hunch", "batch" and "beach". Students say the sound before /ch/ and decide whether it is one short vowel standing alone.

"Say 'stretch'. What's the sound before /ch/? /e/, short, and it's one letter. So we need the guard letter: t-c-h. Now 'search'. Before /ch/ we have /er/, spelled e-a-r. That's a vowel with r, not a lone short vowel, so just c-h."

What is the common error, and the fix?

The usual error is "pich" or "wach" for pitch and watch, and later "luntch" for lunch once tch is taught. The fix is to look left. What letter sits right before /ch/? One short vowel gets tch. A consonant, two vowel letters or a vowel with r gets ch. Then check the exceptions; such and touch are worth memorizing.

Sort it: a hands-on activity

Use three headers: "tch", "ch after a consonant" and "ch after a vowel team or r". Deal 18 cards from the tables plus the exception cards. Students sort, then circle the letter before /ch/. The exceptions go in a fourth pile labeled "remember these".

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