The wh and ph Digraphs

Read wh as /w/ and ph as /f/.

Two more digraphs are worth knowing. The letters w and h together usually say /w/. You see wh at the start of many question words, like 'when', 'which', and 'why', and in words like 'whale' and 'whip'. The letters p and h together say /f/.

You see ph in words like 'phone', 'graph', and 'dolphin'. So if you see 'Ralph' in a story, read the ph as /f/. Here is a sentence to try: 'Which whale did you see in the photo? ' Wh says /w/ and ph says /f/.

• 1wh usually says /w/.
• 2ph says /f/.
• 3Many question words begin with wh.