WH Digraph Words and Practice

The letters wh are a two-letter spelling pattern. In this beginner word set, wh represents /w/.

Some speakers maintain a wh/w distinction, traditionally represented as /ʍ/, while many modern speakers pronounce these WH words with /w/.

Print Word List (6 Words) →WH Word Mapping Worksheet →

Beginning WH Words (/w/)

The two letters wh work together to spell one sound (/w/) at the beginning of these words. In sound boxes, wh shares a single box.

whip

4 letters • 3 sounds

wh/w/

i/ɪ/

p/p/

whim

4 letters • 3 sounds

wh/w/

i/ɪ/

m/m/

whiz

4 letters • 3 sounds

wh/w/

i/ɪ/

z/z/

when

4 letters • 3 sounds

wh/w/

e/ɛ/

n/n/

whack

5 letters • 3 sounds

wh/w/

a/æ/

ck/k/

which

5 letters • 3 sounds

wh/w/

i/ɪ/

ch/tʃ/

A Note About Other WH Words

Some English words that start with wh — such as who, whole, and whose — behave differently and do not begin with /w/. Those words are outside this beginner set and are not included in this practice.

Free Printable WH Word Mapping Worksheet

Download and print our verified 6-item text-based word-mapping practice sheet with complete answer key. No pictures needed — students read the word and map each sound spelling.

Open Worksheet →