tʃ
Consonant
/tʃ/ — Voiceless palato-alveolar affricate
Example words
| Word | US English | UK English |
|---|---|---|
| church | /ˈtʃɝtʃ/ | /t͡ʃɜːt͡ʃ/ |
| catch | /ˈkætʃ/ | /kat͡ʃ/ |
| chair | /ˈtʃɛɹ/ | /t͡ʃɛə/ |
| cheese | /ˈtʃiz/ | /t͡ʃiːz/ |
| child | /ˈtʃaɪld/ | /tʃaɪld/ |
| watch | /ˈwɑtʃ/ | /wɒt͡ʃ/ |
| much | /ˈmʌtʃ/ | /mʌt͡ʃ/ |
| each | /ˈitʃ/ | /iːt͡ʃ/ |
| lunch | /ˈlʌntʃ/ | /lʌnt͡ʃ/ |
| chicken | /ˈtʃɪkən/ | /t͡ʃɪkɪn/ |
Transcriptions come from pronunciation lexicons IPAtics maintains, in US and UK English.
How to produce this sound
SoundAffricate: stop + fricative release (as in "ch").
TongueBuild full closure, then release directly into /ʃ/ channel.
LipsMostly neutral, with slight rounding on release.
JawModerate opening; hold steady through closure and release.
VoiceMostly unvoiced through closure and frication.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs only in /tʃ/, so hearing them side by side isolates the sound.
- chip/ˈtʃɪp/ship/ˈʃɪp/
- cheap/ˈtʃip/sheep/ˈʃip/
- chin/ˈtʃɪn/gin/ˈdʒɪn/
- choose/ˈtʃuz/shoes/ˈʃuz/
Spelling patterns
- ch as in church
- tch as in catch
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