The /tʃ/ Sound, Voiceless Palato-Alveolar Affricate
/tʃ/
/tʃ/ is a voiceless palato-alveolar affricate. To make it, the blade of the tongue rises towards the area between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate and a full stop is released slowly into friction. It is voiceless, so the vocal folds do not vibrate.
Often called the ch sound.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| chair | /tʃeə/ | /tʃer/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| teacher | /ˈtiː.tʃə/ | /ˈtiː.tʃɚ/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| watch | /wɒtʃ/ | /wɑːtʃ/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/tʃ/ is told apart from every other English sound by three distinctive features.
Allophones Of /tʃ/
/tʃ/ has 1 allophone in the app, starting with [tʃʷ], a consonant immediately before /w/ or a rounded vowel. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /tʃ/ Sound
/tʃ/ At The Start Of A Word
- chew
- chin
- chip
- chop
- cello
- chain
- chair
- chalk
- chant
- charm
- chart
- chase
- cheap
- cheat
- check
- cheek
- cheer
- chess
- chest
- chief
- child
- chill
- chime
- chirp
- choke
- chore
- chose
- churn
- czech
- chance
/tʃ/ In The Middle Of A Word
- actual
- future
- kimchi
- lychee
- mutual
- nachos
- nature
- poncho
- richer
- ritual
- statue
- virtue
- achieve
- archery
- butcher
- capture
- century
- cloture
- culture
- enchant
- estuary
- feature
- fixture
- fortune
- gesture
- ketchup
- kitchen
- lecture
- mixture
- natural
/tʃ/ At The End Of A Word
- each
- inch
- itch
- much
- ouch
- rich
- beach
- beech
- bench
- bunch
- catch
- coach
- couch
- ditch
- fetch
- hatch
- hitch
- hunch
- hutch
- latch
- lunch
- lurch
- march
- match
- mulch
- munch
- notch
- parch
- patch
- peach
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
Is /tʃ/ voiced or voiceless?
/tʃ/ is voiceless.
What is the place of articulation of /tʃ/?
/tʃ/ is palato-alveolar, which means the blade of the tongue rises towards the area between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate.
What is the manner of articulation of /tʃ/?
/tʃ/ is a affricate, which means a full stop is released slowly into friction.
Which words have the /tʃ/ sound?
For example chair, teacher, watch.