sh spellings

The common 'sh sound' /ʃ/ spellings are the the 's-h' and 'c-h' spellings. The words "sure, ocean, issue" and "sugar" are all common non-phonetic words pronounced with the 'sh sound' in English.

Introduction to Fricatives > How to pronounce ’sh’ /ʃ/ > Common ’sh’ /ʃ/ spellings > Practice pronouncing ’sh’ /ʃ/

Common 'sh' /ʃ/ spellings

1. sh

a. ship /ʃɪp/

b. ashame /ə 'ʃeɪm/

c. wish /wɪʃ/

The 'sh sound' is frequently spelled 's-h' as in "ship" and 'c-h' as in "chef."

2. ch*

a. chef /ʃɛf/

b. machine /mə 'ʃin/

c. mustache /'mʌ stæʃ/

*The 'ch' spelling is more commonly pronounced as the 'ch' sound /ʧ/ (as in 'chip'). It is also sometimes pronounced /k/ as in 'chaos.'

'sh sound' /ʃ/ non-phonetic words

Non-phonetic words are not pronounced according to their spelling. Their pronunciations should be memorized.

1. sure /ʃuɚ/

2. ocean /'oʊʃ ən/

3. issue /'ɪʃ u/

4. sugar /'ʃʊg ɚ/

More 'sh sound' material

Pronuncian: American English Pronunciation

Learn and practice American English pronunciation with free online lessons and videos. Minimal pairs and listen-and repeat practice helps English Language Learners speak English more fluently and achieve accent reduction.