B. Foundations of Language · Printing, Spelling and Sentences

Where Is the Sound? ck, tch, dge and Soft c and g

B2.2 B2.1About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can choose ck or k for the /k/ sound.
I can choose tch or ch for the /ch/ sound.
I can choose dge or ge for the /j/ sound at the end of a word.
I can tell when c says /s/ and when g says /j/.

Words to know

short vowel
A vowel that says its short sound, like the a in cat or the u in duck.

spelling pattern
A group of letters that often spells a sound in the same way, like ck at the end of duck.

soft c
When c says /s/, like in city. It happens before e, i or y.

soft g
When g says /j/, like in gem. It often happens before e, i or y.

One sound, different spellings

Say duck and milk. Both end with the /k/ sound. But duck ends with ck and milk ends with k. Why?

In English, some sounds can be spelled in more than one way. The good news: there are clues that help you choose. One big clue is where the sound is and what comes right before it.

Clue 1: The short vowel bodyguard

When a short vowel comes right before the sound at the end of a short word, the sound often gets a longer spelling, like a bodyguard standing next to the vowel:

/k/ → ck: duck, rock, stick
/ch/ → tch: catch, witch, fetch
/j/ → dge: badge, bridge, fudge

If something else comes before the sound (another consonant, or a long vowel sound), use the shorter spelling:

k: milk, park, week
ch: lunch, bench, beach
ge: hinge, page, cage

Look just before the sound. After a short vowel (duck, catch, badge), use the longer bodyguard spelling. After a consonant or long vowel (milk, lunch, page), use the short one.

Sound	Right after a short vowel	After a consonant or long vowel
/k/	ck: duck, sock, black	k: milk, park, cake
/ch/	tch: catch, itch, kitchen	ch: lunch, bench, peach
/j/ at the end	dge: badge, bridge, hedge	ge: hinge, page, cage

Look at what comes just before the sound

Rule-breakers

A few common words break the tch rule: much, such, rich, which. Learn these by heart!

And remember from Grade 1: after a short vowel, f, l, s and z usually double at the end: puff, bell, miss, buzz.

Worked example

Let's spell "bridge"

Spell bridge. 🌉

Tap the sounds: /b/ /r/ /i/ /j/.
/b/ /r/ /i/ are b, r, i.
The /j/ sound is at the end, and right before it is the short vowel i.
Short vowel, then /j/ at the end, so use dge.
Read it back: b-r-i-dge.

bridge

Worked example

Let's spell "bench"

Spell bench. 🪑

Tap the sounds: /b/ /e/ /n/ /ch/.
Look right before /ch/. It is n, a consonant, not a vowel.
So the bodyguard is not needed. Use ch.
Read it back: b-e-n-ch.

bench

Just for fun

Tongue twister! Say it three times fast: A duck in a truck ate fudge on a bridge. 🦆🚚 Can you spot every ck and dge bodyguard?

Clue 2: Soft c and soft g

The letter c usually says /k/: cat, cup, cot.

But when c comes before e, i or y, it says /s/. This is called soft c:

cent, city, cycle, rice, face, pencil

The letter g usually says /g/: gum, go, gas.

But before e, i or y, g often says /j/. This is soft g:

gem, giant, gym, page, orange

(Some common words don't follow the g rule, like get, give and girl.)

The letter after c tells you what sound it makes.

Ending clues

English words almost never end with the letter j. If a word ends with the /j/ sound, spell it dge or ge: badge, page, large.

And when a word ends with /s/ after a long vowel, it is often spelled ce: ice, rice, face, race.

Hands-on activity

Spelling choice sort

You need: 6 index cards or paper squares, a pencil.

Write these headings on 3 cards: ck, tch, dge.
Write the same on 3 more cards: k, ch, ge.
A grown-up says a word. You decide: is there a short vowel right before the sound? Point to the right card, then write the word.

Words: sock, milk, catch, lunch, badge, page, neck, pinch, fudge, cake, stitch, hinge.

Bonus: Go on a soft c and g hunt in your kitchen. Look on boxes and cans for words like rice, juice, spice, orange, ginger or cereal.

Your turn

Fill in the blank with ck or k: si__ (feeling unwell)

Fill in the blank with ck or k: pin__ (a colour)

Fill in the blank with tch or ch: ca__ (a ball)

Spell lunch.

Spell fudge.

Does the c in city say /k/ or /s/?

Spell cage.

More practice: warm-up

Spell duck.

Spell milk.

Spell itch.

Which ending is right for ba__ (a pin you wear)? dge or ge

Does the c in cup say /k/ or /s/?

More practice: on your own

Spell match.

Spell park.

Spell hedge.

Sort the c words: cent, cat, ice, cot. Which have soft c?

Spell gem. 💎

Challenge

Spell kitchen. (Hint: listen to the vowel right before /ch/.)

Spell pencil.

Zoe spelled bench as betch. What went wrong?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which word is spelled correctly?

Which spelling of the /j/ sound goes in bri__?

In which word does c say /s/?

In which word does g say /j/?

Which word follows the rule after a consonant, use k?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 2 students use orthographic knowledge, including position-based tendencies, to make a spelling choice (B2.2). Where a sound falls in a word, and what comes right before it, helps them choose between spellings like ck/k, tch/ch and dge/ge.

How to help at home:

When your child is unsure, ask: "What sound comes right before it? Is it a short vowel?"
Collect words on the fridge under headings (ck / k, tch / ch, dge / ge).
Point out soft c and g on food packages: rice, juice, orange, ginger.

Common difficulties:

Using ck after a consonant (milck). Cover the ending and look at the letter before it.
Writing j at the end of words (bajj, paj). Remind them that English words almost never end in j.
Hearing /t/ in tch words and spelling ch words with tch (lutch). Stretch the word to check for a consonant before /ch/.
Exceptions. Words like much, such, rich, which and get, give, girl just need to be learned. Patterns are strong clues, not unbreakable laws.