WH Digraph
WH at the start of a word usually sounds like /w/, like in 'when' and 'what'.
How this rule works
In most American English, 'wh' sounds the same as 'w'. It appears at the beginning of question words (who, what, when, where, why) and other common words.
Remember: WH asks questions — when, what, where, why!
Examples
Words that use this rule
23 words in the SnapPhonics dictionary use this rule. Tap any word to see how it breaks into sounds.
Exceptions
In 'who', 'whose', 'whom', and 'whole', WH says /h/ instead of /w/. These four words are handled as exceptions in the phonics engine — they are not tagged with the WH rule.
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