wh
A pair of letters that makes the /w/ sound at the start of words like 'what' and 'when'. It helps show how to say words that begin with this sound.
The 'wh' digraph typically represents the /w/ sound in most modern English dialects, though historically it represented /hw/ or /ʍ/ (voiceless w). The 'h' is usually silent in contemporary pronunciation.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: WH Digraph
WH at the start of a word usually sounds like /w/, like in 'when' and 'what'.
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.
Tip
WH asks questions — when, what, where, why!
Examples
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