Stage 1 · A1
Level A1
ch, gn and ill
Read three very frequent letter groups: ch, gn and ill, with their most common pronunciations.
1. Objective
By the end, you will recognise ch, gn and ill in common words and avoid reading them letter by letter.
2. I discover
Read “chat, montagne, famille”. In each word, two or three letters work together as one sound group.
3. I understand
ch is most often /ʃ/ in chat; gn is /ɲ/ in ligne; ill is often /j/ in fille/famille, but there are exceptions such as ville.
chat /ʃ/chemin /ʃ/ligne /ɲ/montagne /ɲ/fille /j/famille /j/
Watch out
Do not make ill an absolute rule: fille and famille have /j/, but ville is pronounced with /il/.
4. Guided practice
5. Independent practice
6. I write / I speak
Find two words with ch, two with gn and two with ill. Read them aloud and use one in a sentence.
7. Check my learning
8. What I remember
ch → often /ʃ/; gn → /ɲ/; ill → often /j/ in words like fille, with exceptions to learn.
9. Now I can…
- I can spot ch, gn and ill.
- I know the common exception ville.
