Bookbot Decodable Books: gh
Every child deserves books that meet them exactly where they are, even at the far end of phonics. These gh decodable books explore the different jobs the letters gh can do. Readers meet silent gh words like night, right and light, and learn that gh can also say f, as in cough and enough, or g, as in ghost and ghee.
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Boo! I'm the Ball!
Meet Gad, the friendliest ghost in the forest! He’s spent ages floating all alone, watching grumpy ghouls jump out and scare people just for fun. But Gad doesn’t want to scare anyone - he wants to play! So when he spots a group of kids at the park, he zooms down to say hello. Will they run away screaming, or could Gad finally find the best friends he’s been dreaming of? This decodable reader practises the gh phonogram in words like ‘ghost,’ ‘ghostly,’ ‘ghosts,’ and ‘ghouls.’
I Thought You Were a Cat!
Hantu is the biggest, boldest ghost in all of Indonesia, and scaring villagers is his favourite job. Lions whimper! Strongmen squeal! Guards drop their guns and flee! But when Hantu creeps into a tiny house to frighten one small, sleeping mouse, will the terror of the night finally meet someone too brave to shake? This decodable reader practises the ‘gh’ phonogram in words like ‘ghost,’ ’night,’ ‘fight,’ and ’thought.’
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is gh in phonics?
Gh is a letter pair that can do three different jobs. At the start of a word it says g, as in ghost and ghee; after a vowel it is often silent, as in night and though; and in a few words it says f, as in cough, laugh and enough. It helps to sort gh words by these jobs rather than treat gh as a single sound.
Which words have a silent gh?
Silent gh words include night, light, right, high, sigh, though, dough, eight and weigh. In most of them, gh follows a vowel or vowel team, as in igh, ough and eigh, and adds no sound of its own. Pointing out that these silent letters travel in familiar groups helps children read them quickly instead of trying to sound out every letter.
Why is gh silent in some words?
Hundreds of years ago, gh stood for a throaty sound, similar to the ch in the Scottish word loch. That sound faded from most English speech, becoming silent in words like night and turning into f in words like cough and enough, but the old spelling stayed. Knowing this helps children understand why gh decodable books gather so many different sounds under one spelling.
What words with gh sound like g?
When gh comes at the start of a word, it usually says a hard g, as in ghost, ghoul, ghastly, gherkin and ghee. It can also say g in the middle of a longer word, such as spaghetti. These words are few, so a short, fun list is enough, and our scope and sequence shows where gh sits among the later levels.