Words containing 'ch' but pronounced 'sh'...

Pronunciation of certain words in English has always been a matter of confusion for many learners of English. Though English is the most powerful language in the world in terms of the number of words and ease of use, its pronunciation rules are often confusing.

The ‘ch’ in cherry is pronounced as it is written but when you say chemistry the ‘ch’ takes a ‘k’ sound. Is that all? No. Another common word chef is neither pronounced as /chef/ or /kef/ but /shef/!

Here are a few common English words with ‘ch’ in their spelling but are pronounced with a ‘sh’ sound. The approximate pronunciation is given between the slashes. Please use a standard dictionary to see the accurate pronunciation.

brochure /broshr/

cache /cash/

champagne /shampain/

chandelier /shandliyr/

chassis /shasee/

chauvinist /shauvnist/

chef /shef/

Cheryl /sheryl/

chevrolet /shevrolei/

chic /sheek/

Chicago /shikaago/

chiffon /shifon/

chivalry /shivlri/

chute /shoot/

cliché /kleeshey/

machine /masheen/

Michelle /mishel/

Michigan /mishigan/

mustache /mustaash/

parachute /parashoot/

 

Though not so common in day-to-day English, the following words also take ‘sh’ in place of ‘ch’ while pronouncing them.

cachet, chagrin, chaperon(e), charade, charlatan, chauffeur, crochet, fuchsia, machete, quiche, ricochet, chaise, chalet, chateau, chemise, douche, charlotte etc