Words Ending In "-ch" And "-tch"

The spelling of these words often causes problems. A common mistake is to spell attach and detach with the ending -tch (attatch, detatch). Here are some simple tips to help you get it right:

• If the final ‘ch’ sound comes after a consonant, the ending is -ch. For example: search, church, branch, finch.
• When the final ‘ch’ sound follows a one-letter vowel, it's usually written -tch. For example: fetch, catch, pitch, watch, dispatch. As so often with English, there are a few exceptions to the rule, including the words attach and detachthemselves! Here's a list of these exceptions:
  attach
  much
  sandwich
  which
  detach
  ostrich
  spinach
  enrich
  rich
  such
• If the final ‘ch’ sound comes after a two-letter vowel, the ending should be spelled -ch. For example: beach, teach, crouch, touch, speech.

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