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.