Letters on a team
Sometimes two letters team up: 'sh' makes one hushing sound in 'ship,' and 'bl' blends into the start of 'block.' Digraphs make a brand-new sound together, while blends let you still hear both — like teammates passing one ball.
Letters working together
Sometimes two consonants team up. In a blend, you still hear both sounds quickly together — like the 'bl' in 'blue' or the 'st' in 'stop'. In a digraph, two letters make one brand-new sound — like 'sh' in 'ship' or 'ch' in 'chin'.
Blend = two sounds, digraph = one
Say 'flag' slowly: you hear f-l. That's a blend. Say 'ship': the 's' and 'h' make a single /sh/ sound. That's a digraph.
Blends: bl, st, gr, sn. Digraphs: sh, ch, th, wh.