/tʃ/

The /tʃ/: a /t/ opening into /ʃ/

The /tʃ/ is an affricate: it starts with a full closure, like a /t/, and releases into the airstream of /ʃ/. It's the sound of the Spanish ch, so you can already make it. What needs work is not using it where /ʃ/ belongs.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: lips slightly rounded, as for /ʃ/.
• 👅 Tongue: first close against the alveolar ridge, then release toward the palate.
• 🔊 Voice: voiceless, quick and forceful — a burst, not a long stream.

You hear it in: chair · chocolate · church · watch · teacher

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: using /tʃ/ where the word takes /ʃ/. Chair and share start differently, and that initial closure is the only difference.

By the end you'll be able to: keep /tʃ/ and /ʃ/ apart and pick the right one in pairs like chair / share and chip / ship.