ich / ach: two ch sounds

CEFR A1

ich

/ɪç/

ach

/ax/

oh, interjection

What tells the two sounds apart

/ç/Continuous airflow between the tongue body and palate, further forward than in ach.
/x/Friction further back, after the a in ach.

Why it is hard

Do not use English ch from chair for German ch. The airflow remains continuous in both models; ich has the forward sound and ach the back sound. This is not a minimal pair.

Ich lese das Buch in der Nacht.

To practise

nicht/nɪçt/not
Milch/mɪlç/milk
Buch/buːx/book
Nacht/naxt/night