In the word 'stop,' the 'st' at the beginning is a consonant blend. What is a consonant blend?
ATwo letters that together make one sound, like 'ch' in 'chair'
BTwo consonant sounds pronounced closely together, each consonant making its own sound
CA pattern where a short vowel follows two consonants
DA silent consonant followed by a consonant that is pronounced
A consonant blend is two (or sometimes three) consonants that appear together, and each one makes its own sound. In 'stop,' you hear /s/ and /t/ as separate sounds, pronounced quickly together. This is different from a digraph like 'ch,' where the two letters together make a single new sound (/tʃ/). In a blend, the sounds are both present; in a digraph, one new sound replaces the two separate sounds.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
Which word contains a consonant blend?
A'chip' — the 'ch' makes one sound
B'tree' — the 'tr' makes two sounds, each consonant pronounced
C'shop' — the 'sh' makes one sound
D'think' — the 'th' makes one sound
'Tree' has the blend 'tr': /t/ and /r/ are both pronounced, making two sounds. 'Chip' has the digraph 'ch' (one sound), 'shop' has 'sh' (one sound), and 'think' has 'th' (one sound). These are digraphs, not blends. Blends are combinations where you hear both consonant sounds.
Question 3 True / False
A child who can decode CVC words perfectly but has never studied consonant blends will be able to read the word 'sled' by sounding it out.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
CVC words have one consonant, one vowel, one consonant. 'Sled' has a different pattern: two consonants at the beginning (a blend) followed by a vowel and consonant. A child who only knows CVC patterns has not learned what to do with consonant blends. They might try to force 'sled' into the CVC pattern or struggle to blend the 'sl' sounds. Consonant blends are a necessary next step after CVC mastery.
Question 4 True / False
Consonant blends appear at the beginning of words, so readers only need to learn blends in the initial position of words.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
While initial blends are more common and are typically taught first, consonant blends also appear at the end of words: 'jump' (mp), 'find' (nd), 'rest' (st), 'plant' (nt). Readers need to learn to decode blends in both positions. Final blends are usually taught after initial blends are automatic.
Question 5 Short Answer
Why is it important to explicitly teach consonant blends rather than assuming children will figure them out once they can decode CVC words?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Consonant blends represent a departure from the simple one-letter-one-sound pattern of CVC words. A child must understand that multiple consonants can appear adjacent and that each makes its own sound. Without this insight, a child might try to apply CVC pattern-matching to 'sled' and fail. Explicit instruction makes the pattern clear and helps children understand the systematic nature of English phonics.
Phonics instruction is about teaching patterns explicitly so children can apply them broadly. Consonant blends are a learnable pattern, but they're not obvious from CVC instruction alone. Once explicitly taught, children can decode hundreds of new words with blends. Explicit instruction in the pattern (here are the common initial blends; here are the common final blends) is far more efficient than leaving children to discover the pattern on their own.