Same Reading › Letters and sounds › Consonant blends
What is a consonant blend?
A consonant blend is two or three consonants side by side where you still hear each one, like st in stop, fl in flag and mp in jump. That's the difference from a digraph like sh, where two letters make one new sound.
- f and r each keep their own sound.
- Tap them separately: /f/ /r/ /o/ /g/ is four sounds.
- Start blends: st, fl, gr, cl, sp · End blends: mp, nd, st, lk
Why schools teach it
Kids tend to drop a sound
First graders blend and segment words with four or more sounds (RF.1.2b), which includes words with blends. The common mistake is losing a sound: stop becomes sop, and jump becomes jup.
Teachers have kids tap each sound in the blend so both get heard. Ending blends, like mp and nd, are often harder than starting ones.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
How many sounds do you hear at the start?
Tap the sounds: /s/ /t/ /o/ /p/.
Say it again. Did you hear both?
What's the difference between st and sh?
In st you hear two sounds; sh makes one.
Skip this
- Teaching a blend as one sound.Kids learn more by hearing both sounds.
- Skipping ending blends.Words like hand and jump are where sounds get dropped most.
Just sound out the s.
Ask for every sound, so none gets lost.
See it in action
Reading “jump”
Tap the sounds
/j/ /u/ /m/ /p/Check the end: both /m/ and /p/
m + pBlend
jump
If your child reads jup, cover the p, read jum, then add the /p/.
Free practice sheet
Make a consonant blends sheet
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Parents: tell your child's teacher about this guide
Parents also ask
What's the difference between a blend and a digraph?
In a blend you hear each letter (st). In a digraph, two letters make one new sound (sh).
Are there three-letter blends?
Yes, like str in street and spl in splash. They come after two-letter blends.
Which blends come first?
Usually s-blends (st, sp, sn), l-blends (fl, cl, bl) and r-blends (fr, tr, gr).
Why does my child spell went as wet?
The n is easy to miss in end blends. Tapping each sound helps.