Consonant Blends
Learn how to read and write words that begin with two consonants blended together, like blue, crab, and train.
What Is a Consonant Blend?
A consonant blend is when two consonants appear together at the start of a word. You can hear both sounds, but they blend together smoothly. For example, in the word blue, you can hear both the b sound and the l sound.
Say it out loud:
Say b ... l ... now blend them: bl. Now add "ue": blue!
Remember!
A blend is not a digraph. In a blend, you hear both letter sounds. In a digraph (like sh), the two letters make a brand-new sound.
L-Blends: bl, cl, fl, sl
These blends all end with the letter l. Listen for the l sound after the first consonant.
bl
blue
block
blend
cl
clap
clock
cloud
fl
flag
fly
floor
sl
slide
sleep
slow
R-Blends: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr
These blends all end with the letter r. They are very common in English words!
br
bread
bridge
cr
crab
crop
dr
drum
drop
fr
frog
fruit
gr
grape
green
pr
prize
pretty
tr
train
tree
Worked Examples
Example 1: Finding the blend
Word: flag → First two letters: fl → Both sounds heard: f + l → This is an fl blend.
Example 2: Sorting blends
drum starts with dr (r-blend). clap starts with cl (l-blend). trip starts with tr (r-blend).
Example 3: Completing a blend word
Missing blend: ___ ock. Which blend? cl + ock = clock. Also works: bl + ock = block!
Key Vocabulary
Consonant
All letters except a, e, i, o, u. Examples: b, c, d, f, g.
Blend
Two consonants together where you hear both sounds.
L-blend
A blend ending in l: bl, cl, fl, sl.
R-blend
A blend ending in r: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr.
Knowledge Check
Choose the best answer for each question.
Question 1
Which word begins with a consonant blend?
Question 2
What blend does the word cloud begin with?
Question 3
Which word begins with an r-blend?
Question 4
Complete the word: ___ ape (think of a fruit that grows in bunches)
Question 5
How many consonant blends are in this list? flag, ship, train, clap, church
Key Concepts Summary
- ●A consonant blend is two consonants at the start of a word where you hear both sounds.
- ●L-blends (bl, cl, fl, sl) end with the letter l: blue, clock, flag, sleep.
- ●R-blends (br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr) end with the letter r: bread, crab, drum, frog, grape, prize, train.
- ●Blends are different from digraphs — in blends you hear both letter sounds.