Which option is an example of a consonant blend?

Which option is an example of a consonant blend?

• A. bl in 'blue'
• B. ea in 'bread'
• C. dge in 'badge'
• D. kn in 'knight'

Answer: (A)

A consonant blend is when two consonants come together and each one makes its own sound. In the word blue, the first part, bl, lets you hear two distinct sounds /b/ and /l/ side by side as the onset of the word. That’s exactly what a blend is—two consonants blending together but each audible. The other examples aren’t blends. In bread, ea is a vowel pair that usually represents a single vowel sound, not two consonants working together. In badge, dge makes one shifty sound /dʒ/ rather than two separate consonant sounds, so it’s a digraph. In knight, the k is silent and only the /n/ sound is heard at the start, so there aren’t two distinct consonant sounds blending.

A consonant blend is when two consonants come together and each one makes its own sound. In the word blue, the first part, bl, lets you hear two distinct sounds /b/ and /l/ side by side as the onset of the word. That’s exactly what a blend is—two consonants blending together but each audible.

The other examples aren’t blends. In bread, ea is a vowel pair that usually represents a single vowel sound, not two consonants working together. In badge, dge makes one shifty sound /dʒ/ rather than two separate consonant sounds, so it’s a digraph. In knight, the k is silent and only the /n/ sound is heard at the start, so there aren’t two distinct consonant sounds blending.