Which statement correctly defines a consonant blend?

Which statement correctly defines a consonant blend?

• A. A two-letter combination that creates a single phoneme such as 'sh'.
• B. A combination of two or three graphemes where the consonant sounds are separate and identifiable.
• C. A three-letter sequence that produces two phonemes.
• D. A single consonant letter that stands for multiple sounds.

Answer: (B)

Consonant blends are two or three consonants written together that keep their own sounds, so you can hear each sound separately in the word. This means the sounds don’t merge into a single new sound. For example, in a word with a blend like “bl—” you hear the /b/ sound followed by the /l/ sound as you say the word. That’s different from a digraph, where two letters work together to produce one sound, like “sh” sounding like /ʃ/ rather than /s/ + /h/. The statement that describes a two- or three-letter group where the consonant sounds remain separate and identifiable matches what a consonant blend is.

Consonant blends are two or three consonants written together that keep their own sounds, so you can hear each sound separately in the word. This means the sounds don’t merge into a single new sound. For example, in a word with a blend like “bl—” you hear the /b/ sound followed by the /l/ sound as you say the word. That’s different from a digraph, where two letters work together to produce one sound, like “sh” sounding like /ʃ/ rather than /s/ + /h/. The statement that describes a two- or three-letter group where the consonant sounds remain separate and identifiable matches what a consonant blend is.