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Guide

Consonant blends: L, R and S blends list

What consonant blends are, the difference from digraphs, and word lists for L blends, R blends, S blends and three-letter blends.

By Polarzinho ·

Polarzinho holding two joined puzzle pieces with the letters B and R, in a garden with a toy train and a little frog

In "frog", you hear the F and the R together, one right after the other. That is a consonant blend. I hear one every time I say "bamboo snack". The SN, of course.

Here is what consonant blends are, how they differ from digraphs, and word lists for every kind of blend.

Play Letter River Play Stop!

What are consonant blends?

A consonant blend is two or three consonants side by side where you can still hear each sound. In "stop", you hear both the S and the T.

L blends

  • BL: blue, black, block, blanket
  • CL: clap, clock, cloud, class
  • FL: flag, fly, flower, float
  • GL: glass, glue, globe, glow
  • PL: plant, play, plane, plum
  • SL: sled, slide, sleep, slow

R blends

  • BR: bread, brush, brick, brown
  • CR: crab, crown, cry, crayon
  • DR: drum, dress, drink, dragon
  • FR: frog, fruit, friend, fry
  • GR: grape, green, grass, grow
  • PR: pretzel, prize, print, press
  • TR: tree, train, truck, trip

S blends

  • SC: scarf, scooter, scale
  • SK: skate, sky, skunk
  • SM: smile, smell, small
  • SN: snack, snake, snow
  • SP: spoon, spider, spin
  • ST: star, stop, stamp
  • SW: swim, swing, sweet

Three-letter blends

  • SCR: scream, scratch, scrub
  • SPL: splash, split, splendid
  • SPR: spring, spray, sprout
  • STR: string, street, strong
  • SQU: squirrel, square, squeeze

Practice by playing

In Letter River, you read a clue and drag across the letters on the board to spell the answer, a fun way to notice blends.

Letter River letter board next to the list of clues, with a river and mountains behind

PolarzinhoThe otter in Letter River spots every blend. I spot every snack.

Letter River: the letter board and the clues beside it.

And in Stop!, the quick category game, blend words like "strawberry" and "squirrel" make great answers.

Stop! home screen with the options to play with the crowd or create a room with friends

PolarzinhoI wrote "squirrel" for animal. A three-letter blend. I felt unstoppable.

Stop!: play with the crowd or create a room with friends.

FAQ

What is the difference between a blend and a digraph?

In a blend you hear each letter (ST in star). In a digraph two letters make one sound (TH in thumb).

What are L blends?

Blends where a consonant is followed by L: BL, CL, FL, GL, PL and SL.

Is "str" a blend?

Yes, a three-letter blend, as in string and street.

Your turn

Find the blends: frog, stamp, splash, clock. Then sort them into L, R, S or three-letter blends.

Play Letter River Play Stop!