Which statement about consonant blends is true?

Which statement about consonant blends is true?

• A. They create a single new sound
• B. They keep the letters' original sounds when blended
• C. They are always two vowels
• D. They always appear at the end

Answer: (B)

Consonant blends involve two or more consonants that come together, and each letter keeps its own sound when you say the cluster. You can hear the sounds in order, not a single new sound. For example, in blue you hear /b/ followed by /l/, and in stop you hear /s/ then /t/. That’s why keeping the letters’ original sounds when blended is the true statement. The idea that blends create one new sound would be true for some other letter combinations called digraphs, but not for blends. And blends can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of words, so they don’t have to be at the end.

Consonant blends involve two or more consonants that come together, and each letter keeps its own sound when you say the cluster. You can hear the sounds in order, not a single new sound. For example, in blue you hear /b/ followed by /l/, and in stop you hear /s/ then /t/. That’s why keeping the letters’ original sounds when blended is the true statement. The idea that blends create one new sound would be true for some other letter combinations called digraphs, but not for blends. And blends can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of words, so they don’t have to be at the end.