Which word begins with a consonant blend: 'plan' or 'pearl'?

Which word begins with a consonant blend: 'plan' or 'pearl'?

• A. Pearl
• B. Water
• C. Make
• D. Plan

Answer: (D)

A consonant blend happens when two consonant sounds come together at the start of a word, and you can hear both sounds before the vowel begins. In plan, the beginning is a blend of /p/ and /l/. You say /pl/ right away, then move into the vowel sound /æ/ and the rest of the word. You can distinctly hear two consonant sounds before the vowel. In pearl, the start is just the /p/ sound, and the next part is the vowel-related sequence /ɜːr/ after the initial sound. There isn’t a second consonant sound joined with the first at the very start, so there isn’t a consonant blend here. So plan is the word that begins with a consonant blend.

A consonant blend happens when two consonant sounds come together at the start of a word, and you can hear both sounds before the vowel begins.

In plan, the beginning is a blend of /p/ and /l/. You say /pl/ right away, then move into the vowel sound /æ/ and the rest of the word. You can distinctly hear two consonant sounds before the vowel.

In pearl, the start is just the /p/ sound, and the next part is the vowel-related sequence /ɜːr/ after the initial sound. There isn’t a second consonant sound joined with the first at the very start, so there isn’t a consonant blend here.

So plan is the word that begins with a consonant blend.