Which word contains a consonant blend at the start?

Which word contains a consonant blend at the start?

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

Answer: (D)

A consonant blend is when two or more consonant sounds happen together at the start of a syllable, and you can hear each sound before the vowel. In the word smile, the beginning is the blend “sm,” so you hear /s/ and /m/ in sequence before the vowel /i/. That makes it a consonant blend. The other words start with only one consonant sound before the vowel. Pearl begins with a single /p/ before the vowel sound, water with /w/, and make with /m/. Their starting sounds aren’t two distinct consonants sounded together, so they aren’t blends.

A consonant blend is when two or more consonant sounds happen together at the start of a syllable, and you can hear each sound before the vowel. In the word smile, the beginning is the blend “sm,” so you hear /s/ and /m/ in sequence before the vowel /i/. That makes it a consonant blend.

The other words start with only one consonant sound before the vowel. Pearl begins with a single /p/ before the vowel sound, water with /w/, and make with /m/. Their starting sounds aren’t two distinct consonants sounded together, so they aren’t blends.