Consonant Blends Teaching Resources
Explore consonant blends worksheets, word lists, reading group activities, educational posters and games to use in your primary school classroom this school year!
This collection of curriculum-aligned Australian English curriculum and editable teaching resources has been created by teachers for teachers. Save time on your lesson plans with easy-to-implement activities and worksheets that you know have been carefully curated and reviewed by our expert teacher team. Each one is designed to help unlock those 'aha' moments in your students.
New to teaching this part of the curriculum? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a definition of consontant blend, and a list of common blends in the English language.
What Is a Consonant Blend?
In phonics, the term consonant blend is used to refer to two or three consonant sounds that are pronounced together but retain their individual sounds.
Blends are formed by placing two or three consonants together in a word. For example, early readers may encounter 'fr' in frog. That's a consonant blend!
Blends can sometimes be confused with digraphs or trigraphs — where two or three letters come together to represent one sound (eg. sh or th) — but there is a difference. With a blend, the individual sounds can still be heard. In the example of 'frog,' you still distinctly hear an 'f' and an 'r' when pronouncing the word out loud.
Blends are commonly found at the beginning of words or syllables, and they're important in developing reading and spelling skills.
Consonant Blends vs. Sound Blends
Does the definition we described sound exactly like something you've always heard described as a sound blend? That's because these two concepts are the same thing! A sound blend is just a consonant blend with a different name.
Regardless of the name, learning these blends can be an important step in phonics instruction. It can help students develop their word decoding skills as they learn to recognise the individual sounds that make up the word.
Consonant Blend Examples to Share With Your Students
We already mentioned 'fr,' but there are plenty more consonant blends that your students will encounter at the beginning of a word, in the middle of a word, or at the end. Some of the more common blends we teach in early literacy include l-blends, r-blends and s-blends, but there are plenty more in the English language!
Beginning consonant blends — sometimes called initial consonant blends — include:
- bl-: blue, black, blast, blossom
- br-: brown, brick, branch, breath
- cl-: class, clear, climb, clip
- cr-: crab, cry, cross, crown
- dr-: draw, dress, dream, drink
- fl-: flag, fly, flame, flower
- fr-: frog, from, fruit, front
- gl-: glad, glass, glide, globe
- gr-: grape, green, grass, great
- pl-: play, place, plant, plus
- pr-: print, proud, problem, price
- sc-: scan, scare, scope, scuba
- sk-: skate, skip, skill, sky
- sl-: slide, slow, sleep, sleeve
- sn-: snack, snake, snap, snow
- sp-: spin, spot, space, spoke
- st-: stay, stop, store, story
- sw-: swim, swing, sweet, switch
Consonant blends at the end of words — often called final consonant blends — include:
- -ct: fact, insect, act, direct
- -ft: craft, gift, soft, lift
- -mp: jump, bump, lamp, pump
- -nd: sand, hand, sound, found
- -nt: want, paint, scent, bent
- -sk: desk, mask, risk, task
- -sp: wasp, crisp, grasp, clasp
- -st: last, fast, best, test
- -pt: adapt, kept, swept, wept
- -ld: cold, hold, wild, field
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Blends Coding Robot Mat
Put your coding robots and your students to work practising blends with a printable coding robot mat.
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Ultimate Blends Poster Pack
Expose your students to a range of common consonant blends with this set of 20 posters.
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Initial S Blend Cards
A resource to help students identify the S blend at the beginning of a word.
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Consonant Blends Fishbowl Sorting Activity
A small group or whole class sorting game to consolidate the learning of beginning consonant blends.
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S-Blends Blending Flashcards
Practise blending s-blends with this set of blending s word cards.
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Blends PowerPoint
A 21 slide PowerPoint presentation on different blends.
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Yes or No? Phonics Sorting Activity
Use this phonics activity to help your students identify the different phonemes that make up a word.
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Initial R-Blends - Interactive Activity
Become familiar with words that begin with an r-blend using this interactive digital resource.
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Initial S-Blends - Interactive Activity
Become familiar with words that begin with an s-blend using this interactive digital resource.
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Musical Blending Active Game
An active game that allows students to practise using blends and digraphs.
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Initial Blends Bingo
30 different bingo cards using beginning sounds.
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L-Blends Blending Flashcards
Practise blending l-blends with this set of blending l word cards.
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R-Blends Blending Flashcards
Practise blending r-blends with this set of blending r word cards.
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Initial L-Blends - Interactive Activity
Become familiar with words that begin with an l-blend using this interactive digital resource.
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Word Building with S-Blends - Interactive Activity
Decode and segment words containing an initial s-blend.
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R Blend Word Wall Vocabulary
Forty-eight R blend vocabulary cards for a word wall.
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CCVC Word Building - Google Slides Interactive Activity
Practice spelling and reading CCVC words by identifying and blending sounds using this interactive Google Slides activity.
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CVCC Word Building - Google Slides Interactive Activity
Practise spelling and reading CVCC words by identifying and blending sounds using this interactive Google Slides activity.
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SMASH IT! Blending 'l' Game
Practise finding different ways to blend 'l' with other consonants with this set of 8 game boards and letter cards.
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Classroom Spinner Template - Blends
Classroom spinner template focusing on blends.
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Blend and Digraph Cards
A set of 32 blend and digraph cards that can be used in a variety of ways.
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L Blend Word Wall Vocabulary
Thirty-two L blend vocabulary cards for a word wall.
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L Blends Worksheet
A worksheet consolidating the initial L blend sound.
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Fl Blend Flashcards
Thirteen flashcards showing fl blend words and pictures.
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Initial Blends Match-Up Activity
A set of initial blends game cards.
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Common Digraphs and Blends Bookmarks
These bookmarks are designed to help students remember some of the most common blends and digraphs while reading.
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Learn and Play Spots - Common Blends and Digraphs
Carpet rings perfect for velcro carpet dots, focusing on common blends and digraphs.