Initial Position Consonant Clusters – Part 1

In this lesson we’re going to cover initial consonant clusters, that is, syllables or words that begin with 2 or 3 consonant sounds in sequence.

In English, there are more than 30 initial consonant cluster combinations that include 2 consonants.

Let’s go through a list with each example so you can hear how each one is pronounced.

Let’s go!

1. /pl/ –  plot               – /plɔt/
2. /pɹ/ –  pray              – /pɹæɪ/
3. /pj/ –  puke             – /pjʉːk/
4. /ʧɹ/ –  trap              – /ʧɹæp/
5. /tw/ –  twist             – /twɪst/
6. /kl/ –  clean            – /kliːn/
7. /kɹ/ –  crack             – /kɹæk/
8. /kw/ –  quit               – /kwɪt/
9. /kj/ –  cute              – /kjʉːt/
10. /bl/ –  black             – /blæk/
11. /bɹ/ –  break            – /bɹæɪk/
12. /bj/ –  beautiful      – /ˈbjʉːɾəfʊl/
13. /ʤr/ –  dragon          – /ˈʤɹægən/
14. /dw/ –  dwell            – /dwel/
15. /gl/ –  glow             – /gləʉ/
16. /gɹ/ –  grew             – /gɹʉː/
17. /mj/ –  mute            – /mjʉːt/
18. /nj/ –  new              – /njʉː/
19. /fl/ –  float              – /fləʉt/
20. /fɹ/ –  freight          – /fɹæɪt/
21. /fj/ –  few               – /fjʉː/
22. /vj/ –  view             – /vjʉː/
23. /θɹ/ –  threat           – /θɹet/
24. /ʃɹ/ –  shrew           – /ʃɹʉː/
25. /hj/ –  huge             – /hjʉːʤ/
26. /st/ –  step              – /step/
27. /sp/ –  spot              – /spɔt/
28. /sw/ –  switch           – /swɪʧ/
29. /sl/ –  sly                 – /slɑe/
30. /sk/ –  scan              – /skæn/
31. /sm/ –  smack           – /smæk/
32. /sn/ –  snake            – /snæɪk/
33. /sf/ –  sphere          – /sfɪə/
34. /ʃw/ –  Schwartz      – /ʃwoːtz/

What are the rules?

Initial consonant clusters with 2 consonants are:

• A consonant followed by /l/, /ɹ/, /w/, or /j/ (approximants). Listed below.

• • /pl/, /pɹ/, /pj/, /tɹ/, /ʧj/, /tw/, /kl/, /kɹ/, /kw/, /kj/, /bl/, /bɹ/, /bj/, /ʤr/, /ʤj/, /dw/, /gl/, /gɹ/, /mj/, /nj/, /fl/, /fɹ/, /fj/, /vj/, /θɹ/, /ʃɹ/, /hj/

• Or, the consonant /s/ followed by voiceless stop consonants /p/, /t/, /k/, nasal vowels /n/ or /m/, and the voiceless affricative /f/. Listed below.

• • /st/, /sp/, /sw/, /sl/, /sk/, /sm/, /sn/, /sf/

• Rare German loanwords have the initial position consonant cluster /ʃw/.

Don’t worry about trying to memorise these rules.

Pronouncing these consonant clusters just comes with practice.

In order to speed things up a little I’ve divided the following exercises into a list of several consonant clusters where you can practice words with each individual cluster.

Then you’ll get a series of tongue twister sentences to practice all the consonant clusters combined.

Okay? So, they’ll be in the next exercises. See you there!

Drilling exercises!

The topics below include drilling exercises for each of the pronunciation points you just learnt.

If you want to “drill down” and practice any or all of these pronunciation points, you can do so with these video exercises in order to solidify your pronunciation of these sounds.

If you can already pronounce these sounds with confidence, skip ahead to the next lesson.

But if you still have a little trouble either remembering the rules or making the sounds themselves, complete these exercises on a regular basis until you’ve nailed the pronunciation.

Tip: shorter and more frequent drilling sessions (e.g. 5 minutes per day) are more effective than longer infrequent sessions (e.g. 1 hour per week).