Consonant Clusters

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Consonant Clusters

Two or more consonant sounds together are called "consonant clusters". Many languages do not have any words with onsonant clusters. Therefore, when native speakers of these languages speak English, they tend to skip one or more of the consonants. Make sure you pronounce every consonant sounds! Pay special attention to words spelled with the letter x since it represents a blend of two consonant clusters; for example: watched, stopped, picked.

Common words with consonant clusters:

instantly /ˈɪnstəntli/
hopefully /ˈhoʊpfəli/
apartment /əˈpɑɚtmənt/
worked /ˈwɚkt/
textbook /ˈtɛkstˌbʊk/
extra /ˈɛkstrə/
vodka /ˈvɑ:dkə/
strength /ˈstrɛŋkθ/
recognize /ˈrɛkɪgˌnaɪz/

Different Sounds for x

1. If the vowel following an x is stressed, the x is pronounced as /gz/, as in examine /ɪgˈzæmən/ and exist ɪgˈzɪst/.

2. If an x is followed by a consonant, or if it's at the end of a word, it is pronounced as /ks/, as in expert /ˈɛkˌspɚt/ and tax /ˈtæks/,

Also, note that a double c often produces an x or /ks/ sound, as in the word accent /ˈækˌsɛnt/.

Word Contrast when an x is pronounced as /ks/:

/s/	/ks/	/s/	/ks/
nest	next	aspect	expert
test	text	contest	context
session	section	mass	Max

Words ending with ts

Make sure you pronounce both the /t/ and the /s/ sounds in the following words. The /t/ will need to be pronounced softly in order to ensure a smooth transition to the /s/.

1. it's	3. states	5. what's
2. that's	4. lasts	6. doubts

Word contrasts:

/s/ or /z/	/ts/	/s/ or /z/	/ts/
1. is	its	5. was	what's
2. stays	states	6. pains	paints
3. less	lets	7. knees	needs
4. fax	facts	8. lies	lights

Pronouncing the ds Cluster

Make sure you pronounce both the /d/ and /z/ sounds in the following words. The s is pronounced like a /z/ sound because it's followed by /d/, which is a voiced consonant. The /d/ will need to be pronounced softly in order to ensure a smooth transition to the /z/.

1. needs	3. sends	5. kids
2. decades	4. friends	6. sounds

Word contrast:

/z/	/dz/	/z/	/dz/
1. fines	finds	4. rise	rides
2. cars	cards	5. lens	lends
3. fees	feeds	6. bills	builds

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