Blend Brigade
Two sounds, one snap. Close the door.
Consonant blends and closed syllables are the engine of long words. Learn to hear every sound in a blend, chop big words into closed syllables, and read them in your unit's texts.
What is a consonant blend?
A blend is two or three consonants side by side where you hear every sound. They stay glued together, but nothing disappears: s + t in stomp says /s/ /t/.
bl · cl · fl · gl · pl · sl
br · cr · dr · fr · gr · pr · tr
sc · sk · sm · sn · sp · st · sw
scr · spl · spr · str
nt · nd · mp · st · sk · ct · ft · lf · nk
Blend or imposter?
A digraph looks like a blend, but two letters make one new sound: sh is not /s/ + /h/. Tap each card to check.
Closed syllables: shut the door
A closed syllable has one vowel and ends with a consonant. The consonant closes the door, and the vowel stays short.
How to chop a long word
Count the vowels. One vowel sound = one syllable. trumpet has u and e, so 2 syllables.
Two consonants between vowels? Split between them: trum|pet, nap|kin.
Double letters? Split right down the middle: skip|ping, blos|som.
Three consonants? Keep the blend together: hun|dred, con|trast.
Endings -ing and -ed get their own syllable: blend|ing, craft|ed.
Traps to watch for
In listen, castle and sword, one letter is silent. If you can't hear both sounds, it isn't working as a blend.
The most common blend mistake is skipping a letter: banket instead of blanket. Say every consonant.
kind, gold, wild and most look closed but have long vowels. Learn them as exceptions.
Choose your unit
Rank is the level
Every unit has its own rank. Each rank drills one skill, with no mixing mid-mission. Get 6 of 8 right on the first try to earn a promotion.
Speed comes from confidence. Confidence comes from reps.