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The Pronunciation Lounge

Medium level

Consonant clusters at the start of words

Episode 250317 / 17 Mar 2025

(Images via Getty Images)

Free worksheet and transcript

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Watch Episode 5
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How do you pronounce words that begin with lots of consonants?

What is a consonant cluster? It's a word that has multiple consonant sounds together. Look at the consonants at the starts of these words:

  • fly /fl/
  • train /tr/
  • squirrel /skw/
  • throw /thr/.

Consonant clusters are important to know about because if you miss a sound or say the wrong sound, you might say another word, and people might not be able to understand you.

How can you practise them? Break down the sounds and say them out loud individually and then say the whole consonant cluster together.

For example, for the word 'spring', practise by saying these out loud:

  • sss ppp rrr
  • sssppprrr
  • spr
  • spring

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To do

Practise by using the worksheet on this page. The clip we heard came from an episode of Alice in Wonderland – listen to the whole programme.

Next

When should you shorten 'going to'? How do you say it naturally? Watch Episode 5 here and learn about 'gonna', 'wanna' and 'gotta'.

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