{"id":219,"date":"2013-03-01T10:24:28","date_gmt":"2013-03-01T09:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-232648-741634.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=219"},"modified":"2026-10-15T03:30:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T03:30:55","slug":"combinations-of-sounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.englishforward.com\/blog\/combinations-of-sounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Consonant Clusters in English: How to Say Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

English often puts two, three or even four consonant sounds in a row, and the whole group belongs to one syllable. The word glimpsed<\/strong> has seven sounds (\/gl\u026ampst\/) but only one syllable. Many learners add an extra vowel sound to make clusters easier, and that is the main thing to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Mitch Rankin, CEO and owner of EnglishForward.com since 2018. Last reviewed 9 October 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds, not letters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A cluster is a group of consonant sounds<\/strong>, not letters. In glimpsed<\/em>, the letter e<\/em> is silent, so it does not create a vowel sound. The end of the word is the four sounds m, p, s, t. The -ed<\/em> is said as \/t\/ because it follows the voiceless sound \/p\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To count syllables, count vowel sounds. Glimpsed<\/em> has one (the sound in lip<\/em>), so it has one syllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common consonant clusters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first column shows the letters that usually spell the cluster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cluster<\/th>Examples<\/th><\/tr>
br<\/td>bridge, abrupt, bright<\/td><\/tr>
bd<\/td>absorbed, bribed, disturbed<\/td><\/tr>
fs<\/td>cliffs, beliefs<\/td><\/tr>
ft<\/td>craft, shaft, left<\/td><\/tr>
mp<\/td>bump, lump, camp<\/td><\/tr>
pt<\/td>Egypt, except, kept, slept<\/td><\/tr>
nth<\/td>month, tenth, seventh<\/td><\/tr>
nths<\/td>months, tenths<\/td><\/tr>
nd<\/td>friend, land, hand<\/td><\/tr>
sp<\/td>sponge, clasp, lisp<\/td><\/tr>
st<\/td>start, last, sting<\/td><\/tr>
lmd<\/td>filmed<\/td><\/tr>
lk<\/td>milk, silk<\/td><\/tr>
str<\/td>strength, destroy, strip<\/td><\/tr>
vz<\/td>behaves, waves, valves<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The -ed ending: \/t\/ or \/d\/<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a cluster, the ending -ed<\/em> is said as \/t\/ after voiceless sounds (p, k, f, s, sh, ch) and as \/d\/ after voiced sounds. So glimpsed<\/em> ends in \/t\/, while bribed<\/em>, absorbed<\/em> and filmed<\/em> end in \/d\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common mistake: adding a vowel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speakers of languages with simpler syllable shapes, such as Japanese, Mandarin or Korean, often put a vowel between or after consonants. Spanish speakers often add “e” before words that start with s plus a consonant, such as “espeak” for “speak”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n