Pronounce English Accurately

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Syllable final consonant clusters - Part 1

There are many, many more combinations of clusters in syllable final position than in initial position, and I'm going to try to cover them ALL. There are so many of them that I'm ging to do this in two lessons, as one would be too long.

Here we go…

First, two stops together: /pt, bd, kt/ and /gd/.

Examples of /pt/:

apt - rapt, rapped - hoped - stopped - mapped.

Examples of /bd/: robbed - tabbed - sobbed - grabbed - clubbed.

Examples of /kt/:

act, react - parked - talked - lacked - locked - picked.

Examples of /gd/:

tugged - logged - blogged - bagged - rigged.

There are two important points regarding clusters in which two stops occur together.

The first we have come across many times before - the lengthening of the preceding vowel before all voiced consonants and the clipping short of the vowel before all voiceless consonants: 'pecked' versus 'pegged', 'lacked' versus 'lagged', 'backed' versus 'bagged'.

The second point is that in all clusters in which two stops occur together the first stop is unreleased.

This means that the speech organs move to the place of articulation for the first cluster, stop the airflow, and then move to the place of articulation for the second consonant and perform the release there:

hacked, cracked - the /k/ sound is virtually inaudible, it is certainly not released, but you have to make closure in the /k/ position before releasing in the /t/ position.

More examples of non-release of the first of two stops:

popped, leapt; barbed, robed;

sacked, tricked; tagged, drugged.

Onto the voiceless two-stop clusters we can add an /s/ making /pts/ and /kts/:

/pts/: adopts; /kts/: acts, reacts.

The next group of final clusters consist of a stop followed by a fricative: /ps/ and /bz/, /ts/ and /dz/, /ks/ and /gz/, /pθ/, and /tθ/ and dθ/.

Examples of final /ps/: perhaps - lapse - collapse - ellipse - eclipse - maps

And onto these we can add /t/: lapsed - collapsed - eclipsed

Examples of final /bz/: rubs - robs - tubs - tubes.

Examples of final /ts/: writes - lights - hates - roots.

Examples of final /dz/: needs - loads - words - birds.

Examples of final /ks/: axe - max - fax - stacks.

And onto this we can add a final /t/: axed - maxed - faxed

Examples of final /pθ/: depth

And onto this we can add /s/: depths

Examples of final /tθ/: eighth

And onto this we can add /s/: eighths

Examples of final /dθ/: width - breadth - hundredth.

And again this can have final /s/ added: widths, breadths, hundredths.

The next group consist of two fricatives together: /fs/ and /vz/, /fθ/, /θs/ and /ðz/:

Examples of /fs/: laughs - beliefs - laughs - cliffs - bluffs.

Examples of /vz/: knives - leaves - waves - saves - behaves.

Examples of /fθ/: fifth

And onto this we can add final /s/: fifths.

Examples of /θs/: maths - births - deaths - myths - truths.

Examples of /ðz/: clothes - breathes - baths - baths - oaths.

The next group of clusters consist of a fricative followed by a stop: /ft/ and /vd/, /sk/, /st/ and /zd/, /sp/, /ʃt/ and /ʒd/, /θt/ and /ðd/.

Examples of final /ft/: lift - draft, draught - laughed - coughed - left - soft.

And onto this can be added final /s/: lifts - draughts - tufts.

Examples of final /vd/: loved - paved - lived - dived.

Examples of final /sk/: ask - risk - mask - bisque - dusk.And onto this can be added both final /s/ and final /t/: asks - risks - masks - task; asked - masked - risked - tasked.

Examples of final /st/: past, passed - last - cast - coast - dust - test.And again this can take a final /s/: tests - hosts - posts - coasts.

Examples of final /zd/: seized - raised - closed - used - lazed

Examples of final /sp/: rasp - wasp - grasp - clasp

And this can take both a final /s/ and a final /t/: rasps - wasps - grasps - clasps; rasped - grasped - clasped.

Examples of final /ʃt/: pushed - washed - rushed - fished - wished.

Examples of final /ʒd/: rouged is the only one I can think of.

Examples of the rare final /θt/: berthed, birthed - unearthed.

Final /ðd/ is much more common: bathed - breathed - clothed - teethed.

The next small group consists of an affricate plus a stop, /tʃt/ and /dʒd/:

Examples of final /tʃt/: watched - reached - marched - searched - stretched.

Examples of final /dʒd/: judged - charged - managed - damaged - enraged.

The next group have either lateral /l/ or a nasal plus an affricate. With /l/: /ltʃ/ and /ldʒ/; with nasal /n/: /ntʃ/ and /ndʒ/.

Examples of final /ltʃ/: belch - filch - gulch - mulch - squelch.

To these we can add a final /t/: belched - filched - mulched - squelched .

Examples of final /ldʒ/: bulge - bilge - divulge - indulge.To these we can add a final /d/, making /ldʒd/: bulged - divulged - indulged.

Examples of final /ntʃ/: bunch - lunch - brunch - hunch - launch - staunch - pinch.

To these we can add a final /t/, to /ntʃ/, making /ntʃt/: lunched - launched - pinched - hunched.

Examples of final /ndʒ/: change - range - strange - fringe - tinge - sponge - lunge - lounge.

To these we can add a final /d/, making /ndʒd/: changed - tinged - lunged -lounged.

Phew! Let's have a break there and continue in the next lesson.