English

Letter Combinations and Digraphs in English Alphabet Pronunciation
The are 5 vowels and 21 consonants among English alphabet letters. However, each letter can be
pronounced in a few different ways, creating over 40 distinct sounds.
Consonant Clusters and Digraphs
Consonant clusters are sequences of two or more consonant sounds that appear together in a word
without any vowel sounds between them. They can occur at a word’s beginning, middle, or end. Let’s
look at some common examples:
•at the beginning: straight, splash, strong, three, scratch, spread, sphere;
•in the middle: instrument, inscribe, wrestle, monster, promptly, catcher, helpless;
•at the end: world, tempt, lunch, months, first, bursts, script.
Some of the consonant clusters often create digraphs – combinations of two letters that create a
single sound.
•ch – /tʃ/ – cheese, chair, church, charm.
•sh – /ʃ/ – ship, sheet, shape, shoe.
•th – /θ/ (pronuonced like “s” with a tongue between teeth) – thin, teeth, health, thanks.
•th - /ð/ (pronounced like “z” with a tongue between teeth) - these, although, that,
•ph – /f/ – phone, photo, philosophy, pharmacy.
It’s important to note that the pronunciation of consonant clusters can vary in different languages and
dialects. These examples represent common patterns in the English alphabet, but other tongues may
have different digraphs or consonant clusters.
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5.

Vowel Combinations
Just like consonants, vowels also produce plenty of sounds. Combining two of the same letters can
create entirely different pronunciations. Look at these examples:
•ea – /iː/ in “seat” or “beat,” /ɛ/ in “bread” or “dead.”
•ie – /aɪ/ in “pie” or “tie,” but /iː/ in “yield” or “believe.”
•ou – /aʊ/ in “house” or “mouse,” but /uː/ in “through” or “trough.”
•ei – /eɪ/ in “vein,” but /aɪ/ in “height.”
•oo – /uː/ in “pool” or “school,” but /ʊ/ in “good” or “book.”
These are only a few vowel combinations, but there are many more. It is also important to note that the
pronunciation of the same vowel sounds may differ in some English accents.
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6.

Silent Letters
English language might be challenging for many language-learners. Sometimes, when you write the word
down, it has more letters than when you pronounce it. That’s because of the silent letters – the ones that
are present in the written version of the term but are omitted when said out loud. Almost every vowel and
consonant in the English alphabet can be silent.
•b – thumb /θʌm/, comb /koʊm/, lamb /læm/;
•c – muscle /ˈmʌsəl/;
•d – Wednesday /ˈwɛnzdeɪ/;
•e – come /kʌm/, give /ɡɪv/;
•g – gnaw /nɔː/, sign /saɪn/, reign /reɪn/;
•h – honest /ˈɒnɪst/, ghost /ɡoʊst/;
•k – knee /niː/, knife /naɪf/, know /noʊ/;
•l – calf /kæf/, salmon /ˈsæmən/;
•n – hymn /hɪm/, autumn /ˈɔːtəm/;
•p – pneumonia /njuːˈmoʊniə/, psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/;
•t – castle /ˈkæsəl/, ballet /bæˈleɪ/;
•w – wraith /reɪθ/, wrinkle /ˈrɪŋkəl/;
•x – faux /foʊ/.
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