Beginning Blends – Letter L Blends

When children move beyond simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, the next natural step in phonics is consonant blends. A blend is when two consonants are placed together, and we can still hear the sound of each letter clearly. One of the most common sets of blends that young readers encounter are the L-blends.

Here’s a list of the most common L-blends with a few simple words for each:

• bl – black, blue, blink, block
• cl – clap, clock, class, clip
• fl – flag, flip, flat, float
• gl – glass, glue, glad, glow
• pl – play, plug, plum, plan
• sl – slip, sled, slam, slide

L-blends are best introduced after children have mastered CVC words and are comfortable identifying beginning and ending consonant sounds. Typically, this comes after children can:

• Recognize short vowel sounds
• Read basic three-letter words (cat, pen, hop)
• Blend two sounds smoothly

At this stage, children are ready to expand their phonics knowledge to words with clusters of sounds like bl, cl, fl, etc

Letter L blends worksheets

Introducing L-blends is a wonderful step in helping your child grow into a confident reader. With practice, children quickly begin to recognize these blends in books and their daily environment, making reading more natural and enjoyable.