Games for 2nd Graders on Words with Three Letter Blends

Difference between Three Word Consonant Blends and Trigraphs

When three consonants combine to give the same sound as the individual letters, it is a consonant blend—for example, the word sprint. Here, the unique sounds of s, p, and r combine to make the sound /spr/. On the other hand, in trigraphs, the consonants are combined to form a unique sound. For instance, the word “weigh” has a trigraph “igh,” but it is not pronounced as /iggh/ but /ehhhh/.

Thus, for blends, the kids should know the individual sounds of the letters. If they have mastered those sounds, they would be able to pronounce the combinations easily.

A few of the three-letter consonant blends with their examples are:

• “thr” blend
  • Thrice
  • Throne
  • Threat
  • Throat
  • Thrill
  • Thread
     
• “str” blend
  • Strap
  • Stanger
  • Streak
  • Strain
  • Stream
  • String
     
• “squ” blend
  • Squeak
  • Squid
  • Squash
  • Squeeze
  • Square
     
• “spl” blend
  • Splice
  • Splay
  • Splendid
  • Splatter
  • Split
  • Splat
• “shr” blend
  • Shrift
  • Shrunk
  • Shrill
  • Shrug
  • Shrub
  • Shrine

The Importance of Learning Blends

Reading comprises phonological processing and blending. Kids should be able to integrate the sounds easily without any pauses. While 2nd-grade kids already know most of the two-letter blends, they may find it challenging to weave in the third letter and pronounce it. Nevertheless, they can be introduced to different online educational videos or interactive games like that on SplashLearn. 

SplashLearn has a variety of curriculum-aligned games best following the Common Core Standards. When the kids practice learning blends through attractive audio-visual aids, they can retain the information and make learning fun.