Developmental pattern
Cluster Reduction
A two- or three-consonant blend gets squeezed down to a single consonant.
- Resolves
- Clusters without /s/ by 4;0 · Clusters with /s/ by 5;0
- Sounds affected
- All consonant blends
- Word pairs
- 20
- Picture pairs
- 13
What it sounds like
- "spoon" becomes "soon"
- "stop" becomes "top"
- "black" becomes "back"
- "train" becomes "tain"
Also called: Consonant cluster simplification
What is going on
A blend asks a child to move from one consonant straight into another with no vowel to rest on. Early on, one of the two consonants wins and the other disappears. Which one survives is fairly predictable: in /s/ blends the /s/ usually goes ("spoon" becomes "soon"), and in liquid blends the /r/ or /l/ usually goes ("black" becomes "back").
Cluster reduction on its own is very common and usually resolves without help. It matters most when it persists past 5, when it shows up alongside other patterns, or when the child deletes the wrong member of the cluster - keeping the /l/ and dropping the /b/, for instance, which is unusual and worth a closer look.
Try this at home
When to refer
Minimal pairs
13 picture pairsThese pairs have two distinct picture subjects. Put both pictures on the table and take turns asking for one. If the two words sound alike, slow down and compare the sounds together. The printable word list has additional listening contrasts. Tap any pair to open it full screen and score each turn with Yes! or Not quite.