BL Blend: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games
The /bl/ blend is written /bl/ in the phonetic alphabet, and most children master it by age 6. This guide covers how to make the /bl/ blend, 28 practice words split across initial and medial position, and the errors children make most often.
Example BL Blend words: black, blue, blow, blame (beginning); problem, probably, problems, public (middle).
The /bl/ blend joins the /b/ and /l/ sounds — the "bl" in blue, black, block and blanket. The lips pop open for the /b/ and the tongue tip is already on its way up to the ridge behind the top teeth for the /l/.
How to Make the BL Blend
Work on /bl/ only once /l/ is solid on its own. Then say "buh-luh-blue", shrinking the gap between the two halves each time until they run together. A "bwue" means the /l/ has turned into a /w/, which is a signal to go back to /l/ in isolation.
IPA Symbol: /bl/
Most children master the /bl/ blend by age 6. Blends arrive after the sounds they are made of: the /B/ and /L/ sounds each have to be reliable on their own before the cluster will hold, which is also the order to practise them in. Two-sound blends are generally in place somewhere between ages 4 and 7, tracking the sounds inside them — the ones containing /L/ or /R/ come in later than the rest.
Common BL Blend Errors
- Cluster reduction — producing only the /B/ sound and dropping the rest of the blend. This is by far the most common blend error.
- Cluster reduction — producing only the /L/ sound and dropping the rest of the blend. This is by far the most common blend error.
- Gliding — the /L/ inside the blend turning into a /W/, so the cluster keeps both sounds but loses the /L/.
BL Blend Word Lists by Position
Practice these words organized by where the /bl/ sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete BL Blend word list.
Initial BL Blend Words
/bl/ at the beginning of words
Medial BL Blend Words
/bl/ in the middle of words
More BL Blend Word Lists & Resources
Related Sounds
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