CR Blend: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games
The /cr/ blend is written /kɹ/ in the phonetic alphabet, and most children master it by age 7. This guide covers how to make the /cr/ blend, 28 practice words split across initial and medial position, and the errors children make most often.
Example CR Blend words: crazy, christmas, cry, cross (beginning); secret, across, incredible, secretary (middle).
The /cr/ blend joins the /k/ and /r/ sounds — the "cr" in crown, cry, crab and crayon. Both sounds are made toward the back of the mouth, which makes this one of the easier r-blends once the /r/ itself is in place.
How to Make the CR Blend
Hold the /k/ back in the throat and let the tongue slide straight into the /r/ without a vowel in between — "k-rrr-own". Because the two positions are close together, children who have /r/ often pick this blend up quickly.
IPA Symbol: /kɹ/
Most children master the /cr/ blend by age 7. Blends arrive after the sounds they are made of: the /K/ and /R/ 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 CR Blend Errors
- Cluster reduction — producing only the /K/ sound and dropping the rest of the blend. This is by far the most common blend error.
- Cluster reduction — producing only the /R/ sound and dropping the rest of the blend. This is by far the most common blend error.
- Gliding — the /R/ inside the blend turning into a /W/, so the cluster keeps both sounds but loses the /R/.
CR Blend Word Lists by Position
Practice these words organized by where the /cr/ sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete CR Blend word list.
Initial CR Blend Words
/cr/ at the beginning of words
Medial CR Blend Words
/cr/ in the middle of words
More CR Blend Word Lists & Resources
Related Sounds
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