FL Blend: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games
The /fl/ blend is written /fl/ in the phonetic alphabet, and most children master it by age 6. This guide covers how to make the /fl/ blend, 28 practice words split across initial and medial position, and the errors children make most often.
Example FL Blend words: fly, flight, flying, flowers (beginning); awfully, influence, safely, conflict (middle).
The /fl/ blend joins the /f/ and /l/ sounds — the "fl" in flag, fly, flower and floor. The top teeth rest on the bottom lip for the /f/, then the lip releases and the tongue tip goes up for the /l/.
How to Make the FL Blend
Have your child hold a long "fffff" — it is one of the few sounds that can be stretched forever — and then bring the tongue up for the /l/ without stopping the air. The long /f/ buys time for the tongue to get into position, which is exactly the difficulty this blend presents.
IPA Symbol: /fl/
Most children master the /fl/ blend by age 6. Blends arrive after the sounds they are made of: the /F/ 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 FL Blend Errors
- Cluster reduction — producing only the /F/ 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/.
FL Blend Word Lists by Position
Practice these words organized by where the /fl/ sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete FL Blend word list.
Initial FL Blend Words
/fl/ at the beginning of words
Medial FL Blend Words
/fl/ in the middle of words
More FL Blend Word Lists & Resources
Related Sounds
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