STR Blend: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games
The /str/ blend is written /stɹ/ in the phonetic alphabet, and most children master it by age 8. This guide covers how to make the /str/ blend, 28 practice words split across initial and medial position, and the errors children make most often.
Example STR Blend words: street, straight, strong, strange (beginning); extra, extremely, district, extraordinary (middle).
The /str/ cluster is three sounds in a row — /s/, /t/ and /r/ — as in string, street, strong and straw. It is the most common three-element cluster in English and, along with /spr/ and /skr/, one of the last things to fall into place, usually between 7 and 9.
How to Make the STR Blend
Start from /st/, which is usually already there, and add the /r/: "st…rrr…ing". Watch for the whole cluster collapsing to "sr" (the /t/ dropped) or to "tr" (the /s/ dropped) — each of those points at a different piece to shore up first.
IPA Symbol: /stɹ/
Most children master the /str/ blend by age 8. Blends arrive after the sounds they are made of: the /S/, /T/ 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. Three-sound clusters like this one are the last thing English-speaking children master, typically between 7 and 9, so a six-year-old who cannot say it yet is squarely within the normal range.
Common STR Blend Errors
- Reducing /str/ to the shorter /st/ blend — one of the three sounds dropped, but not the whole cluster.
- Reducing /str/ to the shorter /tr/ blend — one of the three sounds dropped, but not the whole cluster.
- Cluster reduction — producing only the /S/ 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.
STR Blend Word Lists by Position
Practice these words organized by where the /str/ sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete STR Blend word list.
Initial STR Blend Words
/str/ at the beginning of words
Medial STR Blend Words
/str/ in the middle of words
More STR Blend Word Lists & Resources
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