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Question

Difficulty: MediumConsonant Clusters

A consonant cluster is a sequence of two or more consonant sounds without an intervening vowel. Which of the following words ends with a final consonant cluster consisting of three consonant sounds?

  1. monthsAnswer
  2. B
    debts
  3. C
    plumbs
  4. D
    comb

Answer

The word 'months' ends with a three-consonant cluster.
In the phonetic transcription of 'months' (/mʌnθs/), the word ends with three consecutive consonant sounds—the alveolar nasal /n/, the voiceless dental fricative /θ/, and the voiceless alveolar fricative /s/—without any intervening vowel sound. This forms a true three-consonant final cluster.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic transcription of each word to identify spoken consonant sounds rather than spelling letters.
Identify silent letters: 'b' is silent in 'debts' (/dets/), 'plumbs' (/plʌmz/), and 'comb' (/kəʊm/).
Phonetic clusters depend entirely on articulated sounds, not orthography.
2
Count the consecutive consonant sounds at the end of each word.
'months' = /mʌnθs/ -> /n/, /θ/, /s/ (3 sounds); 'debts' = /dets/ -> /t/, /s/ (2 sounds); 'plumbs' = /plʌmz/ -> /m/, /z/ (2 sounds); 'comb' = /kəʊm/ -> /m/ (1 sound).
Determines which word meets the criterion of having a three-consonant final cluster.

Key Concept

Consonant Clusters and Silent Letters
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Topics

Consonant Clusters

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