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Question

Difficulty: MediumConsonant Clusters

Which of the following words ends with a final consonant cluster consisting of exactly three consonant sounds in spoken Standard English?

  1. depthsAnswer
  2. B
    glimpsed
  3. C
    plumber
  4. D
    subtle

Answer

The word 'depths' ends with a final consonant cluster of exactly three consonant sounds (/pθs/).
In spoken English, consonant clusters are evaluated by spoken phonemes rather than printed letters. The word 'depths' is phonetically transcribed as /depθs/. The final segment contains three consecutive consonant sounds—/p/, /θ/, and /s/—making it a final three-consonant cluster.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Transcribe each option into International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to isolate spoken sounds from spelling.
'depths' = /depθs/, 'glimpsed' = /ɡlɪmpst/, 'plumber' = /ˈplʌmə(r)/, 'subtle' = /ˈsʌtl/.
Consonant clusters depend strictly on articulated sounds rather than written letters.
2
Count the final sequence of adjacent consonant sounds for each word.
'depths' ends in /pθs/ (3 sounds); 'glimpsed' ends in /mpst/ (4 sounds); 'plumber' ends in a vowel /ə(r)/; 'subtle' ends in /tl/ or syllabic /l/.
The question specifically requests a word with a final three-consonant cluster.
3
Select the word matching the exact count requirement.
'depths' fulfills the requirement with exactly 3 final consonant sounds.
It is the only option whose final sound sequence consists of exactly three consonants.

Key Concept

Consonant Cluster Identification and Orthography vs. Phonetics
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Topics

Consonant Clusters

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