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Question

Difficulty: HardConsonant Sounds

From the words lettered A to D, which word has the same consonant sound as the one represented by the underlined letters in the word 'southern'?

  1. clotheAnswer
  2. B
    growth
  3. C
    breath
  4. D
    healthy

Answer

clothe
The underlined letters 'th' in 'southern' represent the voiced dental fricative /ð/. The option 'clothe' (/kləʊð/) also features the voiced dental fricative sound /ð/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the phonetic sound of the underlined letters in the stem word.
The underlined letters 'th' in 'southern' represent the voiced dental fricative sound, /ð/.
Although the root word 'south' is pronounced with the voiceless sound /θ/, the derivative 'southern' shifts to the voiced sound /ð/.
2
Analyze the consonant sound produced by 'th' in each option.
'clothe' is pronounced with the voiced sound /ð/ (/kləʊð/), whereas 'growth' (/ɡrəʊθ/), 'breath' (/brɛθ/), and 'healthy' (/ˈhɛlθi/) are all pronounced with the voiceless sound /θ/.
Comparing the phonetic transcriptions isolates the option that shares the voiced dental fricative consonant sound.
3
Select the option that matches the target consonant sound.
'clothe' is the matching word.
Both 'southern' and 'clothe' share the voiced dental fricative sound /ð/.

Key Concept

Voiced vs. Voiceless Consonant Sounds (/ð/ vs /θ/)
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Topics

Consonant Sounds

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