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Question

Difficulty: HardConsonant Clusters

In spoken English, consonant clusters are defined by consecutive consonant sounds rather than written letters. Considering silent letters during phonological transcription, which of the following words terminates with a final consonant cluster of four distinct consonant sounds?

  1. twelfthsAnswer
  2. B
    lengths
  3. C
    plumbs
  4. D
    doubts

Answer

The word 'twelfths' contains a final cluster composed of four distinct consonant sounds.
The word 'twelfths' is phonetically transcribed as /twelfθs/. Its final consonant cluster consists of four distinct contiguous consonant sounds: the lateral /l/, the labiodental fricative /f/, the dental fricative /θ/, and the alveolar fricative /s/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Transcribe each option into International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) representation to identify actual spoken consonant sounds.
'twelfths' = /twelfθs/, 'lengths' = /leŋθs/, 'plumbs' = /plʌmz/, 'doubts' = /daʊts/.
Consonant clusters are formed strictly by contiguous spoken consonant sounds, not orthographic letters.
2
Examine the final consonant cluster sequence for each transcribed word.
'twelfths' ends in /l-f-θ-s/ (4 sounds); 'lengths' ends in /ŋ-θ-s/ (3 sounds); 'plumbs' ends in /m-z/ (2 sounds); 'doubts' ends in /t-s/ (2 sounds).
To evaluate which word satisfies the requirement of a four-consonant final cluster.

Key Concept

Final Consonant Clusters and Silent Letters
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Topics

Consonant Clusters

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