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Question

Difficulty: HardConsonant Clusters

Phonetic analysis requires isolating spoken consonant sounds from orthographic spelling. Which of the following words contains an initial consonant cluster of exactly two phonemes and a final consonant cluster of four phonemes?

  1. glimpsedAnswer
  2. B
    climbed
  3. C
    triumphed
  4. D
    scratched

Answer

The word 'glimpsed' contains an initial cluster of two phonemes and a final cluster of four phonemes.
In spoken English, 'glimpsed' is transcribed as /ɡlɪmpst/. The initial position has two consonant phonemes (/ɡ/ and /l/), while the final position contains four distinct consonant phonemes (/m/, /p/, /s/, and /t/), fully satisfying the specified criteria.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Transcribe each word phonetically to count the spoken consonant phonemes rather than written letters.
glimpsed = /ɡlɪmpst/, climbed = /klaɪmd/, triumphed = /traɪəmft/, scratched = /skrætʃt/.
Phonetic clusters are defined solely by spoken consonant sounds, ignoring silent letters and multigraphs.
2
Analyze the initial consonant cluster of 'glimpsed'.
The initial cluster consists of /ɡ/ and /l/ (2 phonemes).
Both 'g' and 'l' are articulated before the vowel nucleus /ɪ/.
3
Analyze the final consonant cluster of 'glimpsed'.
The final cluster consists of /m/, /p/, /s/, and /t/ (4 phonemes).
The sequence /mpst/ following the vowel forms a continuous 4-sound consonant cluster.

Key Concept

Phonetic Consonant Clusters vs. Orthographic Spelling
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Consonant Clusters

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