Exploring Tricky Consonants in Multisyllabic Words

Are you planning to take a deep dive into the world of challenging consonants with your students? Look no further! This blog post is designed to serve as your comprehensive guide on hard and soft consonants, the various spellings of /k/, and silent consonants.

Whether you need a refresher on definitions and examples, want to understand when students are ready to tackle these concepts, need to know common spelling and decoding errors to expect, or seek creative and engaging teaching ideas for exploring consonants, this post has got you covered! Prepare to make the journey of teaching tricky consonants both enjoyable and effective.

What are difficult consonant sounds?

→ Hard and Soft Consonants

  • What are hard and soft consonants?

Hard and soft consonants are terms used to describe how certain consonants are articulated or produced in speech. Hard consonants are characterized by a sharp, clear, and strong sound. They are produced with more force in the vocal cords. Soft consonants, on the other hand, have a more gentle and subtle sound. They are produced with less force and tension in the vocal cords.

  • What are examples of consonants that can be hard or soft?

Typically the first consonants that students learn can be either hard or soft are the g and the c. Words that begin with a hard g include gather, gossip, gallon, and garage. Words that begin with a soft g include gentle, gymnast, genius, and gender. Words that begin with a hard c include correct, common, contest, and college.

  • How do readers know whether to pronounce a consonant as hard or soft?

Whether the sound of g or c is hard or soft relies on the vowel that follows it. For instance, g and c make the hard sound of /g/ and /k/ when they precede an a, o, u, or other consonants. C makes the soft sound of /s/ before e, i, and y and g usually makes the soft sound of /j/ before e, i, and y. Additionally, the letter u often works as a placeholder between g and i or g and e to keep the g hard in words like guide and tongue.

→ The Spellings of /K/

  • What are the spelling patterns for the /k/ sound?

The /k/ sound can be spelled in several different ways including ck, ic, x, and qu. 

  • What are some examples of the /k/ spelling patterns in words?

Not only is it important for students to learn and memorize the various ways the /k/ sound can be represented, but it is equally important for them to study where each spelling pattern typically falls in words so that they are more successful when spelling unfamiliar words.

For example, the ck spelling pattern can be found in the middle of a two-syllable word like in pocket and buckle as well as at the end of a one-syllable word like in shock and quick. The x spelling pattern always comes at the end of a word and represents the /ks/ sound like in reflex and index.

It is also important to show students through various sorts and word work activities that words with more than one syllable ending in the /k/ sound are most often spelled with the ic spelling pattern like in magic, picnic, and plastic. Knowing where certain spelling patterns of /k/ are typically found can help guide students to choose the correct spelling pattern in instances where they aren’t confident how to spell a word.

→ The Spellings of /f/

  • What are the spelling patterns for the /f/ sound?

The /f/ sound can be spelled when the letters p and h are combined like in the words phrase, alphabet, and orphan. When the letters g and h are combined it can also make the /f/ sound like in the words enough or cough or the gh can be silent like in the words daughter or caught.

  • What are some examples of the /f/ spelling patterns in words?

Just like with the spellings of /k/, it is important for students to learn the ways the /f/ sound can be represented and where each spelling pattern typically falls in words so that they are more successful when spelling unfamiliar words.

While the ph spelling pattern can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a word or syllable (phone, dolphin, paragraph), the gh spelling pattern is only at the end of a word or as a part of the final sound (laugh, rough, enough).

→ Silent Consonants

  • What are silent consonants?

Silent consonants, also known as silent letters, are letters that appear in words but are not pronounced when speaking the word aloud. These letters can be found at the beginning, middle, or end of words and do not contribute to the pronunciation of the word. 

  • What are some examples of words with silent letters?

The silent consonants or letters that students in the Syllables and Affixes stage study are t (castle), g (design), w (wrinkle), k (knuckle), h (honest), and gh (through). They can occur at any place in a word and need to be memorized because they can’t be heard.


* Note: I've linked each of these consonant patterns to resources that can be used to teach these skills. You can find the bundle for teaching Exploring Patterns in Multisyllabic Words here.

In what grade-level are Tricky Consonants taught?

While I use the Words Their Way continuum of spellers to assess my students and identify the developmental level that I will target with their instruction, it's also helpful to know what is typical for teaching students about tricky consonants in order to improve their spelling and decoding skills.  Students working on exploring tricky consonant patterns are typically in the middle to late Syllable and Affixes Stage, usually in 4th-5th grade, but you may find that some 3rd grade students are ready for this stage.

What are some common mistakes students make that show they will benefit from instruction on tricky or confusing consonants?

If students are often making decoding errors when pronouncing consonants because they don’t know whether it is hard or soft, it becomes evident that they would benefit from being taught the spelling rules surrounding how e, i, and y soften the sound of g and c.

Example → Pronouncing bandage as ban-dag with a hard g sound at the end instead of /ij/ or notice with a hard c sound at the end instead of /s/

When students are making a lot of spelling errors when trying to spell the sound of /k/ or /f/, they will benefit from being taught the spelling patterns associated with these consonants and given time to practice applying them. 

Example → Spelling magic as magik or racket as rackit

Students at this level also may struggle with representing silent letters in words because they still solely rely on what they heard when decoding a word.

Example → Spelling design as desine or whistle as whisle

What types of activities benefit students working on Exploring Tricky Consonants in Multisyllabic Words?

When students are first introduced to consonants that can make a hard or soft sound, the various spelling patterns of /k/ and /f/, and silent consonants, it is important for them to be given ample time to practice decoding and spelling words that highlight these word study concepts in order for them to feel confident and achieve mastery.

I love to use game play, both partner and independent ones, to give students opportunities to practice and apply the spelling patterns for tricky consonants. For instance, in Hustle the Knight to the Castle, students take turns drawing game cards and moving their pawn to a space on the game board that fits the criteria of the card they drew.

The cards challenge students to identify words with particular silent consonants, pictures depicting words with silent consonants and identify the spelling of the word, and also include a variety of “wild cards” to keep the game play fun and engaging.  After each move, players say the word they landed on aloud and record it under the appropriate column on their recording sheet. ​

In Four In A Row, students spin a spinner, find a word or image of a word that matches the hard or soft sound spelling pattern they spun and cover it with a marker/chip. Students then write the word they covered on the recording sheet under the correct column, attempting to spell the word correctly. The goal is to cover four words in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) to win. The Four In A Row activities can easily be played with a partner or independently.

Game play and independent activities provide students with exposure to these words and concepts in a way that allows students to practice and solidify their understanding of tricky consonant spelling patterns and sounds and helps them better pronounce, decode, and spell words so that they can read and write larger words accurately. 

You can find all of the games and activities I suggest for teaching syllable juncture patterns in this Exploring Consonants in Multisyllabic Words BUNDLE.

REMEMBER, CONSISTENCY + PRACTICE = MASTERY!

When teaching students about tricky consonant spelling patterns and pronunciations we know that students will be more successful with LOTS of practice and feedback. By allowing students who need to practice these skills the time to do so, we can help students achieve more success and less frustration. 

As you help your students successfully master these skills, be sure to plan opportunities to circle back to previously taught word study concepts and activities, such as syllable junctures, accented syllables, and unaccented syllables so that you can be sure students are connecting new knowledge gained with previous learning.

Looking for more Syllable Juncture Resources?

You can get all of the Syllable Juncture Stage games and activities in a time-saving, money saving bundle!

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