Consists of two or more letters that must be combined to arrive at the correct pronunciation. The letters cannot be sounded out separately for proper pronunciation.

• Two-letter initial consonant blends
• s- blends: sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, and sw
• -r blends: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, and tr
• -l blends: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, and sl
• t- blends: tw
• Three-letter initial consonant blends
  • scr, spr, str, thr, and spl

Combination of two letters that create one sound when pronounced.

• Initial consonant digraphs
• sh, ch, th, wh, and ph