LumiraWhat is a consonant blend?
In a consonant blend, two consonants sit side by side and both sounds are still heard. Blends trip up a lot of readers because the sounds run together quickly — the fix is slowing down and stretching each sound in turn, not memorising the pair as a unit.
st blend words — word list
Every word below appears in the decodable book on this page, so a reader who practises the list will meet the same words again in context.
- stack
- stem
- step
- stiff
- stop
- stunt
Free decodable book: Decodable Blend ST
This is an original Lumira decodable reader, written so that a child can sound out nearly every word using patterns they have already been taught. The full text is below — read it here, or open it in the app to read it together with the words highlighting as you speak.
Mia can stop. Leo can stop too. Mia and Leo stop and stop.
Mia can step up. Leo can step up too. Mia and Leo step and step.
Mia has a stem. Leo has a stem too. Mia and Leo like the stem.
Mia is stiff. Leo is stiff too. Mia and Leo are stiff.
Mia has a stack. Leo has a stack too. Mia and Leo like the stack.
Stop step stem stiff stack stunt. Mia and Leo like them all.
How to teach it
- Say the sound on its own first, several times, before showing any letters.
- Show the spelling and name it explicitly — tell the reader what it says rather than asking them to work it out.
- Blend two or three words from the list together, out loud, slowly.
- Read the decodable book above, where the pattern repeats in real sentences.
- Come back to it two or three days later. Cumulative review is what makes it stick.
Lessons that practise this pattern
Build words: st blends
Blend CCVC words with initial st blend — one sound per box