Ace the FTCE Reading K-12 Exam 2025 – Dive into Success and Read Your Way to Victory!

A consonant blend is defined as a combination of two or more consonants that are pronounced in sequence, where each consonant sound is distinctly heard. This definition captures the essence of consonant blends, which often occur at the beginning of words, such as in "bl" in "black" or "st" in "stop." Each consonant retains its individual sound, creating a blend that is different from other phonetic structures where a single sound is produced.

The other options describe different phonetic concepts: a consonant followed by a vowel refers to a consonant-vowel structure, a vowel followed by a consonant represents a vowel-consonant arrangement, and two vowels creating one sound describes a diphthong or vowel team, none of which pertain to the definition of a consonant blend. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for recognizing how sounds work together in words.