2.2: The Consonant Sound [b]
- Page ID
- 3559
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Two ways of spelling the sound [b] are <b> and <bb>.
Examples
The following words contain the sound [b]:
\begin{align*}
& bandit && bubble && balance && stable
\end{align*}
Review
- Underline the letters that spell the sound [b] in the following words:
\begin{align*}
& \text{blue} && \text{below} && \text{bridge} && \text{about}\\
& \text{above} && \text{because} && \text{rabbit} && \text{number}\\
& \text{between} && \text{bubble} && \text{before} && \text{brother}\\
& \text{better} && \text{cabbage} && \text{robber} && \text{behind}\\
& \text{hobby} && \text{books} && \text{bottom} && \text{crabby}
\end{align*} - Now sort the words into these two groups. Be careful! One word goes into both groups:
Words with [b] spelled ... <b> <bb> - Two ways of spelling the sound [b] are _______ and _______.
- Show Answer
-
- Underline the letters that spell the sound [b] in the following words:
blue below bridge about above because rabbit number between bubble before brother better cabbage robber behind hobby books bottom crabby - Now sort the words into these two groups. Be careful! One word goes into both groups:
Words with [b] spelled ... <b> <bb> blue bridge hobby above before bubble between bottom cabbage better about rabbit below number robber because brother crabby bubble behind books - Two ways of spelling the sound [b] are <b> and <bb>.
- Underline the letters that spell the sound [b] in the following words:
Explore More
Word Squares. All of the seventeen words below contain the sounds [p] or [b]. Fit the words into the squares. Count letters carefully and try to think ahead about your choices. Start with those words about which you can be absolutely sure:
Two-letter word: be
Three-letter words: pop, apt, lap, pit
Four-letter words: upon, stop, herb, rubs, nobs
Five-letter words: below, happy
Six-letter words: before, crabby, people
Seven-letter word: bubbles
Ten-letter word: helicopter
- Show Answer
-
Spelling [b]
Most of the time [b] is spelled <b>. Occasionally, [b] is spelled <bb>.
Examples
You can hear the consonant sound [b] at the beginning and end of the word bib.
Review
- Underline the letters that spell [b] in the following words:
\begin{align*}
& \text{bulb} && \text{object} && \text{blossom} && \text{buy}\\
& \text{obtain} && \text{suitable} && \text{subject} && \text{combine}\\
& \text{sob} && \text{inhibit} && \text{bottle} && \text{republic}\\
& \text{absolute} && \text{exhibit} && \text{building} && \text{umbrella}\\
& \text{balanced} && \text{bewildered} && \text{bright} && \text{suburb}
\end{align*} - Now sort the twenty words into these three groups:
Words in which the [b] is ... in front in the middle at the end - What letter spells [b] in these twenty words? _______. The sound [b] is spelled that way about ninety-five times out of a hundred!
- Show Answer
-
- Underline the letters that spell [b] in the following words:
\begin{align*}
& \underline{b}ul\underline{b} && o\underline{b}ject && \underline{b}lossom && \underline{b}uy \\
& o\underline{b}tain && suita\underline{b}le && su\underline{b}ject && com\underline{b}ine \\
& so\underline{b} && inhi\underline{b}it && \underline{b}ottle && repu\underline{b}lic \\
& a\underline{b}solute && exhi\underline{b}it && \underline{b}uilding && um\underline{b}rella \\
& \underline{b}alanced && \underline{b}ewildered && \underline{b}right && su\underline{b}ur\underline{b}
\end{align*} - Now sort the twenty words into these three groups:
Words in which the [b] is ... in front in the middle at the end bulb obtain subject bulb balanced absolute combine sob bewildered object republic suburb blossom suitable umbrella bottle inhibit suburb building exhibit bright buy - What letter spells [b] in these twenty words? <b> The sound [b] is spelled that way about ninety-five times out of a hundred!
- Underline the letters that spell [b] in the following words:
Explore More
Word Squares. Into this Squares you can fit twelve of the words listed in part 1 of this lesson. Fit them in and then write the twelve in alphabetical order in the blanks at the bottom of the Squares.
| 1. | 4. | 7. | 10. |
| 2. | 5. | 8. | 11. |
| 3. | 6. | 9. | 12. |
- Show Answer
-
- bottle
- bright
- building
- bulb
- buy
- inhibit
- obtain
- republic
- subject
- suburb
- suitable
- umbrella
When [b] Is Spelled <bb>
Two ways to spell [b] are <b> and <bb>. Almost 100% of the time, [b] is spelled one of these two ways.
Reasons for <bb> include the following:
You twin or double the final consonant of a free stem that has one vowel sound and ends CVC when you add a suffix that starts with a vowel. And you twin the final consonant of a free stem that has two vowel sounds whenever you add a suffix that starts with a vowel if the stem ends CVC and has strong stress on the final vowel before and after you add the suffix.
Sometimes double consonants are caused by simple addition, when one element in a word ends with the same consonant with which the next element starts.
In the VCC pattern the vowel will usually be short. Some words have <bb> in them in order to fill out the VCC pattern so as to mark a short vowel.
Examples
Word with <bb> from twinning: grabbed = grab + b + ed
Word with <bb> from simple addition: dumbbell = dumb + bell
Word with <bb> to fill out the VCC pattern: rabbit
Review
- Underline the letters that spell [b] in the following words.
\begin{align*}
& \text{bright} && \text{crabby} && \text{rabbit} && \text{scrubboard}\\
& \text{grabbed} && \text{crumble} && \text{stubborn} && \text{exhibit}\\
& \text{dumbbell} && \text{ribbon} && \text{robber} && \text{hobby}\\
& \text{scrubbing} && \text{cabbage} && \text{rubber} && \text{sobbed}
\end{align*} - Now sort the sixteen words into these groups.
Words with [b] spelled ... <bb> <b> - In six of the sixteen words [b] is spelled <bb> because of twinning. Find the six words, write them below and then analyze them to show where the <bb> comes from.
Word with <bb> from twinning = Analysis = = = = = = - Two of the sixteen words you just worked with have <bb> in them because of simple addition. Write them below and analyze them into their two parts to show where the two <b>s come from.
Word with <bb> by simple addition = Analysis = = - The remaining five of the sixteen words all have <bb> because of the VCC pattern. Find them and write them below.
- Show Answer
-
- \begin{align*}
& \underline{b}right && cra\underline{bb}y && ra\underline{bb}it && scru\underline{bb}oard \\
& gra\underline{bb}ed && crum\underline{b}le && stu\underline{bb}orn && exhi\underline{b}it \\
& dum\underline{bb}ell && ri\underline{bb}on && ro\underline{bb}er && ho\underline{bb}y \\
& scru\underline{bb}ing && ca\underline{bb}age && ru\underline{bb}er && so\underline{bb}ed
\end{align*} -
Words with [b] spelled ... <bb> <b> grabbed stubborn bright dumbbell robber crumble scrubbing rubber exhibit crabby scrubboard ribbon hobby cabbage sobbed rabbit -
Word with <bb> from twinning = Analysis grabbed = grab + b + ed scrubbing = scrub + b + ing crabby = crab + b + y robber = rob + b +er rubber = rub + b + er sobbed = sob + b + ed -
Word with <bb> from twinning = Analysis dumbbell = dumb + bell scrubboard = scrub + board - \begin{align*}
& ribbon && cabbage && rabbit && stubborn && hobby
\end{align*}
- \begin{align*}
Words with <ble> and <bble>
In the VCCle pattern the vowel is short, but in the VCle pattern the vowel is long.
Examples
When there is <le> right after a [b] with a consonant or a long vowel right in front of it, the [b] is spelled <b>. For example: feeble, table, and gamble.
When there is <le> right after a [b] with a short vowel sound right in front of it, the [b] is spelled <bb>. For example: pebble, rubble, and gobble.
Review
- Underline the letter(s) that spell [b] in each of the following words:
\begin{align*}
& \text{able} && \text{pebble} && \text{scramble} && \text{feeble}\\
& \text{scribble} && \text{tremble} && \text{bible} && \text{gobbler}\\
& \text{resemble} && \text{noble} && \text{rubble} && \text{humble}\\
& \text{gamble} && \text{bubble} && \text{nibble} && \text{table}
\end{align*} - Sort the sixteen words into this matrix:
after a consonant after a long vowel after a short vowel Words with [p] spelled <b> Words with [b] spelled <bb>
- Show Answer
-
- Underline the letter(s) that spell [b] in each of the following words:
\begin{align*}
& a\underline{b}le && pe\underline{bb}le && scram\underline{b}le && fee\underline{b}le \\
& scri\underline{b}le && trem\underline{b}le && \underline{bb}le && go\underline{bb}ler \\
& resem\underline{b}le && no\underline{b}le && ru\underline{bb}le && hum\underline{b}le \\
& gam\underline{b}le && \underline{b}u\underline{bb}le && ni\underline{bb}le && ta\underline{b}le
\end{align*} - Sort the sixteen words into this matrix:
after a consonant after a long vowel after a short vowel Words with [p] spelled <b> resemble
gamble
tremble
scramble
humble
able
noble
bible
feeble
table
Words with [b] spelled <bb> scribble
pebble
bubble
rubble
nibble
gobble
- Underline the letter(s) that spell [b] in each of the following words:
Explore More
So far you have worked with two different spellings of [b]: <b> and <bb>.
As we've said, one or the other of these two spellings is used almost 100% of the time. The only other spelling of [b] occurs in just two words: cupboard and raspberry. Both are compound words. Analyze each into its two stems:
| Compound Word | = Stem #1 + Stem #2 |
|---|---|
| cupboard | = |
| raspberry | = |
Notice that [pb] is hard to say. To make the words easier to say, we leave out the [p]. So in these two words [b] is spelled <pb>.
But every other time [b] is spelled either <b> or <bb>. And the <bb> is always due to twinning, simple addition, or to the VCC pattern - though we must remember the little sub-pattern with <ble> and <bble>.
- Show Answer
-
Compound Word = Stem#1 + Stem#2 cupboard = cup + board raspberry = rasp + berry