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2.2: The Consonant Sound [b]

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Overview

Two ways of spelling the sound [b] are <b> and <bb>.

Examples

The following words contain the sound [b]:
banditbubblebalancestable

Review

  1. Underline the letters that spell the sound [b] in the following words:
    bluebelowbridgeaboutabovebecauserabbitnumberbetweenbubblebeforebrotherbettercabbagerobberbehindhobbybooksbottomcrabby
  2. Now sort the words into these two groups. Be careful! One word goes into both groups:
    Words with [b] spelled ...
    <b> <bb>
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
  3. Two ways of spelling the sound [b] are _______ and _______.
Show Answer
  1. 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
  2. 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    
  3. Two ways of spelling the sound [b] are <b> and <bb>.

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

  1. Underline the letters that spell [b] in the following words:
    bulbobjectblossombuyobtainsuitablesubjectcombinesobinhibitbottlerepublicabsoluteexhibitbuildingumbrellabalancedbewilderedbrightsuburb
  2. Now sort the twenty words into these three groups:
    Words in which the [b] is ...
    in front in the middle at the end
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
  3. 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
  1. Underline the letters that spell [b] in the following words:
    b_ulb_ob_jectb_lossomb_uyob_tainsuitab_lesub_jectcomb_inesob_inhib_itb_ottlerepub_licab_soluteexhib_itb_uildingumb_rellab_alancedb_ewilderedb_rightsub_urb_ 
  2. 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      
  3. What letter spells [b] in these twenty words? <b> The sound [b] is spelled that way about ninety-five times out of a hundred!

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

  1. bottle
  2. bright
  3. building
  4. bulb
  5. buy
  6. inhibit
  7. obtain
  8. republic
  9. subject
  10. suburb
  11. suitable
  12. 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

  1. Underline the letters that spell [b] in the following words.
    brightcrabbyrabbitscrubboardgrabbedcrumblestubbornexhibitdumbbellribbonrobberhobbyscrubbingcabbagerubbersobbed
  2. Now sort the sixteen words into these groups.
    Words with [b] spelled ...
    <bb> <b>
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
  3. 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
      =
      =
      =
      =
      =
      =
  4. 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
      =
      =
  5. The remaining five of the sixteen words all have <bb> because of the VCC pattern. Find them and write them below.
Show Answer
  1. b_rightcrabb_yrabb_itscrubb_oardgrabb_edcrumb_lestubb_ornexhib_itdumbb_ellribb_onrobb_erhobb_yscrubb_ingcabb_agerubb_ersobb_ed
  2. Words with [b] spelled ...
    <bb> <b>
    grabbed stubborn bright
    dumbbell robber crumble
    scrubbing rubber exhibit
    crabby scrubboard  
    ribbon hobby  
    cabbage sobbed  
    rabbit    
  3. 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
  4. Word with <bb> from twinning = Analysis
    dumbbell = dumb + bell
    scrubboard = scrub + board
  5. ribboncabbagerabbitstubbornhobby

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

  1. Underline the letter(s) that spell [b] in each of the following words:
    ablepebblescramblefeeblescribbletremblebiblegobblerresemblenoblerubblehumblegamblebubblenibbletable
  2. 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
  1. Underline the letter(s) that spell [b] in each of the following words:
    ab_lepebb_lescramb_lefeeb_lescrib_letremb_lebb_legobb_lerresemb_lenob_lerubb_lehumb_legamb_leb_ubb_lenibb_letab_le
  2. 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

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

This page titled 2.2: The Consonant Sound [b] is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by CK-12 Foundation via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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