Three Consonants in the Middle (VCCCV)

Divide words with three consonants between vowels while keeping blends and digraphs together.

Some words have three consonants between two vowels, like 'hundred' or 'pumpkin'. To divide them, look for a blend or digraph among the three letters and keep it together. In 'hundred', the vowels are u and e, with n, d, r between. 'Dr' is a blend we see at the start of words like 'drum', so keep it together: hun-dred. In 'pumpkin', m, p, k sit between u and i.

'Pk' is not a blend, but 'mp' ends words like 'jump', so divide pump-kin. More examples: 'mon-ster', 'com-plete', 'ath-lete'. Ask: which letters often start or end words together? Use that to place the line.

• 1Three consonants between vowels: find the blend or digraph.
• 2Keep blends like dr, pl, st together.
• 3Ask which letters start or end real words together.