Ending Consonant

What Are Ending Consonants?

• An ending consonant is when a word finishes with any letter that is NOT A, E, I, O, or U.
• It is the final "stop" or "click" sound you make at the very end of a word.
• Most words in English use a consonant to "close" the sound (Example: PEN).

How to Spot an Ending Consonant To find the ending consonant, look at the very last letter of the whole word:

1. Look at the word: F I S H.
2. Check the last letter: H.
3. Is it a vowel (A, E, I, O, U)? No.
4. This means H is the Ending Consonant.

Ending Consonant Examples See how these whole words end with a crisp consonant sound:

• The /T/ Sound: CAT, HAT, NET.
• The /D/ Sound: RED, BED, SAD.
• The /G/ Sound: PIG, BUG, LOG.
• The /M/ Sound: JAM, GUM, HAM.

Rhyming and Ending Consonants Ending consonants are the secret to rhyming! If the vowel and the ending consonant are the same, the words rhyme:

• -AT Family: BAT, CAT, RAT, MAT.
• -OP Family: HOP, TOP, MOP, POP.
• Even though the beginning changes, the Ending Consonant stays the same to keep the rhythm.

Why Do We Learn This?

• Spelling: It helps us remember to finish the word (so "Dog" doesn't just become "Do").
• Phonics: It helps us learn "blends" like -ST (as in Best) or -NK (as in Pink).
• Clear Speaking: It teaches us to pronounce the end of words so people can understand us better.

Lesson Summary

• Ending consonants are the letters at the "tail" of the word.
• They are any letter except A, E, I, O, U.
• They help us create rhyming words and finish our sounds clearly.