 Consonant cluster

A consonant cluster is a sequence of multiple consonants without an intervening vowel, considered within the chosen phonological representation. Its possible position and composition depend on a language's phonotactics. The written number of consonant letters is insufficient to identify a spoken cluster.

In an ordinary pronunciation of “stay”, [st] forms a syllable onset cluster; the final [ts] in “cats” forms a syllable coda cluster. By contrast, the English spelling ch can represent one affricate, transcribed [t͡ʃ], rather than two independently combined consonants. This comparison distinguishes spelling, phonetic detail and phonological grouping.^[ref] A recording and explicit transcription make the analysis inspectable; rapid articulation need not insert a silence between the cluster's members.