Which Speech Sounds Should My Child Be Using?

Children begin using different speech sounds in words at varying rates, depending on the child.

Therefore, one child could be using all the speech sounds needed by the age of 4, while the others could develop this skill slightly later. 

Within speech development, there are aspects that are typical during the child’s development, and characteristics that may signify a speech sound disorder. 

In this article, we will:

• Define a speech sound disorder
• Describe common speech characteristics that are typical during child development, and their age of elimination
• Highlight speech characteristics that may signify a speech sound disorder
• Support with next steps if concerns arise about your child’s speech

What is a Speech Sound Disorder?

The term Speech Sound Disorder refers to a communication disorder in which children have persistent difficulty saying words or certain sounds correctly. To achieve ‘clear speech’ or accurate speech, sound production requires:

• An internal knowledge of speech sounds (known as phonological awareness)
• The ability to coordinate the jaw, tongue, and lips with breathing and vocalising in order to produce speech sounds.

Children with speech sound disorders may have difficulty in either, or both, of these areas.

When Should Children be Using Particular Sounds?

In typically developing children, approximately half of speech should be understood by the age of 2, whilst most speech should be intelligible by age 4.

During their speech development, children make many speech sound ‘processes’. These processes are errors that are typical during children’s speech sound development. Some of the most common processes include:

Substitutions:

Substitutions occur when a child replaces a correct sound with an incorrect one. Types of substitutions include:

1) Voicing

When a child makes a sound that is quiet like a ‘t’, ‘p’, ‘k’ or ‘f’ and makes it noisy using sounds like ‘d,’ ‘b’, ‘g’, or ‘v’. For example, the word ‘tiger’ would be said as ‘diger’ and ‘camel’ would be said as ‘gamel’. This process is usually eliminated by the age of 3.  

2) Stopping

When a child tries to say a longer sound such as a ‘s’, z’, ‘f’, ‘v’ or ‘sh’ and replaces it with a shorter sound such as a ‘p’, ‘b’ ‘t’, or ‘d.’ For example, the word ‘finger’ may be said as ‘pinger’ and ‘sun’ as ‘tun’. This process is usually eliminated by the age of 3.5.

3) Fronting 

A ‘front’ sound such as ‘t’ and ‘d’ is interchanged with a ‘back’ sound such as ‘k’ and ‘g.’ For example, the word ‘coat’ may be said as ‘toat’ and the word ‘dog’ as ‘dod’. This process is usually eliminated by the age of 4. 

 
Omissions:

Omissions occur when a child misses out on one or more sounds of a word in their production. Types of omissions include:

1) Final Consonant Deletion

When a child leaves out sounds at the end of words. For example, the word ‘cat’ will be said as ‘ca’, or ‘fish’ would be said as ‘fi’. This process is usually eliminated by the age of 3. 


2) Syllable Reduction 

When a child decreases the amount of syllables said in a word For example, the word ‘guitar’ may be said as ‘tar’. This can also occur for longer words – such as ‘alligator’ being said as ‘gator’. This process is usually eliminated by the age of 4.  

3) Blend Reduction

When a child uses fewer consonants to represent a word where there are 2 or more sounds said together in a ‘blend’. For example, at the beginning of the word ‘school’, the child may reduce the blend and say ‘cool’ or ‘gool’. At the ends of words, such as for the word ‘whisk’, the child may use fewer sounds and say the word as 'whick’. This is a process that tends to continue longer than other processes and is usually eliminated by the age of 5. 

Are there any processes that are less common?

• Backing – This process is the opposite of fronting in that the front sounds are made at the back of the mouth. For example, ‘turtle’ would be said as ‘kurkle’ and ‘digger’ would be said as ‘gigger’.
  
  
• Initial Consonant Deletion – When a child misses out on the first sound at the beginning of words. Examples of this are if a child says the word ‘bus’ as ‘us’ or ‘mummy’ as ‘ummy’.
  
  

If a child has multiple examples of any of these processes, it is best to consult with a Speech and Language Therapist to determine if further assessment and intervention is required.

Next Steps:

If you are worried about your child’s speech sound development, a Speech and Language Therapist should be referred to in order to assess and set targets for the child. 

Mable Therapy provides timely, high-quality assessment and therapy for children with a variety of conditions, including speech sound disorders. 

With gamified, online 1:1 sessions, your child will be supported by our carefully selected network of experienced Speech and Language Therapists, including specialists with advanced expertise in this area. 

Mable Therapy focuses on clear progress and personalised care. Many parents choose Mable Therapy for faster access, flexible appointments, and consistent one-to-one therapy tailored to their child’s individual needs, whether alone or alongside their NHS referral. 

To learn more about Mable Therapy and how we can support your child, click here.