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Speech sounds
Speech sounds are the individual sounds we use to make words. The sounds we make when we speak are made from the voice box (larynx), mouth muscles, jaw, lips, teeth, and tongue. In English we have 46 sounds for 26 letters of the alphabet.
Developing different sounds
The sounds children can make develop at different times. Children can find the sound ‘d’ easier than ‘m’ which is why some children will say “da-da” before “ma-ma”. Below is a table with the different typical ages that certain letter sounds are developed. Please note that this table is for English sounds only.
| Age | Sounds known | Extra information |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 years to 3 year | b, p, d, m, n, t, w, h | Your child may not use these sounds at the end of words |
| 3 years to 4 years | g, k, y, f, s | Some long sounds like 's' or 'f' may not have developed. Children might not use 'k' and 'g' in words. |
| 4 years to 5 years | l, s, sh | Blended sounds like 'sp' or 'cr' may not have developed, so your child may say 'poon' instead of 'spoon'. |
| 5 years and older | s, z, ch, j, r, th, sp, st, bl, cr | Your child may not use 'th' or 'r' sounds until they're at least 6 years old. |
Please remember that this is a guide for speech sound development. Every child is different and may not develop at the same speeds.
How to help your child with speech sounds
It can be concerning when your child is struggling to say certain words or sounds correctly. There are a variety of reasons why your child may not be able to pronounce the words or sounds correctly.
Do not ask your child to repeat a word or sound after you. Your child is finding it difficult to say the words. This can affect their self-esteem long-term.
You can help your child with their speech sounds using the following methods. These methods can also help build your child’s self-esteem and reduce their anxiety. Also by continuing the conversation you are not highlighting the issue to your child:
Try to find other ways to figure out what your child wants to say. There are three types of questions you may want to ask to help get more information from your child.
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- Ask them to show you what they mean like “Can you take me to it?”
- Ask them to give you more information like “What else happened?”
- Give them 2 choices to pick between like “Do you mean your coat or shoes?”
These questions can encourage your child to be clearer with their speech.
When your child has said a word or phrase incorrectly, you should repeat it back to them clearly using the correct word sound. For example, your child says “Witti ta” you respond “A little car? Yes, it is little!”.
This reinforces the correct way to say words and will encourage them to talk more.
Learning to communicate
Speech sounds are the sounds we make, using our mouth, to form words. To make sounds the brain needs an idea to communicate, then it sends the idea to the mouth telling it which words to say and the sounds to make. This includes signals to the muscles that control the tongue, lips, and jaw.
The ages should be treated as a rough guide, as each child is unique and will develop at their own pace. It is often unhelpful to compare a child to their siblings or other children.
You can help your child at all ages by:
Speaking clearly.
Being face to face. Getting down to child’s level by lying down or crouching. It makes it easier for them to see what you are saying. It also shows your child you are interested and helps them listen to you.
Stop, Look and Listen. Do not rush in and take over when they are speaking. Give your child a chance to communicate first. Even if you know what your child wants to say, do not rush in. Watch your child and look for the cues your child gives you before talking or acting. If you find this hard, try to count to ten in your head.
Setting some special time aside to play or talk with your child. This helps build the relationship between you and your child. When they are younger you can play with toys and picture books. When they get older you can talk to them about their day or about their interests.
Speech sounds milestones and activities
By 1 year old, babies will usually:
- make noises
- string sounds into babble like ‘mama-ma’ or ‘ba-ba-ba’
- combine different syllables to play with different sounds such as bampapa
- gesture and vocalise to indicate their wants or needs
- use a wide range of sounds and tone
You can help your baby by:
- copying the sounds your baby makes
- talking to your baby by making lots of different sounds, vary your tone and loudness
- sharing rhymes and stories with your baby
By 2 years old, toddlers will usually:
- have a range of speech sounds such as m, n, p, b, t, d, w
- change or miss out sounds in words such as "witti ta" instead of "little car"
You can help your toddler by:
- encouraging your toddler to look at you before talking
- playing with your toddler and listen for the words they say
- asking your toddler to repeat themselves when you don't understand what they are saying
- asking your toddler to show you what they mean if you still don't understand after asking
By 3 years old, toddlers will usually:
- be interested in playing with sounds, songs and rhymes
- begin to make sounds like c, k, g, f, s, y, h, l s, n, f and y
- change words to make them easier to say such as "nana" instead of "banana"
You can help your toddler by:
- encouraging your toddler with other toddlers their own age
- listening to what your child is saying rather than how they're saying it
- saying the word correctly when your toddler uses it, do not ask your child to say the word over and over
Activities you can do with your toddler to improve their speech sounds:
Sharing books together. Talk about the different sounds they would hear, like if there’s a picture of a train make ‘choo choo’ noises. You can also have some silly actions and toys ready to go with parts of the story. When your child hears a specific word, they can do the silly action or find the object that goes with the word.
By 4 years old, toddlers will usually:
- can be understood by familiar adults
- say longer words with 3 or more syllables such as "helicopter"
- be able to identify simple rhyming words like "cat" and "hat"
- miss the final sounds of words such as "be" instead of "bed"
- merge two sounds together such as 'sp' in spider to be 'pider'
- make a number of mistakes such as
- saying b instead of f, v, and p
- saying d instead of g, j, s and t
- saying f instead of th
- saying g instead of c or k
- saying s instead of sh
- saying t instead of s, k, and ch
- saying w instead of r or l
- saying y instead of l
You can help your toddler by:
- encouraging your toddler with other toddlers their own age
- listening to what your child is saying rather than how they're saying it
- saying the word correctly when your toddler uses it, do not ask your toddler to say the word over and over
By 5 years old, children will usually:
- say longer words with 3 or more syllables such as "helicopter"
- be able to identify simple rhyming words like "cat" and "hat"
- merge two sounds together such as 'sp' in spider to be 'pider'
- make a number of mistakes when talking such as:
- saying d instead of j
- saying f instead of th
- saying s instead of sh
- saying t instead of ch
- saying w instead of r
- saying y instead of l
You can help your child by:
- accepting your child's speech as their best effort as they may not able to use the correct sounds yet
- listening to what your child is saying rather than how they're saying it
- saying the word correctly when your child uses it, do not ask your child to say the word over and over
- repeating the words that you have understood back to your child to show you have been listening
- saying new or tricky words lots of times so your child can hear how the sounds are used
- letting your child know when you haven't understood what they have said
By 7 years old, children will usually:
- make a number of mistakes such as
- saying w instead of r
- saying f instead of th
- struggle with 3 consonants together such as 'spl' in 'splash' or 'str' in strawberry
- find more complex rhyming words like 'letting' and 'netting'
- find the number of sounds in longer words like 'hippopotamus'
- break down words into sounds like 'sc-ar-f'
You can help your child by:
- accepting your child's speech as their best effort as they may not able to use the correct sounds yet
- listening to what your child is saying rather than how they're saying it
- saying the word correctly when your child uses it, do not ask your child to say the word over and over
- letting your child know when you haven't understood what they have said
If your child cannot say a sound correctly, it will not affect their ability to learn to read and spell.
Between 7 to 11 years old, children will usually:
- form an accent based on their environment and what they hear
- may not pronounce t's in words like 'water' or 'bottle'
- may say f instead of th
You can help your child by:
- accepting your child's speech as their best effort as they may not able to use the correct sounds yet
- listening to what your child is saying rather than how they're saying it
- saying the word correctly when your child uses it, do not ask your child to say the word over and over
- letting your child know when you haven't understood what they have said
How to help your child:
If you have concerns about your child use of language, get in touch with their school or education setting. They will be able to help with your child and, if necessary, refer your child onto the Bedfordshire and Luton Children's Speech and Language team.
Between 11 to 19 years old, teenagers and young people will usually:
- form an accent based on their environment and what they hear
- may not pronounce t's in words like 'water' or 'bottle'
- may say f instead of th
How to help your teenager or young person
If you have concerns about your young person or teenager's use of language, get in touch with their school or education setting. They will be able to help with your young person or teenager and, if necessary, refer your young person or teenager onto the Bedfordshire and Luton Children's Speech and Language team.
Last reviewed: 1 November, 2024
Who can help
If you have concerns about your child’s language development you may want to discuss this with:
- your health visitor if your child is under 5 years old
- the staff at your child’s school if your child is in school.
They may have helpful suggestions to improve your child’s understanding.
You can email ccs.bedsandlutonchildrenshealthhub@nhs.net
You can call 0300 555 0606
Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays).
Or you can text:
- 07507 331456 if you live in Bedfordshire
- 07507 331886 if you live in Luton
Open Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm (excluding bank holidays).
