The Basics of Speech Sounds
Speech Sounds
Speech Sounds: What Are They Really?
Speech sounds are the individual noises we make when we talk. They are the basic parts of words, and when we combine these sounds, we create spoken words. Each sound is made by using different parts of our mouth, like the lips, tongue, teeth, and throat. For example, when we say the sound ‘p,’ we use our lips, and when we say the sound ‘s,’ our tongue is close to the roof of our mouth.
Parts of Speech Sounds
Speech sounds are made up of three main parts:
Voice: Whether your vocal cords are vibrating or not.
Place: Where in your mouth the sound is made.
Manner: How the airflow is blocked or changed.
Place
This refers to where the sound is made in the mouth. Below are the types of sounds based on where they are produced:
Bilabial (lips together): Sounds like ‘p’, ‘b’, and ‘m’. For example, when you say “mom,” your lips come together.
Labiodental (lower lip and upper teeth): Sounds like ‘f’ and ‘v’. For example, when you say “fish,” your top teeth touch your bottom lip.
Dental (tongue on upper teeth): Sounds like ‘th’ in "thin" (voiceless) and ‘th’ in "this" (voiced).
Alveolar (tongue on ridge behind teeth): Sounds like ‘t’, ‘d’, ‘s’, and ‘n’. For example, when you say “sun,” your tongue touches this ridge.
Palatal (tongue on hard roof of mouth): Sounds like ‘sh’ in "shoe" and ‘zh’ in "measure."
Velar (tongue on soft roof of mouth): Sounds like ‘k’ and ‘g’. For example, when you say “go,” the sound comes from the back of your mouth.
Glottal (Throat): Sounds made in the throat, like ‘h’ in "hat."
If your child says a sound incorrectly, like saying ‘cap’ instead of ‘tap’, you could say: “Move your tongue forward to make the ‘t’ sound.”
Manner
This explains how the sound is made. Some sounds are made by completely blocking the airflow, while others allow the air to flow continuously.
Stop (Airflow blocked completely): Sounds like ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘t’, and ‘d’. For example, when you say “bat,” the sound stops quickly.
Fricative (Airflow partially blocked): Sounds like ‘f’, ‘v’, ‘s’, and ‘z’, creating a buzzing or hissing noise. For example, when you say “sun,” the air squeezes through a small space.
Affricate (Airflow blocked, then partially released): Sounds like ‘ch’ in "chop" and ‘j’ in "jump."
Nasal (Airflow through the nose): Sounds like ‘m’, ‘n’, and ‘ng’ in "sing." For example, when you say “mom,” air comes out through your nose.
Liquid (Airflow around the tongue): Sounds like /l/ and /r/. For example, when you say “run,” your tongue moves smoothly.
Glide (Airflow moves with a glide): Sounds like ‘w’ in "wet" and ‘j’ in "yes."
Glottal (Using the voice box): Sounds like ‘h’ in "hen."
If your child struggles with a sound like ‘l’, you could say: “Put your tongue behind your teeth and let the air move around the sides.”
Voice
Some sounds are voiced, meaning your vocal cords vibrate (like ‘z’ and ‘v’)
Others are voiceless, meaning there’s no vibration (like ‘s’ and ‘f’).
A good example is the word "thin" (voiceless ‘th’) vs "this" (voiced ‘th’).
Consonants & Vowels
Sounds are also divided into consonants and vowels, based on whether the airflow is blocked.
Consonants: Sounds like ‘b,’ ‘d,’ and ‘s,’ which involve blocking or changing airflow.
Vowels: Sounds like ‘a,’ ‘e,’ and ‘o,’ where air flows freely through the mouth.
Children usually learn vowels before they master all their consonants.
Speech Sound Milestones
Children learn sounds in stages, often grouped as Early, Middle, and Late Eight sounds.
Early Eight Sounds (Ages 1-3): The first sounds children learn, including ‘m’, ‘b’, ‘n’, ‘w’, and ‘p’.
Middle Eight Sounds (Ages 3-6): More complex sounds like ‘t’, ‘k’, ‘g’, and ‘f’.
Late Eight Sounds (Ages 5-7): The last sounds children usually master, like ‘sh’, ‘th’, ‘s’, ‘z’, ‘l’, and ‘r’.
Children may take longer to pronounce some of these sounds correctly. For more detail, check out when specific sounds appear in the table below:
Please note the above information is general in nature and is not intended as professional medical advice. Please seek an appointment with a registered speech-language pathologist if you are at all worried about your child's development.
References:
Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation 2. (2021). www.pearsonassessments.com. https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Speech-%26-Language/Goldman-Fristoe-Test-of-Articulation-2-/p/100000079.html?tab=resources
Shriberg, L. D. (1993). Four new speech and prosody-voice measures for genetics research and other studies in developmental phonological disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 36(1), 105-140.
Suggested Resources
FREEBIE Stone Age Struggle: /b/ Sound
Practice your child’s /b/ sounds with dangerous dinos in a fun interactive game.
FREEBIE Shopping Trip: /b/ Sound
Practice your child’s /b/ sounds by competing to see who can fill their shopping basket first.
FREEBIE Monster Madness: /b/ Sound
Practice your child’s /b/ sounds with mad monsters in a fun interactive game.