Speech Sound Development 
The majority of children can use most speech sounds in words by the age of 7.
Here are some guidelines on when speech sounds generally develop. All children develop at different rates and this is a guideline only.
By 2+ years - children will be using:
b p d
n m t
By 3+ years - children will be using:
k g f
v s h
z sh ng
By 4+ years – children will be using:
sound blends such as st/sp/bl/fr
By 5+ years – th l r
All children make predictable pronunciation mistakes when they are developing their speech. In the world of speech & language therapy these mistakes are referred to as phonological processes and are perfectly normal. Below are some examples of the more common mistakes and a guideline as to when they should disappear. Again, all children develop at different rates and this is a guideline only.
Stopping /f/ four = tour - usually gone by 3 years
Stopping /s/ sun = dun - usually gone by 3 years
Final consonant deletion dog = do - usually gone by 3 1/2 years
Fronting car = tar - usually gone by 3 1/2 years
Stopping /v/ van = ban usually gone by 3 1/2 years
Stopping /z/ zoo = doo usually gone by 3 1/2 years
Stopping 'sh' shoe = doo usually gone by 4 years
Weak syllable deletion banana = nana usually gone by 4 years
Cluster reduction star = tar usually gone by 4 years
Gliding of liquids red = wed usually gone by 5 years
If your child says a word incorrectly, use a ‘good model approach’ and say the word correctly straight back to them.
If you have any concerns about your child’s speech development, please contact us at [email protected]
