Maybe your preschooler says “wabbit” for rabbit, “thun” for sun, or “yeyo” for yellow. It is adorable, and it can also leave you wondering whether you should be doing something about it.
The good news is that s, r, and l are some of the later sounds to develop, so many young children are still working on them. Here is what is typical, what is worth checking, and how to help at home without turning talking into a test.
Which sounds usually come when
A 2020 review by Crowe and McLeod pulled together 15 studies of nearly 19,000 US children. It looked at the age by which 90 percent of children say each consonant sound. That means many children get these sounds earlier. The ages below are a late-end guide, not a starting point.
- By about 2 to 3 years: p, b, m, n, h, w, d
- By about 3 to 4 years: k, g, t, f, y, and “ng” (as in “sing”)
- By about 4 to 5 years: s, z, l, “sh,” “ch,” “j,” and v
- By about 5 to 6 years: r, “zh” (as in “treasure”), and the voiced “th” (as in “this”)
- By about 6 to 7 years: the voiceless “th” (as in “think”)
The same review found that most children say most consonants by age 5. So a 3-year-old who says “wed” for red is right on track. A 7-year-old who still does is worth a closer look.
Why s, r, l, sh, and th come later
Early sounds like m, b, and p are easy to see and feel. Your child can watch your lips press together. Later sounds happen mostly inside the mouth, where nobody can see them.
- S and z need the tongue to make a narrow groove so air flows out in a thin stream.
- R needs the tongue to bunch or curl without touching much, which is hard to feel.
- L needs the tongue tip to lift and hold while air flows around the sides.
- Sh and ch add lip rounding and a slightly different tongue spot.
- Th needs the tongue to peek between the teeth, which many kids avoid until later.
Because these take fine control, children often swap in an easier sound for a while. “W” for r and l, “t” for k, and “f” for th are all common swaps.
Lisps, explained simply
A lisp is when s and z sound a little off. There are two main kinds parents notice.
- Frontal (interdental) lisp: the tongue pokes forward between the teeth, so “sun” sounds like “thun.” This is common in young children and often fades on its own by about age 4 and a half, according to speech-language pathologist Caroline Bowen.
- Lateral lisp: air escapes out the sides of the mouth, so s sounds slushy or wet. Bowen notes this one is not part of typical development, so it is worth having an SLP take a look at any age.
What is typical, and what is worth checking
Usually typical:
- A 3-year-old who says “tat” for cat or “wabbit” for rabbit
- A 4-year-old with a frontal lisp
- A 5-year-old still working on r or “th”
Worth checking in with a speech therapist:
- A lateral (slushy) lisp at any age
- A frontal lisp that continues past about 4 and a half to 5
- Sounds still missing well past the ages in the list above
- Your child often leaves off beginning or ending sounds (“ba” for ball, “oo” for shoe) and is hard to understand
- Your child is frustrated, avoids talking, or other kids have trouble understanding them
It also helps to think about overall clarity, not single sounds. Typically developing 4 to 5 year olds are usually understood even by strangers (McLeod, Crowe, and Shahaeian, 2015). For the younger years, see our post on how much of your child’s speech you should understand by age 3.
Playful ways to help at home
The most helpful thing you can do is model the sound clearly and keep the conversation going. There is no need to ask your child to fix the word or try again. Correcting can make talking feel like a test, and you want talking to stay fun.
Recast instead of correct. Repeat what your child said with the sound modeled clearly, then move on.
Child: “Look, a wed twuck!”
You: “A red truck! That red truck is really fast.”
Child: “I want the thoup.”
You: “Soup! Here is your soup. Hot soup.”
A few more ideas:
- Make sounds into play. Be a hissing snake (sss), a buzzing bee (zzz), a roaring lion (rrr), or a quiet “shhh” for a sleeping doll. Your child can join in or just listen.
- Pick toys with target sounds. Sea animals and sand toys for s, race cars and rockets for r, lions and lemons for l. Narrate as you play.
- Read and sing. Rhymes and silly songs let your child hear a sound many times without any pressure.
- Get face to face, if your child is comfortable. Sitting at their level lets them see your mouth if they want to. They never need to look at you.
- Celebrate the message. Respond to what your child is telling you, not how it sounded.
For more play ideas sorted by skill and by materials you already have, try OTPlan.com.
Speech sound evaluations and therapy
If you check in with us, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) will play and talk with your child and listen to how they say sounds in words and in conversation. One tool we may use is the GFTA-3 (Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation, Third Edition), where children name pictures so we can hear each sound in different parts of words.
We also look at how the mouth moves, how clear your child is overall, and how they feel about talking. You can read more about what to expect during a speech-language evaluation.
If support makes sense, sessions are play-based and follow your child’s lead. We build target sounds into games, movement, and books your child already likes, so practice feels like play.
We also coach parents on simple ways to model sounds at home and check in with you regularly so you always know how things are going.
How we can help
If you are curious about your child’s speech sounds, you are welcome to book a tour of our Irvine clinic with your child. You can meet our team and learn how our speech therapy works, with no pressure to decide anything.