Speech Sounds Screener
for Parents
Not sure which sound(s) your child struggles with? Ideas:
Talk to a speech therapist! They can help you identify which sound(s) or sound pattern(s) your child has difficulty with. Or
Keep a running note for yourself: jot down words you hear your child produce incorrectly until you spot the pattern. Or
Use the Speech Sounds Screener below. Important: this screener is NOT a standardized assessment and is not intended to be used to qualify a child for speech therapy services. Rather, it is available to help parents who are hoping to be more aware of which sounds their child struggles with.
Directions:
Have your child repeat you saying the following words. Make a note if they make errors on the bolded/underlined sound. Find a printable version at the bottom of this page.
50% of children can produce these sounds by ages 2-3.
Different from age of mastery.
"P"
pan
puppy
mop
"B"
book
baby
tub
"M"
mine
tummy
comb
"N"
nose
many
done
"H"
happy
beehive
"W"
win
pow-wow
"Y"
yes
yo-yo
"T"
toe
between
pet
"D"
down
today
mad
"K"
can
walking
lock
"G"
gum
wagon
bug
"NG"
ring
fang
"F"
food
muffin
cough
50% of children can produce these sounds by age 4.
Different from age of mastery.
"V"
van
even
cave
"S"
soup
racing
yes
"Z"
zoom
music
bees
"S" (blend*)
spoon
swing
snake
"SH"
shape
fishing
wash
"CH"
chin
kitchen
patch
"J"
juice
pigeon
cage
"L"
leak
falling
"L" (blend*)
flip
clean
blind
*Most children can produce BLENDS (2 consonant sounds together) by age 4, even if they make articulation errors.
Ex: they might say "FWIP" for "FLIP,” but by this age, most children will not be simplifying to one consonant ("FIP").
50% of children can produce these sounds by age 5.
Different from age of mastery.
"R-"
run
rock
write
"-R"
car
four
her
"R" (blend*)
frog
green
broom
50% of children can produce these sounds by age 6.
Different from age of mastery.
"TH"
them
brother
mouth
If this screener doesn't capture your child’s difficulties, reach out to a speech therapist. They can help you identify additional patterns.
Now what do I do with this information? Find more ideas here and/or reach out to a speech therapist to find out which/when next steps would be helpful!
Speech Screener for Parents.pdf
Average means 50% of children can produce these sounds. This is different from age of mastery.