Speech sounds · IPA
English speech sounds by age
American English has 24 consonant sounds. Here they are by IPA symbol, grouped by the age when about 9 in 10 US children say each one. Crowe & McLeod, 2020 (opens in a new tab)
The chart
Sounds by age
Each group shows the age by which about 9 in 10 children say the sound. Tap a sound for its guide.
SLPs write ages as years;months. So 2;11 means 2 years 11 months.
By 2 yrs 11 mo (2;11)
Most children say these by about age 3.
- /p/Ppig
- /b/Bball
- /d/Ddog
- /m/Mmoon
- /n/Nnose
- /h/Hhat
- /w/Wwater
By 3 yrs 11 mo (3;11)
Most children say these by about age 4.
- /t/Ttoe
- /k/Kcat
- /ɡ/Ggo
- /ŋ/NGring
- /f/Ffish
- /j/Yyes
By 4 yrs 11 mo (4;11)
Most children say these by about age 5.
By 5 yrs 11 mo (5;11)
Most children say these by about age 6.
- /ɹ/Rred
- /ð/voiced THthis
- /ʒ/ZHtreasure
By 6 yrs 11 mo (6;11)
The last consonant most children master.
- /θ/THthumb
Reading the chart
What the ages mean
The ages show when most children have a sound, not when every child should.
Crowe and McLeod pooled 15 US studies of 18,907 children. The ages here use their 90% level. Crowe & McLeod, 2020 (opens in a new tab)
Ages spread by about 6 to 18 months; the spread differs from sound to sound. Wisconsin DPI (opens in a new tab)
A review of 27 languages found the same big picture: most consonants by age 5. McLeod & Crowe, 2018 (opens in a new tab)
Dialect features and the influence of another language are not errors. ASHA patterns (opens in a new tab)
Error patterns
Common patterns and when they fade
Young children simplify words in predictable ways. ASHA lists the usual age each pattern goes away. ASHA patterns (opens in a new tab)
Show the pattern table (8 patterns)
| Pattern | Example | Usually fades by about age |
|---|---|---|
| Fronting | “tat” for “cat” | 4 |
| Stopping | “pun” for “fun,” “dat” for “that” | 3 to 5, by sound |
| Gliding | “wabbit” for “rabbit,” “yeyo” for “yellow” | 6 to 7 |
| Deaffrication | “ship” for “chip” | 4 |
| Cluster reduction | “top” for “stop,” “keen” for “clean” | 4 to 5 |
| Final consonant deletion | “bu” for “bus” | 3 |
| Weak syllable deletion | “nana” for “banana” | 4 |
| Velar and nasal assimilation | “kak” for “tack,” “nunny” for “bunny” | 3 |
Songs for practice
Three sounds, 20 songs
CantaLingo’s pilot songs focus on R /ɹ/ · S /s/ · L /l/, the sounds most often worked on at ages 4 to 6.
For any sound, frequent practice helps: in one study, 3 sessions a week beat 1 a week. Allen, 2013 (opens in a new tab) What the research says
Questions
How many consonant sounds does English have?
American English is usually described with 24 consonant sounds. This page lists all 24 with their IPA symbols.
Which sounds do children learn last?
In Crowe and McLeod’s US review, /ɹ/, /ð/ and /ʒ/ reached 90% by 5 years 11 months (5;11), and /θ/ by 6 years 11 months (6;11). Crowe & McLeod, 2020 (opens in a new tab)
What does 5;11 mean?
It means 5 years 11 months. SLPs write ages as years;months, with a semicolon between the years and the months.
Is my child behind if a sound is late?
Not necessarily. Ages spread by 6 to 18 months, and dialect matters. If you have concerns, talk to your child’s doctor or an SLP. NIDCD (opens in a new tab)
Sources
All sources (10)
- Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). Children’s English consonant acquisition in the United States: A review. AJSLP, 29(4), 2155-2169. ASHA Journals (opens in a new tab)
- Same paper on PubMed. PubMed (opens in a new tab)
- ASHA Practice Portal. Selected phonological patterns (examples and likely ages of elimination). ASHA (opens in a new tab)
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Sound Development Chart (2021). PDF (opens in a new tab)
- International Phonetic Association. The IPA chart. IPA (opens in a new tab)
- ASHA Practice Portal. Place, manner, and voicing chart for English consonants. PDF (opens in a new tab)
- ASHA (public). Speech sound disorders. ASHA (opens in a new tab)
- McLeod, S., & Crowe, K. (2018). Children’s consonant acquisition in 27 languages: A cross-linguistic review. AJSLP, 27(4), 1546-1571. ASHA Journals (opens in a new tab)
- Allen, M. M. (2013). Intervention efficacy and intensity for children with speech sound disorder. JSLHR, 56(3), 865-877. PubMed (opens in a new tab)
- NIDCD (NIH). Speech and language developmental milestones. NIDCD (opens in a new tab)
Links go to third-party sites and are not endorsements. Last checked October 17, 2026.
For clinics
Songs your SLP can prescribe
A 20-song pilot for /R/, /S/ and /L/, ages 4 to 6, with home replay at least 3 times a week.