Over time, children’s speech becomes clearer. In English the consonant sounds (p, b, t, d, c/k, g, f, v, s, z, sh, zh, h, th, ch, j, m, n, ng, r, l, y, w) and vowel sounds typically develop within children’s speech at certain ages:
Below 2 years old
Children’s speech is usually understood only by people who know them well, like their family.
2 to 3 years old
Children use fewer sounds in their talking. They usually use most vowel sounds plus b, p, m, h, w and n. It is normal for children to miss the last consonant in words. For example, ‘bed’ may sound like ‘be’ and ‘wet’ may sound like ‘we’.
3 to 3 ½ years old
Children start to use more consonants like f, v, s, z, w, l, y along with the ones above. They begin to use c/k, g, and ng but it is also typical for children to replace c/k and g sounds with t and d sounds. For example, ‘cake’ may sound like ‘tate’ and ‘go’ may sound like ‘dough’.
3 ½ to 4 ½ years old
Children begin to also use ch and j sounds. If a word has a consonant cluster, i.e. has two or more consonants it is normal for them to say just one of the consonants. For example, ‘spider’ may be said as ‘sider’ or ‘pider’ and ‘glasses’ may be said as ‘gasses’. Gradually they begin to use a small number of consonant clusters.
4 ½ – 5 ½ years old
Children also begin to use the sh sound. The number of consonant clusters increases.
At this age, children’s speech is usually understood by people who don’t know them.
By 6 ½ years
Children begin to use the r sound and use consonant clusters which have three consonants, e.g. spl, str, scr
7 years and over
Children use the th sound.
If children’s speech sound development seems different or delayed compared to the information above, they may benefit from a referral to the Speech and Language Therapy Service. If you are unsure about whether to refer a child to this service, please call our Telephone Advice Line: 0303 033 3002 available 9am-12pm Monday-Thursday (excluding Bank Holidays) to discuss your concerns with a therapist.
How can you help your child’s pronunciation develop?
Model the correct pronunciation of words which your child has difficulty saying. For example, if your child says “Can I have a dink?” you should say “Yes, of course, let’s get you a drink” or if your child says “The ‘puter is broken”, you should say “The computer is broken. Oh no!”
There is no need to tell your child that they are mispronouncing sounds or words or to ask them to copy you. Simply modelling back the correct pronunciation is enough.
Don’t pretend to understand. If you cannot understand what your child is saying:
- look around you for clues as to what they may be trying to talk about
- encourage your child to use non-verbal methods of communication like pointing, taking you to the thing they are trying to talk about or using signing/gesture, to help you understand
- try to clarify what your child is saying by asking them questions which require a yes/no or very short response, like “Are you telling me about Daddy?” or “Are you talking about painting or cutting and sticking?”
Give your child lots of praise to build their confidence. Repeat back the parts of what your child said that you did understand. This shows them that you have listened and that their communication has been partly successful.
Use strategies to help anticipate what your child might say. For example, by using a home-nursery book, where parents and nursery can share what your child has been doing or use books, pictures or models. These can help if your child’s speech is very unclear because you have some idea of what they might be trying to say.
Play games that encourage your child to explore making different sounds. For example, making a ‘sound bag’ or box containing objects that represent different speech sounds like ball: b, drum: d, aeroplane: n, snake: s. Take the objects out of the box (one at a time) and make the sounds together. Keep this fun and free of pressure.
Further sources of support
Last reviewed February 2026