Speech sounds by age: when children learn each sound

Most children can say almost all English consonants correctly by around age 5, with "r", "zh" (as in "measure") and the two "th" sounds coming last, usually between 5 and 7.^[] The table below shows approximately when children learn each consonant, based on a large international review of speech development studies, followed by how much of their speech strangers should understand at each age and when to see a speech pathologist.

When children learn each consonant

This table comes from a 2018 review by Sharynne McLeod and Kathryn Crowe of Charles Sturt University, which pooled 15 studies of English-speaking children, including three Australian studies.^[] Each study recorded the age at which children said a sound correctly in single words. The review reports average ages at two cut-offs, drawing on nine and eight of those studies respectively. We've labelled them:

• Many children: studies that used a 75% to 85% cut-off (the age band when that share of children said the sound correctly).
• Most children: studies that used a 90% to 100% cut-off. This is the more conservative column, and the better one to use when you're wondering whether to worry.

An age of "3" means the average fell between 3 years 0 months and 3 years 11 months.

Source: McLeod and Crowe (2018), English consonant data.^[]

A few patterns stand out. Sounds made with the lips or the back of the tongue, like "p", "m" and "k", tend to come early. Sounds that need precise tongue-tip control, like "s", "z", "sh" and "ch", come later, and "r", "zh" and "th" come last.^[] The review notes that ages vary a lot between children and studies, and says its figures should be used as general guidance.^[]

Why other charts show different ages

You may see charts, including some Australian parent handouts, that list "z" or "th" as late as 7 to 9 years.^[][] Charts disagree because they draw on different studies (the review's own pool runs from 1931 to 2014) and use different cut-offs. Some report the age when 75% of children say a sound, others when 90% or 100% do.^[] The McLeod and Crowe review combines many studies, which is why it's used here. Speech Pathology Australia notes that "th" can stay tricky for some children until 8 or 9, and that "s" and "z" may wobble when front teeth fall out.^[]

Vowels and blends

By 4, most children say most vowel sounds correctly and use many consonant blends, such as "tw", "sp" and "gl".^[] Longer blends ("scribble", "strawberry") and long words ("caterpillar", "spaghetti") can stay tricky through preschool, and some children still find "r" and "l" in blends ("scwatch" for scratch) or long words ("hippopotamus") hard in the early school years.^[]

How much of your child's speech should others understand?

Knowing every sound matters less than whether people can understand your child. This is called intelligibility. Two Australian sources give slightly different guidance, especially around age 5:

A useful home test is to think about how often people who don't know your child, like a new educator or a shop assistant, have trouble understanding them.^[]

Errors that are usually fine

While children are learning to talk, they simplify adult speech. Raising Children Network says you probably don't need to worry if your young child:^[]

• swaps a few sounds ("lellow" for yellow)
• simplifies tricky sound combinations ("side" for slide)
• drops syllables ("puter" for computer)

If you can understand your child, it's probably OK.^[]

When to see a speech pathologist

Speech Pathology Australia and Raising Children Network suggest getting advice if your child:

• uses only a few speech sounds at 2^[]
• can't be understood by adults at 3^[]
• leaves off the first sound of words, such as "ish" for fish^[]
• is much harder to understand than other children the same age, or doesn't say words the way you'd expect for their age^[]
• gets frustrated or upset when they aren't understood^[][]
• speaks in a way that looks like a lot of effort^[]
• has hearing loss or has had lots of middle ear infections^[]

Speech Pathology Australia also recommends a hearing check by an audiologist if you're worried, because children need to hear sounds clearly to learn them.^[]

You can talk to your GP, paediatrician, child and family health nurse or your child's teacher, or book a private speech pathologist directly.^[] If your child's sounds are behind the table, our page on speech sound disorder explains how assessment and therapy work.

What to do next

Use the "most children" column as a guide, not a test. One late sound on its own is rarely the issue. Several sounds well past the ages above, or speech that strangers struggle to follow, is worth a speech pathology assessment. For the bigger picture of talking, understanding and play at each age, see our milestones by age, and for everyday ways to build your child's talking, read help your child talk at home.

If one sound stands out, our guide to lisps in children covers "s" and "z", and bilingual children and speech covers children learning two languages.

If you'd like to talk it through, you can send Hey Sprout an enquiry.