Average Age Children Learn to Pronounce English Consonants Correctly
- Ashlain Dunkin
- Apr 10
- 2 min read
(Based on 15 English speech acquisition studies compiled by McLeod and Crowe, 2018)
Speech sound acquisition is a crucial aspect of language development in children. It involves the gradual mastery of the sounds of a language, which typically occurs in a predictable sequence. Below is an overview of typical speech sound acquisition milestones by age.
Birth to 12 Months
0-3 Months: Infants produce cooing sounds and begin to experiment with vocalizations.
4-6 Months: Babbling begins, with repeated consonant-vowel combinations (e.g., "ba-ba" or "da-da").
7-12 Months: Variegated babbling emerges, where infants mix different sounds and syllables. They may start to imitate sounds and respond to their names.
12 to 24 Months
12-18 Months: First words typically appear. Common sounds include /m/, /n/, /p/, /b/, and /t/.
18-24 Months: Vocabulary expands to around 50 words. Children may simplify complex words, often omitting consonants or substituting easier sounds.
2 to 3 Years
2 Years: Vocabulary may reach 200 words. Children begin to use two-word phrases and exhibit more complex sound patterns.
3 Years: Most children can produce around 1,000 words. They start to master more consonants, including /k/, /g/, and /f/. Some sounds may still be substituted or omitted.
3 to 4 Years
3-4 Years: Children typically can produce most consonant sounds in their native language. They may still have difficulty with /s/, /r/, /l/, /sh/, and /ch/ sounds, which are often developed later.
4 to 5 Years
4 Years: By this age, most children can articulate most sounds correctly, with few errors.
5 Years: Children usually master all speech sounds, including difficult sounds like /s/, /r/, and /th/. They can produce complex sentences and engage in conversations.
6 Years and Beyond
6 Years: Children refine their speech further and continue to develop their language skills, including vocabulary and grammar.
7-8 Years: By this age, most children have achieved full speech sound acquisition, though some may still require speech therapy for specific sounds.
It's important to note that while these milestones provide a general guideline, individual children may progress at different rates. If there are concerns about a child's speech sound acquisition, consulting a speech-language pathologist is advisable.
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