Speech Sounds Development Chart by Age

When Should My Child Be Saying Each Sound?

Parents and teachers often wonder whether a child's speech is developing typically. Is it normal for a three-year-old to say "wabbit" instead of "rabbit"? Should a five-year-old still be leaving sounds out of words? These are common and completely valid questions.

In Australia, the professional who assesses and supports children's speech development is called a speech pathologist (you may also see the term "speech therapist" — they refer to the same profession). Speech pathologists are university-trained allied health professionals who specialise in communication difficulties, including how children learn to produce speech sounds.

This chart shows when most Australian children are expected to produce each speech sound clearly. It is based on developmental norms — the ages by which the majority of children have mastered each sound. However, it is important to remember that all children develop at different rates. This guide is intended as a helpful reference, not a diagnostic tool. There is a wide range of "normal," and many children who are slightly behind the expected timeline will catch up without intervention.

If you are concerned about your child's speech development, the best step is to consult a speech pathologist. In Australia, you can access speech pathology services for free through public community health centres, school-based programs, or the NDIS if your child has a diagnosed disability. Private speech pathologists are also available, often with Medicare rebates through a GP referral under a GP Management Plan.

For more information, visit Speech Pathology Australia, the national professional body for speech pathologists in Australia.

You may also find our guides on School Readiness: Speech & Language and Phonological Awareness Activities helpful as you support your child's communication development.

The following chart shows the approximate ages by which most children are expected to produce each speech sound correctly. "Mastered" means that approximately 90% of children can produce the sound correctly by this age — so if your child hasn't mastered a sound by the age listed, it doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem.

Australian research norms are broadly consistent with international developmental norms, but individual variation is wide. Some children will produce sounds earlier than the ages listed above, and others will take a little longer — both are within the range of typical development.

If your child is significantly behind on multiple sounds, or if their speech is difficult for others to understand, a speech pathology assessment can help determine whether support is needed.

Source: Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne — Speech Sound Disorders

When young children are learning to talk, it is completely normal for them to simplify the sounds in words. These simplifications follow predictable patterns, and most resolve naturally as children's speech systems mature.

Common Phonological Processes

Speech pathologists refer to these patterns of sound simplification as phonological processes. Some of the most common ones include:

• Fronting: Producing sounds at the front of the mouth instead of the back — for example, saying "tat" instead of "cat" or "doe" instead of "go"
• Stopping: Replacing a long, continuous sound with a short, stopped sound — for example, saying "tun" instead of "sun" or "do" instead of "zoo"
• Cluster reduction: Simplifying a consonant cluster by leaving out one of the sounds — for example, saying "top" instead of "stop" or "bue" instead of "blue"
• Gliding: Replacing the /r/ or /l/ sound with a /w/ or /y/ sound — for example, saying "wabbit" instead of "rabbit" or "yeg" instead of "leg"

Most phonological processes resolve naturally by age 4-5. If a child is still using many of these patterns beyond that age, a speech pathology assessment may be helpful.

Articulation Errors vs Phonological Errors

It can be helpful to understand the difference between these two types of speech difficulties:

• Articulation errors involve difficulty producing a single specific sound. For example, a child who lisps on the /s/ sound has an articulation difficulty — they struggle with how to physically make that sound with their tongue and lips.
• Phonological errors involve a pattern of sound simplification that affects a whole group of sounds. For example, a child who replaces all sounds made at the back of the mouth with sounds at the front (fronting) has a phonological pattern, not just difficulty with one sound.

The distinction matters because the two types of errors are treated differently by speech pathologists.

When Are Errors "Age-Appropriate"?

A speech error is considered age-appropriate if most children of the same age are still making the same type of error. For example, a three-year-old who says "wabbit" instead of "rabbit" is within the normal range — most children don't master /r/ until age 5. But a five-year-old who still replaces all their /k/ and /g/ sounds with /t/ and /d/ (fronting) may need assessment, because that pattern typically resolves by age 3.5.

Intelligibility Guide

One of the simplest ways to gauge whether a child's speech development is on track is to consider how well others can understand them:

• By age 2: Family members should understand the child about 50% of the time
• By age 3: Familiar adults (parents, teachers, carers) should understand the child most of the time
• By age 4: Unfamiliar listeners (people who don't know the child) should understand most of what the child says

What Is Cued Articulation?

Cued articulation is a system of hand cues (gestures) that represent each speech sound, developed by Australian speech pathologist Jane Passy. It is one of the most widely used speech sound support tools in Australian schools and is familiar to many teachers, speech pathologists, and learning support staff.

How It Works

Each hand cue is designed to show how and where the sound is made in the mouth. For example:

• A sound made at the lips uses a hand cue near the mouth
• A sound that vibrates (voiced) uses a cue that shows movement or vibration
• A continuous sound (like /s/) uses a flowing hand movement, while a short stopped sound (like /t/) uses a quick, sharp gesture

This means the cues are not arbitrary — they are directly connected to the way the sound is produced, making them meaningful and memorable for children.

Benefits of Cued Articulation

• Multi-sensory learning: Children see the hand cue, hear the sound, and feel the movement — engaging multiple senses at once
• Supports phonics instruction: Many teachers use cued articulation alongside systematic synthetic phonics programs to reinforce letter-sound connections
• Helps children with speech sound difficulties: Children who struggle to produce certain sounds can use the visual cue as a prompt and reminder
• Used by both teachers and speech pathologists: Cued articulation provides a common language across the classroom and therapy settings
• Inclusive: The visual and kinaesthetic nature of the cues supports diverse learners, including children with hearing difficulties or language delays

Cued Articulation in the Classroom

Cued articulation is commonly used alongside systematic synthetic phonics programs in Australian schools. When a teacher introduces a new letter-sound correspondence, they may also teach the accompanying hand cue. This gives children an additional way to remember and produce the sound, particularly during blending and segmenting activities.

Cued articulation resources and professional development training are available from speech pathology providers across Australia. If your school does not yet use cued articulation, your school's speech pathologist or learning support team can advise on how to get started.

For related resources, see our guides on the Year 1 Phonics Check and Decodable Readers.

Every child develops at their own pace, and occasional speech sound errors are a normal part of learning to talk. However, there are some signs that suggest a child may benefit from a speech pathology assessment.

Red Flags by Age

By 2 years:

• Not using at least 50 words
• Not combining two words together (e.g., "more milk," "daddy go")

By 3 years:

• Speech is difficult for familiar adults (parents, carers) to understand
• Limited use of sentences
• Still relying heavily on gestures rather than words

By 4 years:

• Unfamiliar people cannot understand the child most of the time
• Still using many phonological processes (see above) that should have resolved
• Becoming frustrated or withdrawn because of difficulty being understood

School age:

• Difficulty with reading and spelling — this may be linked to underlying speech or phonological difficulties
• Persistent difficulty producing certain sounds that peers have mastered
• Avoiding speaking in class or social situations

The Link Between Speech Sounds and Literacy

Research shows that children with speech sound disorders are at higher risk of reading and spelling difficulties. This is because learning to read requires children to hear, distinguish, and manipulate individual sounds in words — skills known as phonological awareness. Children who have difficulty producing sounds often have weaker phonological awareness, which can affect their ability to learn letter-sound relationships and decode words.

This doesn't mean every child with a speech difficulty will struggle with reading, but it is an important link to be aware of — particularly for children starting school.

How to Access a Speech Pathologist in Australia

There are several pathways to access speech pathology services:

• Community health centres: Many local health services offer free speech pathology for children. Waitlists can be long, so it's worth getting on the list early
• Private practice: Private speech pathologists are available across Australia. A GP referral under a GP Management Plan may provide Medicare rebates for up to 5 sessions per year
• School-based services: Some schools have access to speech pathologists through their education department or learning support programs
• NDIS-funded: If your child has a diagnosed disability that significantly affects their communication, they may be eligible for NDIS funding for speech pathology

Your GP is a good starting point — they can provide a referral and help you determine which pathway is most appropriate for your child.

For more on preparing children for school, see our guide on School Readiness: Speech & Language. If your child is school-aged and experiencing learning difficulties, our page on Learning Difficulties: Classroom Strategies may also be useful.

Source: Raising Children Network — Speech and Language Development