Sound Development and The Alphabet

Sound Development and The Alphabet

Alphabet knowledge and sound development are two very different things. Each skill develops differently and for articulation, mastery varies by age. Articulation refers to how a sound is produced.

In preschool, children learn about letters and letter sounds. It’s one of the foundations for developing reading and writing skills. In this article, I will break down each letter and letter sound so that you know when your child should be able to articulate the sound correctly. 

The charts below show sound development by age and associated alphabet letters. Note, all vowel sounds produced correctly by age 3. All sounds are produced correctly by age 7.

Sound Development Chart

Sound Development in Words

Alphabet Letters and Expected Age of Correct Production

Sound Development in Words

Speech sound errors occur for a variety of reasons which include low muscle tone, reduced muscle coordination, hearing loss, cleft palate, misaligned teeth, and overall developmental delay. Children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism and some genetic disorders frequently have speech sound disorders. 

All children have sound errors at an early age and sound production improves over time as the child develops. A speech-language pathologist can assess your child and determine if there are errors present that are not developmentally appropriate.