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Eliciting k, g sounds

Eliciting Correct Production of /k/ and /g/ Sounds

k, g

These sounds are made by humping up the tongue in the back and quickly tapping the tongue on the roof of the mouth. The difference between /k/ and /g/ is that /k/ is unvoiced (less airflow) while the /g/ sound is voiced (more airflow). You can feel a difference by placing your hand on your throat as you produce the sounds.

Common substitutions for these sounds are /t/ for /k/ and /d/ for /g/, which means the child is tapping the front of the tongue to the roof of the mouth just behind the top front teeth, known as fronting. In order to help a child make this sound correctly, hold the tongue down in the front of the mouth with a finger or a popsicle stick. In holding this part of the tongue down, it should hump up in the back. Adjust the finger or stick to keep the tongue down in front only, but beware of the gag reflex.

Suggested words (remember beginning words need functional meaning for each individual child):

Initial /k/ words (note most words start with grapheme ‘c’, but the phoneme or sound is /k/)

cab call car coat comb corn

cage camp card cob come cow

cake can cart cold cone cub

calf cap cat colt cool cup

keep kick kids king

key kid king kite

“Can’t” is a powerful early word.

Final /k/ words

back block cake cook kick neck

bake book chalk dock lake peek

beak break check duck lock puck

bike brook cheek hawk look rock

black buck chick hook make sock

Initial /g/ words

game get give good

gas ghost go goose

gate gift goat got

geese girl gone gum

“All gone” is a beginning concept indicating knowledge that something is no longer present.

Final /g/ words

bag dig frog jug peg

big dog hog keg pig

bog egg hug leg rug

bug fig jig log slug

clog flag jog mug twig

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