er words list speech therapy

200+ ER Words Speech Therapy {Initial, Medial, & Final!}

Do you have a speech therapy student working on the er sound? Then this blog post is just what you need! It has over 200 er words for speech therapy that will help strengthen your child or student’s /er/ sound. 

ER Words Speech Therapy

As Speech-language pathologists, we are always on the lookout for speech therapy word lists organized by word positions. 

That’s exactly why I’ve gone ahead and organized a list for you to use in therapy. Hopefully making your life a little simpler.

Correct Position

In the English language, the r sound is one of the most difficult sounds as well as one of the last sounds to develop. There are two different ways a speech therapist can teach tongue placement for r remediation. 

First, let’s review the two different variations of the right place for tongue movements for producing the r sound:

• Retroflexed R

Both ways are very similar and vary in mid-tongue and tongue tip placements:

• Teeth: The /r/ sound is made by having a slight gap between the teeth.
• Lips: Lips should be in a neutral position and not rounded. (A rounded lip shape might lead to a /w/ in place of an /r/ sound, such as “wed” for the word “red”.
• Sides of the Tongue: Be sure to place the sides of the tongue against the upper side of your teeth to allow for the passage of air to go down the center of the tongue.
• Retroflexed R: Have the mid-tongue somewhat tense but not bunched up. Then place the tip of the tongue pointing up just past the alveolar ridge.
• Bunched R: Have the mid-tongue bunched up near the roof of the mouth. Then place the tip of the tongue pointing down or straight.
• Air: Then blow a skinny stream of air over the center of your tongue (you do not want the air to come out the sides of the tongue).
• Voice: The r sound is also a voiced sound so your voice box or vocal cords should vibrate. You can tell that their voice is turned on by touching your voice box on your neck and feeling it vibrate.

Types of R Sounds

• Prevocalic R Words – is when the r sound comes before a vowel sound, such as an initial r word “red”. 
• Vocalic R Words – s when the r sound comes after a vowel sound, such as: or, ar, er, ear, ire, air.

Target Words

Here’s a list of er articulation sounds for you to use in therapy or for at home practice to work on your student or child’s new skill.

• For Example: earth, herb, earthquake, earn, herbal, turkey, shirt, camera, thermos, burn, farmer, officer, dollar, mother, older, teacher

See full list of words, phrases, and sentences below.

Be sure to grab my one page freebie of er sounds below. Simply scroll to the bottom of this post and grab your free copy!

Use the links below to help navigate this post:

• ER Words Overview
• Flash Cards – Initial ER (word, phrase, sentence, + question)
• Word Level – Initial ER
• Flash Cards – Medial ER (word, phrase, sentence, + question)
• Word Level – Medial ER
• Flash Cards – Final ER (word, phrase, sentence, + question)
• Word Level – Final ER
• Phrase Level – Initial ER
• Phrase Level – Medial ER
• Phrase Level – Final ER
• Sentence Level – Initial ER
• Sentence Level Medial ER
• Sentence Level Final ER
• Additional ER Word Resources

R Word List

Here’s an r word list for you to use in therapy or at home practice to work on your student or child’s speech.

See full list of 1220+ R words at the word level, phrase level, and sentence level here.

Word Positions: ER Words Speech Therapy  

Initial position of words.

The initial position of the er sound is at the beginning of a word. For example, “earn” or “earth”.

Medial Position of Words

Some words have the er sound in the medial position of a word, such as “circle”, “dirt”, and “turtle”.

Final Positions of Words

The final positions of words are when the target sound is at the end of a word or the final syllable. For example, “tiger” or “ladder”.

Need Different Sounds?

You won’t want to miss out on my complete growing list of all my articulation word lists !

ER Words at Word Level

Some ways to practice include having your child or student say each er word one by one as they go through a list. 

Using a dot marker can also be a fun way to practice having your child put a dot under each er sound. 

In addition, I’ve compiled an easy-to-download one page overview of er sounds below. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post and download your free copy.

Practice in Flash Card Mode Right Here from Your Computer!

Initial ER Words Speech Therapy

• 1 Syllable:   earth, earn, Earl, herb, urge, earned, irk
• 2 Syllable:  urban, earthquake, urgent, early, urchin, Ernie, Erma, earlier, earnest, earnings, earthling, earthy, earner, earthworm, Irving
• 3 Syllable:  earliest

Back to Top

Medial ER Words Speech Therapy

• 1 Syllable:  berg, fern, herd, nerd, verb, germ, perm, term, bird, dirt, thirst, firm, skirt, turn, church, burn, hurt, surf, turf, curb, yurt, burp
• 2 Syllable:  Peru, sherpa, thirty, squirrel, flirty, circle, plural, blurry, scurry, flurry
• 3 Syllable:  energy, internal, internet, interest, leadership, wilderness, Anderson, conference, powerful, generous, difference, waterman, allergic, cleverness, bitterness, beverage, coverage, Doberman, offering, referral, property, wonderland, tolerant, thunderstorm, admiring, disturbing, alluring, figurine, security
• 4 Syllable:  Cinderella, vulnerable, measurable
• 5 Syllable: alliteration, university, acceleration

Final ER Words Speech Therapy

• 1 Syllable:  her, ever, badger, player, layer
• 2 Syllable:  silver, water, over, amber, father, tiger, monster, river, after, sister, power, teacher, anger, mother, winter, other, under, better, wonder, number, lover, never, ginger, beaver, paper, pepper, Tyler, hunter, summer, fever, clever, flower, booger, peter, lobster, daughter, later, super, Denver, whisper, liver, quarter, thunder, soldier, meter, murder, soccer, matter, panther, order, ember, finger, shiver, brother, dinner, counter, weather, tender, driver, corner, center, tower, cider, master, chamber, glitter, leader, parker, stranger, offer, reindeer, hyper, baker, giver, litter, dumpster, otter, cover, filter, further, younger, helper, butter, closer, sweater, feather, supper, toddler, clover
• 3 Syllable:  forever, Jupiter, together, November, remember, computer, October, anteater, hamburger, character, December, disaster, receiver, discover, register, sunflower, perimeter
• 4 Syllable:  helicopter

SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy

Short sentences or phrases.

When working on the er sound production, it’s important to work on short phrases once your child or student has mastered the sound at the word level at or near 80% or higher accuracy.

Here is a list of er word phrases to try:

Initial ER Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Medial ER Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Final ER Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Sentence Level: ER Words Speech Therapy

The next step after working at the word and phrase levels is to work on the er sound at the sentence level.

For example, you could give your child or student a list of sentences to read aloud while they work on their er sound. 

Another idea would be to give your child or student pictures with their er sound in them and then have them create a sentence about those pictures.

Below is a list of sentences to use with your child or students.

Initial ER Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

Medial ER Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

Final ER Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

ER Words Speech Therapy Ideas

Below I’ve outlined some er freebies along with some other speech therapy activities that can be used to make your speech therapy sessions planning a breeze this year. 

Boom cards are a fun and engaging way to strengthen your child or student’s articulation skills.

Here are a few favorite boom cards to work on the er sound: 

• Boom Cards er sound Snowball Fight by Badger State Therapy is an interactive boom cards set that prompts students to throw snowballs as they practice vocalic ‘er’ sounds.
• R Controlled Vowels Boom Cards – FREE Digital Phonics Activity is a great set of boom cards to practice ‘er’ sounds in all positions.

SEE ALSO: Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy

Digital downloads.

Are you a speech therapist looking for er words to practice with your clients? 

Here are a couple of fun worksheets that you can use in your therapy room to work on the er sound.

• R Speech Therapy Activities | I Spy Game by Speech Therapy Store – If you’re looking for an amazing freebie then you’re in the right spot. I’ve created a fun and engaging I Spy activity that any student is sure to love!
• Unstressed “ER” True or False Sentences: Articulation Exercise by Teach Speech now is a fun 3 page true or false game to help students practice the target er sound.
• Stressed “ER” Rhyming Rows: Articulation Exercise by Teach Speech Now is an interactive er articulation activity that is good for all age ranges.

Older Students

Finding appropriate articulation resources for older students can be difficult to find. Here are a few appropriate resources for your older students. 

• R Sound Articulation Lists by Speech Therapy Store – Grab my one page freebie of initial r words, medial r, and final r sounds with real-life photos perfect for older students working on the word, phrase, and sentence levels.
• Articulation for Older Students – Color By Number /vocalic er/ FREEBIE by Cardigan Speech is a fun and interactive color by code activity designed for older students to practice er articulation.
• FREE Vocalic ER: FOOD and PEOPLE. Articulation at the Word and Sentence level. By Pronunciation with Lily is an amazing freebie created for 2nd-12th graders to practice er articulation within the food and people categories. 

SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials

Language skills.

Do you have students who are also working on their language therapy? If so, why not work on their therapy goals while you also work on their er sound?

Check out these ideas below:

• FREE Fall Vocalic ER Articulation Four-In-A-Row Game by the Speech Shop Creations is a really fun and interactive print and go board game to help students practice using er. 
• /ER/ Articulation Nonfiction Text {Freebie} by SLP Happy Hour is a great text for students to practice multiple er articulation targets.
• Randy’s Car — a Story for Articulation Practice by Clarity Speech and Language is a great story to practice the difference between ‘ar’ and ‘er’ sounds. 

Activity Book

Are you looking for a fun activity book to use while you work on your student’s er sound? Here are a few of my favorite no prep activity books!

• Back to School FREEBIE: Vocalic ER Articulation Color by Number by S’more Speech Stuff is a great set of coloring pages to practice ER articulation. These pages are great for ages K-5th.
• Articulation Bingo- Unstressed er Summer words by Speech Please is an interactive Bingo game that is print and go! Students will practice er/ir/ur sounds.
• Articulation Cards for Stressed /er/ by Speech Please is a clear set of cards to practice er articulation. The TPT listing has some creative ideas on how to use these cards as a game or fun activity.

Correct Production – Effective R Therapy

Do you have a student who is having a difficult time producing the correct sound? 

If so, here are a handful of different types of speech therapy exercises to help your speech students in the process of articulation therapy produce the tricky r sound. You can even grab a tongue depressor to use as a tactile cue.

• Teach Tongue and Mouth Anatomy: Start by teaching the parts of the tongue and mouth that will help with cueing for articulation placement. Grab the R Sound Freebie – Anatomy of Tongue and Mouth for Speech Therapy by Speechy Things.
• Phonemic Awareness, Auditory Discrimination, & Articulation: Practice targeting all three skills with this free trial of Locate! Discriminate! Articulate! – /r/: FREE TRIAL VERSION by OTTeR Speech.
• Phonemic Awareness: Have your students start by identifying where they hear the r sound in a word. Use this Phonemic Awareness – R Freebie by michjco to get started.
• Perception Training: Start with R Perception Training by having the student identify the difference between the correct R sound and the incorrect R sound. Grab the R Sound Perception Training FREEBIE: Early R Speech Therapy Activities from Speechy Things.
• Vocalic R Visual Cues: Have students working on the vocalic R? Grad this free Vocalic R Visual – Free / English Only worksheet from The Spanish Speechie.
• Minimal Pairs: Use minimal pairs to work on the r sound. Have your students identify the /r/ vs. the /w/ sound with the Free r/w Minimal Pairs Hide & Seek Speech – School Theme – Boom Cards & PPT by Little Speech Shop.

In Conclusion: Speech Therapy R Sound Activities

We hope you have found this article helpful for working on your child or student’s er sound. 

Be sure to grab your free er sound pages below. 

The pages come in initial, medial, and final sound positions perfect for sending home, using for special education, or using in private practice.

Grab Your Free ER Word List with Pictures Here!

Simply enter your name and email to have this free ER Words list with pictures emailed directly to your inbox! If you want all 3 (initial, medial, and final) be sure to sign up for each one you want!

Grab our Initial ER Words List!

Grab our medial er words list, grab our final er words list, want even more speech therapy r sound activities.

• 1,220+ R Words Speech Therapy {Interactive Flashcards!}
• 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy
• 261+ Free Ideas for Digital Therapy
• 917+ Best Free Boom Cards for Speech Therapy
• 11 Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy

Want the Best of the Bests?

Be sure to check out our most popular posts below!

• Best IEP Resources
• 71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Scenarios
• 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle
• 432+ Free Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives Bank
• 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials
• 179+ Free Speech Therapy Wh-Questions Printable

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R Words for Speech Therapy (Lists and Activities)

Looking for R words for speech therapy? Speech-language pathologists looking for a quick list of initial r words, medial r, and final r target words to practice during speech therapy, make sure to bookmark this post. You’ll also find some great ideas for making r therapy more effective with a variety of engaging games, articulation worksheets, and speech therapy activities. Not only does this blog post provide a list of prevocalic r, vocalic r, and r blends, but it also suggests a variety of strategies for r remediation. SLPs will be able to have a list of words on hand to easily use in the therapy room.

This post contains affiliate links, which means we could receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended.

Correct Production of R

There are different ways to make the R sound! These different approaches vary in tongue placement and positioning. The most common approaches are known as the bunched r and the retroflex r. The bunched r literally involves the tongue bunching and lifting up and back towards the throat. The sides of the tongue make contact with the upper posterior molars. The retroflexed tongue position involves a more flattened tongue, with the tip of the tongue pointed up towards the alveolar ridge. Read more about bunched r vs retroflex r here , plus check out some tips to teach either method!

Young children often have difficulty producing the R sound. McLeod and Crowe published this article , which reported that nearly all speech sounds are developed by age 6. A child’s speech intelligibility can be impacted by difficulty with R sound production.

Common R Speech Sound Errors

R is often thought of as one of the most challenging sounds to learn! Here are some common R speech sound errors:

• Oftentimes in younger children, the w sound is substituted for the R sound. An example might be “wabbit” for “rabbit”. This is known as the phonological process of gliding. Minimal pairs might be useful in this situation.
• Occasionally, students might substitute l for r (for example, “light” for “right”).
• R might also be substituted by a “y” sound (an example would be “ram” vs “yam”).
• Other R speech sounds might lose their “R” quality and sound more like a vowel sound. “ER” might be placed by a neutral schwa, for example.

A licensed speech-language pathologist can listen carefully to distinguish which r sound errors a student might be making.

References: Bauman-Waengler, J.A.  Articulatory and Phonological Impairments: A Clinical Focus . Third ed., Pearson Education Limited, 2013. 

How To Teach the R Sound in Speech Therapy

For children who substitute w/r, minimal pairs are often very beneficial. A rounded lip shape may also be contributing to this substitution, so providing cues and reminders to keep the lips retracted while saying R in the initial position of words can be helpful. Try having the student look in a mirror while practicing this sound. Providing accurate feedback is also important.

Older students with articulation disorders often struggle with the production of vocalic r words. School slps may wish to read this article for a deep dive into elicitation techniques for vocalic r. It includes 5 effective tips for teaching the vocalic r sounds. One simple idea is to try using a tongue depressor to gently lift the tongue up and back while smiling and saying “ER”. The teeth should be slightly apart, and the smile should be held during production. This can assist with eliciting vocalic er using a bunched R tongue positioning.

Watch this youtube video to see examples of how to teach R .

R Word Lists for Articulation Therapy

Do you need a list of functional words to work on the R sound in your speech therapy session? R can occur in many different positions of a word, and specific r words may be targeted in speech therapy sessions. The following word lists contain words with r in the beginning of a word (initial R), vocalic R words (initial, medial, and final positions of words), and initial R consonant blends. These R articulation word lists allow the speech therapist to easily work on a target sound and speech goals in speech therapy at the word level. Or, have your student practice at the sentence level or conversation level by using targeted words in sentences. Quickly pull these word lists up during your speech therapy session and pair them with the  game  or activity of your choice. These word lists provide less complex syllable shapes to more complex multisyllabic words.

Initial R Words (Prevocalic R Words) for Speech Therapy

Here is a list of r words in the initial position to use in speech therapy (prevocalic R words):

Vocalic AIR Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of vocalic air words in the initial position, medial position, and final position of words.

Vocalic AR Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of vocalic ar in the initial position, medial position, and final position of words.

Vocalic EAR Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of vocalic ear in the initial position, medial position, and final position of words.

Vocalic IRE Words

Here is a list of vocalic ire in the initial position, medial position, and final position of words.

Initial and Medial

Vocalic OR Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of vocalic or in the initial position, medial position, and final position of words.

Vocalic ER Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of vocalic er in the initial position, medial position, and final position of words.

Vocalic RL Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of vocalic rl in the medial position and final position of words.

Initial R Blend Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of initial r blends for speech therapy.

Initial BR Words

Initial dr words, initial fr words, initial kr words, speech therapy activities for the r sound.

R can be a difficult sound to remediate, so great resources are a MUST in speech therapy! So try using a comprehension program, a fun game, or effective activities and worksheets for your students.

Comprehensive R Program for Vocalic R

If you need a systematic program that’s going to ensure great success for your R students, you’ll want to check out this R program . For students having a difficult time achieving success using a traditional articulation method, it’s beneficial to try a whole new game plan. This program is based on the extensive research of Sandra Holtzman, and is based on her R CEU course , with permission. It incorporates orofacial myology basics, which is often the piece that many failed approaches have been missing.

Jessica G., SLP, reviewed, “I’m so grateful for this resource !!!! Targeting “r” was like my worst nightmare and when students weren’t making progress I felt so discouraged and did not know what else I could do to improve accuracy. Thanks to Karen and this amazing resource, I actually get excited to treat “r” now. The approach used actually works and my students finally seem to understand tongue positioning better (and maybe I do too!). This is definitely worth buying! Thank you!”

Vocalic R Playing Card Game Companion

Do you need to review vocalic r in different word positions? Check out this card game companion , which pairs with a popular color-coded card game. It uses the colors and symbols on the playing card, and matches those with a target vocalic R word. Your player would draw a card, then check his vocalic r sheet to see which target word corresponds with the card he has drawn. Trust me, your elementary students will love this one! It’s fast, easy, and motivating!   Please note: The Pedi Speechie is in no way associated with the well-known card game, which is trademarked.

• Playdough Articulation Manicure Activity

The trick to making articulation drill fun? Try doing a speech manicure ! This articulation activity, which includes r articulation and vocalic r articulation targets, will become an instant hit in your speech therapy room. It’s ideal for younger and older students because picture-supported cards and text-only cards are provided. It’s simple to use. The speech-language pathologist chooses the target sound, and the student chooses the play dough color (in other words, the “nail polish” color). After saying a target word, the student places play dough onto the “nail”, and continues to repeat the process until the manicure is complete!

P.S. Don’t have any play dough on hand? You could also try pairing this activity with a magnetic wand and chips .

Mixed Group R and R Blends Worksheets

Trying to target language AND articulation goals in a mixed group? Let’s face it, sometimes the day can get chaotic! This mixed groups resource is designed to help maintain a school SLP’s sanity during a busy day. How does it work, exactly? Articulation words are sorted by noun or verb. While one student works on articulation, another student can work on language goals- using the same target words.

Use the noun articulation pictures to work on goals such as describing, following directions, spatial concepts, and making inferences. Use the verb articulation pictures to work on goals such as verb tense and creating sentences. These activity sheets are no prep and low ink, so you truly can use these while on-the-go. Just print them out and hand one out to each student.

These mixed group worksheets are also available as a bundle . The bundle includes other articulation targets, including k and g, sh, ch, j, l and l blends, and s and s blends. Lou Ann M., SLP, reviewed, “This resource was easy to use. No prep! Worked well for mixed groups. Able to target multiple goals. Definitely will be using this over and over!”

More Articulation Word Lists for Speech Therapists

Short on time and need a quick summary of this article? Scroll up to see r words speech therapy lists. Then, try out these best-selling articulation worksheets and activities to work on the r sound:

• Comprehensive R Program
• Vocalic R Playing Card Companion
• Mixed Groups Articulation and Language Bundle

Don’t miss these other articulation word lists!

• S Word Lists
• L Word Lists
• F Word Lists
• K Word Lists
• TH Word Lists

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Comprehensive Vocalic R Words List for Speech Therapy

While one of the most common sounds in the English language, the vocalic /r/ can be challenging to pronounce. 

This can be because it’s hard to understand what is happening with the mouth when it’s pronounced, it requires better muscle control and appears alongside vowels, requiring additional articulation skills. 

If your child struggles with this sound, they may substitute the /r/ sound with /w/, saying ‘fair-wee’ instead of ‘fairy’ or ‘here-wo’ instead of ‘hero’. As a result, they can appear younger than their peers and struggle to communicate effectively. 

In this article, we’ll be focusing on the /vocalic /r/ sound and sharing a list of /r/ words, phrases, and sentences that you can use in home speech therapy or as a resource to support your professional speech therapy practice. 

You’ll also learn which fun games and activities can provide extra practice, discover how to pronounce the sound effectively, and how the patented Forbrain headset can help. 

Word list: Vocalic /r/ word list 

Improving your child’s pronunciation of the vocalic /r/ sound at home can feel like a daunting task because of the many variations of this sound. 

However, if you can help them understand where this sound appears in real-life language and give them plenty of varied practice, you will soon see a difference. 

To help you out, we’ve created a comprehensive list of the most common vocalic /r/ sounds used in English. This includes words where this sound appears in the middle (medial vocalic /r/) or end (final vocalic /r/) of the word. 

Use this list as an easy reference or encourage your child to read through them for extra practice. 

What is the vocalic /r/ sound?

Before we introduce the list of words, let’s take a quick look at what this sound is. 

The vocalic /r/ sound is a type of /r/ that happens when the letter appears after one of the vowels; a, e, i, o, and u. 

For example, the /r/ at the beginning of the word ‘ripe’ is pronounced differently from the /r/ that appears at the end of the word ‘pour’. 

There are six of these combinations in English:

• [-ar] as in the word STAR
• [-er] as in the word GIRL
• [-air] as in the word FAIRY
• [-ear] as in the word FEAR 
• [-or] as in the word SWORD
• [-ire] as in the word FIRE 

Further vocalic /r/ sound practice using short phrases and sentences

Your child should now be able to pronounce the vocalic /r/ sound in isolation, even if it does take a certain amount of effort and focus. The key to actually mastering this sound is to provide them with plenty of practice, using the word lists we provided above and then moving on to short phrases and eventually sentences. 

By doing so, their fluency will significantly improve, they’ll grow in confidence and they’ll also learn how to use their new skills to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts. 

Here’s a short home speech therapy program to help you do exactly this, recommended by the team of experts at Forbrain. 

• Check that your child is articulating the vocalic /r/ sound correctly by working through the wordlist we shared earlier. If not, repeat the articulation exercises until they are reasonably comfortable. 
• Next, use carrier phrases to encourage them to use these words in real-life contexts. 
• Practice using short phrases and sentences for the vocalic /r/ sound. 
• Play child-friendly games and activities and read with your child
• Perfect their skills using our easy-to-use, scientifically proven Forbrain headset.

Carrier phrases

If you want to help your child use these vocalic /r/ words in everyday contexts and get plenty of practice, carrier phrases should be your go-to- speech therapy tool. Just choose a phrase, insert a vocalic /r/ word then practice saying it aloud. 

Considering that there are six variations of the vocalic /r/ sound, we recommend that you practice with at least three words from each category in the word list. 

Here are some of our favorite carrier phrases: 

• “I found a…”
• “I want a…”
• “He found a…”
• “She found a…”
• “I have a…”
• “He has a…”
• “She has a…”
• “I like to…”
• “He likes to…”

Put into practice, it looks like this:

• “I want POPCORN”
• “I like VAMPIRES
• “She has a SPIDER”
• “I see a MARBLE”
• “I found a STAR” 
• “He has CEREAL” 

Short phrases for the vocalic /r/ sound

Keep reading to find useful short phrases that include the vocalic /r/ sound in the middle or the end of the word. 

Use these with your child for extra practice and you’ll help them further improve their pronunciation of the /r/ sound. 

Short sentences for the vocalic /r/ sound

Let’s now take it up a level and start practicing those longer sentences that help further boost confidence, and fluency, and help your child use this sound comfortably in real-world contexts. 

As before, these include the vocalic /r/ sound in the middle and the end of the word. 

Games & Activities with Vocalic /r/ Sound Words 

The best way to learn anything is to make it fun! That’s why playing games and activities with your child is an excellent way to master those tricky speech sounds. 

By doing so, they’ll also grow in confidence and be more likely to want to keep practicing the vocalic /r/ sound. 

Below are some excellent vocalic /r/ sound games and activities that are sure to tick all the boxes and are ideal for use with the patented Forbrain headset.

Play the Roar! Game

The easiest way to practice that vocalic /r/ sound is to encourage your child to roar like a lion.  If you can, find a fun picture of a lion and together, produce an exaggerated /r/ sound then repeat as many times as you like. 

Play the Pretty Parrot Game

This game encourages your child to repeat the sound that they hear. Find a picture of a parrot or even a stuffed toy then place it in front of you. Next, print the list of vocalic /r/ words and cut them out so they become flashcards. 

Hold the cards in your hand and ask your child to pull one from the stack. If your child can’t read the word yet, read it for them and then encourage them to repeat it after you. Every time they get the word right, give them a small reward. 

Play the Lucky Dip Game

If you have the resources available, playing the Lucky Dip game can be a fun way to reinforce their learning and encourage accurate pronunciation. 

Find a box or basket and fill it with items that include the vocalic /r/ sound (check the word list above for ideas), or find free images online and print them out. 

Then cover the box or basket and encourage your child to put their hand inside and pull out an item or picture. When they pull an item or image, encourage them to name it, using the carrier phrase, “ I found a [insert word] ”. 

There’s perhaps no better way to improve overall language skills, spark your child’s imagination and strengthen your parent-child bond than reading a good book with your child. 

Find books that include the vocalic /r/ sound and you’ll reinforce the home speech therapy you’ve been doing and have fun at the same time. 

Read the books in our recommended vocalic /r/ sound list and encourage your child to repeat every /r/ word you come across for the best effect. 

• Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
• We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
• Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman
• Clark The Shark by Bruce Hale
• Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

How to Pronounce the Vocalic /r/ Sounds

Understanding the difference between the ‘normal’ /r/ sound and the vocalic /r/ sound can be tricky because they often appear to be the same sound. 

However, to teach others how to articulate this sound correctly, we need to start by checking what happens with our mouth, airflow, tongue position, teeth alignment, and vocal cords beforehand. 

The vocalic /r/ sound is a voiced sound made primarily by lifting your tongue back and up allowing it to move towards the roof of your mouth. Then the air should pass from your lungs, and over your tongue while you allow your vocal cords to vibrate. 

Here is more specific guidance. 

Pronouncing the vocalic /r/ sound 

Let’s choose one of the words we shared in the /r/ word list above such as ‘dark’ then practice saying it aloud, repeating it several times. 

As you do so, pay close attention to the shape of your mouth and lips, where your tongue is positioned, how the air flows from your lungs, and whether your vocal cords are vibrating or not.

You’ll see that your vocal cords are indeed vibrating, your tongue is pulled back and towards the roof of your mouth, your lips are slightly rounded and the air passes through your mouth and lightly over your tongue. 

Additionally, you’ll see just why it can be so hard for children to articulate this sound. Not only do they need to have excellent control over their tongue position, lips, and airflow but it’s very difficult to see how the sound is made from the outside. 

Despite this fact, most children can master this sound anywhere between three and nine years of age after they have mastered the ‘normal’ /r/ sound. If problems do occur, it’s usually because it’s difficult to transition from these vowel sounds to the /r/, and with practice, it can soon be fixed. 

Work through the vocalic /r/ sound list, phrases, sentences, games, and activities, read together, and use the patented Forbrain headset and your child will get the practice they need and have fun doing it. 

How to help your child produce the vocalic /r/ sound correctly

Ready to help your child get to grips with the vocalic /r/ sound? Follow these steps:

1) Ask your child to relax their tongue. You can encourage them to stick it out as far as they can and wiggle it around like a snake, ask them to blow a whistle, or try touching their nose with their tongue. 

2) Then ask them to find the back of their tongue and ask them to lift it to the roof of their mouth. You can tell them to imagine they are catching a fairy with their tongue if they need extra encouragement. 

3) Finally, ask them to push air from their lungs and use their vocal cords to say the word ‘fairy’. 

If they still find this difficult, keep practicing until they master how to articulate the sound. You can also watch this excellent video by The Speech Scoop for extra speech therapy help.

Using Forbrain to Upgrade Sound Practice

Enhance your child’s learning and mastery of the tricky vocalic /r/ sound by using our patented Forbrain headset. 

Used for just 10 minutes per day, your child will learn how to distinguish the sound, get instant feedback from the enhanced auditory feedback loop, and get the targeted practice they need to overcome speech challenges and grow in confidence. 

Scientifically proven and widely used by professional speech therapists, it uses cutting-edge technology and an innovative design to optimize learning, stimulate neural pathways, finely tune pronunciation, and sharpen articulation for effective, natural communication. 

Unlock your child’s potential with Forbrain today. 

Final Words

If your child is struggling to pronounce the vocalic /r/ word, don’t worry. Use the list of vocalic /r/ words, phrases, and sentences alongside the patented Forbrain headset and you’ll soon see a huge improvement. 

Reinforce their learning and make it fun by using games, activities, and books to help your child can improve their articulation, grow in confidence, and effortlessly use this tricky sound in everyday spoken language. 

Charlotte Witts

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Vocalic R For Speech Therapy

Treating the vocalic R in speech therapy can be TOUGH; however, there are ways to ease the pain. Keep reading to learn about my teaching techniques and favorite new materials

*vocalic R is when R comes after a vowel: or, ar, air, ire, er, ear

The Vocalic R Overview

Vocalic R is when R comes after a vowel. In English, there are 7 of them:

• rl (I  just threw that one in here because it is not prevocalic and it is difficult to teach!)

Personally, I believe that the vocalic R is difficult for some to learn because

• the slight variations of R due to the preceding vowel
• it is hard to see what the tongue is doing
• vowels and R are very similar in their voice/place/manner

How To Teach The Vocalic R

1st: assess all r  variations.

When a child is having difficulty with R, I first assess if he or she is having difficulty with ALL Rs. Most likely a child will be able to say one variation correctly. I assess:

• Initial or Prevocalic R
• R Blends: gr, fr, br, kr, dr, pr, tr
• Vocalic R: or, er, air, ar, ear, ire, RL

Anecdotally , I have the most success with GR and KR

• The tongue is already in the back for the K and G.  
• Start with "green" or "cream" since the tongue will naturally anchor to the top molars when saying saying the vowel "eeee.

2nd: Review anatomy

• get our your favorite "mouth" 
• review what the tongue, teeth, and jaw have to do to say R
• my tips : tongue back, sides of tongue touch back teeth, tongue is a tight ball
• I love the mouth below from Amazon. It is affordable, small, and durable. I have a few! I have the child use playdoh to make a tongue. Then we shape that tongue for an R. I use that playdoh tongue and mouth all session for feedback. Click the image below to grab it!

• You can also use print or no-print cue cards to review anatomy. The ones below are available on the membership site.

3rd: Practice the R the child CAN say

• use the R the child can say correctly to "train the ears" on how an R is suppose to sound 
• the child will start to discriminate between a right and wrong R
• the child will learn how a correct R feels in the mouth

4th: For vocalic R, start with the vowel!

If you want tips on prevocalic R, click here.

• many times, the child isn't saying the vowel correctly when R succeeds it
• use the cues/worksheets below to teach/review vowels
• these cues are now up Speech Therapy Talk's Membership Site.

5th: Combine vowel with R

• I use the cue sheets to start combing the vowel with R.
• I move SLOWLY and NEVER break voicing
• Moving slow gives the child time to get his/her tongue in the right position

6th: Move to word practice

• Once the child can say R at the syllable level with visual and verbal cues, I move to words, etc....
• I like to use the worksheets below to review anatomy and then jump to drill practice. They are great for home practice too.

Vocalic R Materials

When teaching prevocalic and vocalic R, we need the right cues and teaching materials. I added the new materials to the membership site.

Animated Cue Cards

• animated cue cards for OR, AR, IRE, EAR, EAR, ER, AND RL
• Great for teaching and providing the specific feedback each child needs (not too much or too little)

Printable Cue Cards

• Printable cue cards for OR, AR, IRE, EAR, EAR, ER, AND RL
• These are great handouts and help to keep all caregivers on the same page!

Teaching Material

• visual cues for how to combine the vowel to R
• use for teaching phase and review as needed

Specific Vocalic R Warm Up

• Warm-Up for: OR, AR, IRE, EAR, EAR, ER, AND RL
• Use for goal review, anatomy review, and to "warm up" muscles
• plus get quick drill practice

Prevocalic & Vocalic R Practice

• If a child can either say the prevocalic R but not the vocalic R (and vice versa), you can use that!
• Use phonetic placement to facilitate the needed R. 
• I LOVE THESE!

New Print and No-Print Materials

• web memory game
• no-print flashcards
• print flashcards
• leveled flashcards

Want To Grab These Materials?

I've got you! If you want to grab these R materials and thousands of other materials, please join my awesome membership!

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Phonetic Consistency and /r/

by Christine Ristuccia, M.S., CCC-SLP

Treating /r/? I bet you have a few choice words to say concerning the subject. Every speech-language pathologist (SLP) has their own stories (and frustrations). Understanding where to start; how to conduct treatment; and, how to determine progress, are the key problems vexing clinicians. It’s not uncommon for students to be enrolled for years in speech services to receive treatment for an /r/ articulation disorder. SLPs consistently rank treating /r/ as one of their most difficult and frustrating tasks. So what’s a better way?

One popular theory for correcting articulation disorders is to isolate sounds and work on correcting the sound in isolation. The basic sound, or phoneme, is selected as a target for treatment. Usually the position of the sound within a word is considered and targeted. That is, does the sound appear in the beginning of the word, middle, or end of the word (initial, medial, or final).

Take for example, correction of an “S” sound (lisp). Most likely, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) would employ exercises to work on “ Sssssss. ” Starting practice words would most likely consist of “S-initial” words such as “ say, sun, soap, sip, sick, said, sail. ” According to this protocol, the SLP slowly increases the complexity of tasks (context of pronunciations) as the production of the sound improves. Examples of increased complexity could include saying words in phrases and sentences, saying longer multi-syllabic words, or increasing the tempo of pronunciation.

Using this methodology, the SLP achieves success with his/her student by targeting a sound in a phonetically consistent manner. Phonetically consistent means that a target sound is isolated at the smallest possible level (phoneme, phone, or allophone) and that the context of production must be consistent. Consistency is critical, because factors such as the position within the word, grouping with other sounds (vowels or consonants), and the complexity all may affect production.

The repetition of consistent contexts allows the student to align all the necessary processes required to properly produce language; language skills (ability to formulate correct sounds in the brain: What sounds do I need to make?), motor planning (voicing and jaw and tongue movements: How do I produce the sound?), and auditory processing (receptive feedback: Was the sound produced correctly? Do I need to correct?). A student with an articulation disorder has a deficiency in one or more of these areas. To correct the deficiency,adjustments have to be made in one or more of these processes. The process to correct it is more often than not, trial and error. With so many factors, however, isolating the variables (the sound) is really imperative to getting to the end result faster.

Phonetically consistent is essentially practicing the same thing over and over. What is practiced is consistent and does not change. The words might change, but the phoneme and its positioning is the same ( say, sip, sill, soap, … ). Thus, successful correction (of the disorder) is found in manipulating or changing the other factors involved with speech production (tongue positioning, cerebral processing, etc.). Once a successful result (speech) is achieved, then consistent practice becomes essential to reinforcing correct productions.

The /r/ Phoneme

The /r/ phoneme is an unusual sound. It’s overwhelmingly categorized and treated like a consonant. However, in the post-vocalic position, when /r/ comes after a vowel (after a, e, i, o, u), it takes on vocalic properties. This phenomena is recognized as a unique subset known as vocalic r, vowel r, or r-controlled vowel .

Interestingly, there is a certain degree of uncertainty, inconsistency and messiness to vocalic r and how it’s been addressed in speech-language pathology through the years. Vocalic r’s uniqueness has been generally recognized, but agreement on what exactly constitutes vocalic r and how it should be classified, evaluated, and treated has not been achieved.Vocalic r is an exception. Exceptions are hard to deal with when organizing protocols, postulating grand theories, or developing products. Where does it fit in? And how? For the most part, /r/ has been treated consonantally, lumped together with b, c, d, and the rest. This is the cause of much of the problem with /r/.

To really understand /r/, we need to peel away the layers disguising the root cause of an articulation disorder. This is the foundation behind treating /r/ with a phonetically consistent approach.

Breaking down /r/ into its most basic component or allophone, enables the SLP to address the root sound. Once isolated, the target intervention sound can be determined for treatment unmasked by other conflicting, confusing, or complicating sounds. Can the patient produce the sound? Are there some combinations of sounds (consonant-vowel, vowel-consonant) that the patient has some success or difficulty with?

Looking critically at /r/ shows that there are numerous phonetic variations. At least eightdistinct phonemes exist:

• AR as in car
• AIR as in software
• EAR as in beer
• ER as in butter
• IRE as in tire
• OR as in seashore
• RL as in girl
• Prevocalic R as in rain

Taking into account word positions (initial, medial, and final) and combinations (blends)reveals that there are 21 vocalic combinations and as many as 32 different allophonic types of /r/: prevocalic r, er initial, er medial stressed, er medial unstressed, er final, ar initial, ar medial, ar final, air initial, air medial, air final, ear initial, ear medial, ear final, ire initial, ire medial, ire final, or initial, or medial, or final, medial/final rl, br, kr, dr, fr, gr, pr, spr, str, shr, tr, and thr.

Does that mean that a child must master or be taught all these allophones? No. But, understanding that a variety of /r/’s exist provides tremendous insight into both evaluationand treatment. To get a complete picture for /r/, an evaluation must test the full range of potential sounds . This is one of the many causes of frustration with /r/: Most evaluation tools do not address ALL possible combinations of /r/. This creates an incomplete snapshot of a patient’s ability and misleads clinicians on where to begin therapy. To get the best picture, having more distinct sounds to check is obviously more complete than a test that only checks three sounds (initial, medial and final). The more information gathered, the more information the clinician will have to use in determining a personalized treatment strategy.

The results of a full spectrum /r/ evaluation tell the clinician which phonemic /r/ words the student can produce and those which they cannot produce correctly. Most children deemed to have /r/ problems can, in fact, say several or even many /r/’s correctly. The context of their production is important.

Allophones that are correctly produced provide significant information:

Is one word position correct within a phonemic variation? Yes, then the clinician knows he/she can employ a variety of treatment techniques, such as co-articulation and whisper techniques, to “tease” out the other word positions. For example, use a correctly produced cart to get a correct car, simply by whispering and dropping off the “t;” cart, car-t, car—t, car .

• Practicing words with correctly produced allophones, improves the confidence of students, thus positively influencing motivation. This is important when students get frustrated and discouraged.
• Know which allophones not to practice. If a sound is correct, don’t waste time practicing it; spend the time on the allophones that they need to make progress on.

Incorrectly produced allophones provide the following information:

• Know which words to target for intervention. Work on the sounds that need improvement.
• Know which words to avoid at first. If a complete phoneme is incorrect (e.g., [er] in all word positions). Work on other sounds first. Tackle the easiest obtained sounds first, build success and confidence, allow generalization to occur, and then address the harder, more difficult sounds.

With this detailed information the SLP will have the information to zero in on only one or just a few allophone(s) to start treatment. If several options are present, select only a single allophone to start with (e.g., [or] final). A phonetically consistent remediation regimen should focus on consistent practice of only one allophone (i.e., door, store, more, floor, pour, etc. ) until success is attained. Once successful, the SLP should then re-evaluate. Generalization of other non-treated allophones will probably occur. Reselect a single interve ntion target and repeat.

Christine Ristuccia is the founder and president of Say It Right. ( www.sayitright.org ) and the author of many books including the award winning /r/ remediation program The Entire World of R .  

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This advice-column-style blog for SLPs was authored by Pam  Marshalla  from 2006 to 2015, the archives of which can be explored here. Use the extensive keywords list found in the right-hand column (on mobile: at the bottom of the page) to browse specific topics, or use the search feature to locate specific words or phrases throughout the entire blog.

Co-articulation and Vocalic “Er”

By Pam Marshalla

Q: My client can say “Er” in words like “flower” when we split the syllables apart: “Flow—er.” But he cannot say it in words like “Bird” or “Shirt.” What can we do?

You will notice that you have split “flower” in to syllables like this: “Flow—-Er.”

This means that although your client can say “Er,” he cannot sequence from the C to “Er.”  We don’t say, “Flow—er.”  We say, “Flah—wer.” The /r/ occurs in a CVC, and this requires better sequencing and overlapping movement.

Co-articulation

This is the essence of co-articulation (McDonald, 1964). You are teaching him to make what McDonald called “overlapping ballistic movements”–– “Articulation is a process consisting of a series of overlapping, ballistic movements” (McDonald, 1964, p. 87).

Your client can’t say “Bird” or “Shirt” because he cannot overlap the movements of the consonants and “Er.”  His problem is not on “Er.”  His problem is in the overlapping nature of the position required for “Er” and the positions required of the consonants adjacent to it.   Are you following this?  That means that you are no longer working on “Er.”  He has “Er.”  You need to work on the overlapping elements of the phoneme sequences.

The easiest way to work on this is do the following.  Let’s use “fer” and “per” as examples––

Have your client prolong “Errrrrrrr.”

As he prolongs “Errrrrr,” have him insert /f/ or /p/ in-between. He will say: “Errrrr-f-errrrrrr-f-errrrrr-f-errrrrr……” or “Errrrrr-p-errrrrr-p-errrrrr-p.”

Move on to other consonants.

In other words, have him put his tongue in position for “Er” and say “Er.”  While he continues to hold the tongue in position for “Er” (prolong “Er”), he will say /f/. You are teaching him to say /f/ and “er” at the same time.

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Initial Vocalic "ar" & "er" Word Lists - Freebie for Speech Therapy

Description

Have you ever tried to come up with practice words for vocalic /r/? Save yourself the time and hassle and use this list instead!

Whats included?

Initial word list - 10 words for "ar" and "er"

If you like these word lists, get the complete list here: Complete Vocalic R Word List

Perfect for speech therapists and data collection. Use alone, with a game, or with my vocalic /r/ tic tac toe games.

Get them here: Initial R Tic Tac Toe Medial R Tic Tac Toe Final R Tic Tac Toe Looking for more Speech Therapy resources? /d/ & /g/ minimal pairs /p/ & /b/ minimal pairs Also: If you like my work, I would love for you to follow me here , by clicking on the star at the top of the page. You’ll receive news about all of the latest products! Thanks so much! Jess

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Speech Therapy at Eden Elementary in Inez Kentucky

Friday, december 9, 2011, er---initial, medial and final positions of words, 3 comments:.

im done i did good ghd

mrs scott i did good cc

mrs scott i did good ad

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Each list of articulation sounds contains words with the target sound in the beginning, middle, and end position, including blends when applicable, as well as words that...

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If "R" is the problem sound using the word "Rope" makes saying the "R" sound harder because the "O" sound is considered a round vowel.

A round vowel is one where you round your lips to say it. Go ahead...try it by saying "O" as in "boat". You rounded your lips didn't you? I thought you might.

Children who have difficulty with the "R" sound tend to say the "W" sound...they say "Wabbit" instead of "Rabbit".

The "W" sound is considered a rounded sound too. Try saying the "W" sound without rounding your lips...you can't because that is how the sound is made.

So by pairing the "R" sound with the "O" sound like in the word "Rope", this makes the word extra difficult for a child who has a problem saying the "R" sound because the "O" that follows the "R" will naturally make them want to round there lips.

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