5 Tips for Eliciting the /k/ and /g/ Sounds in Speech Therapy - Speech And Language Kids (2024)

FAQs

What are the K and G sounds in speech? ›

K and G sounds, also known as velar sounds, are produced in the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue touches the velum (soft palate). Make a few K sounds with your hand on your throat. Hopefully you'll be able to feel that the sound is coming from the very back of your mouth.

Prevocalic Voicing is when a voiceless consonant (e.g. k, f) in the beginning of a word is substituted with a voiced consonant (e.g. g, v) (e.g. “gup” for “cup”). This pattern can be present until age 6.

Soft and Hard 'G' Rule

Hard g Rule: When letter g is followed by letters a, o, or u, it makes the hard g sound like /g/. For example, gum, goat, gas, gutter, game. It is a voiced sound. Soft g Rule: When g is followed by i, y, or e, it makes the soft g sound and says /j/.

Here are some common words that start with the 'k' Phonics sound: Key, King, Keg, Kettle, Koala. The 'k' sound isn't always at the start of a word. It can be in the middle or at the end as well, such as in words like: Sky, Skim, Bike, Rack, Peak. Sometimes the 'k' sound is spelled differently.

Both the G and K sounds are examples of “stop consonants,” which means that sound is produced by stopping and starting airflow. (You can try this for yourself. Notice that when you make a G or K sound, your tongue effectively restricts your outgoing air–even if only for a split second).

Most often, the /k/ sound is represented by the letter 'C' when 'C' is followed by the vowel letters 'a,' 'o,' 'u' or consonants. For example, can , come , cut , clean , or cry . Four times less often, the /k/ sound is represented by the letter 'K', like in the words key , sky , or desk .

Words with Hard G: go, gum, goat, frog, bag. Words with Soft G: gem, age, huge, gel, energy.

To make the /g/ sound:

To make /g/, lift the back of your tongue and press it against the soft palate, above your throat. Push air out of your throat, stopping it briefly behind your tongue before releasing it. Vibrate your vocal cords.

While holding the tongue in the correct position have the child try to say the /k/ sound. If the child typically says the /t/ sound for the /k/ sound the tongue depressor will hold the tongue tip down and the child will end up producing the /k/ sound. The same goes for stimulating the /g/ sound.

The sounds /k/ and /g/ are both produced by blocking air briefly by the back of the tongue. The back of the tongue touches the upper palate and stops air. The release of the tongue comes with an explosive flow of air and the sound of the letter. The lips are held gently apart when saying these sounds.

What is the K sound for kids? ›

You can help your child produce 'k' by trying the following strategies: Encourage your child to open their mouth wide and keep the front of their tongue down and say the sound in the back of their mouth. Sometimes tipping their head back can help as well.

The K consonant is a voiceless consonant, which means it is made with just air passing through the vocal cords and out of the mouth. The vocal cords are turned off as you say this sound. K. The G consonant is a voiced consonant.

These two classes of consonants are the plosives and fricatives. Plosives are the kinds of sounds usually associated with the letters p, t, k; b, d, g, in which air flow from the lungs is interrupted by a complete closure being made in the mouth.

Use a rounded vowel

Sometimes the sound itself in isolation can be difficult to elicit, try going straight to the sound in syllables. Select some rounded vowels and see if these assist with shaping the mouth and articulators into a similar position required for our affricate sounds.

The letter "g" comes close to following a phonics rule similar to the one for the letter "c." For example, it is always pronounced /g/ unless it is followed by an "e," "i" or "y." Thus, we have game, got, and gum, as well as glad, grand, and rugby.