Middle sounds
K Sound
The back of the tongue humps up and touches the soft palate at the back of the mouth, then releases. The tongue tip stays down and relaxed.
- Sound
- /k/
- Typical age
- By age 3-4
- Voicing
- Voiceless
- Type
- Velar stop
- Words here
- 303
How to elicit K Sound
Ways to help the child make the sound on its own, before practicing it in words.
Placement, step by step
Where the lips, tongue and teeth go.
- 1Open the mouth. Keep the tongue TIP down and relaxed behind the bottom teeth.
- 2Hump the back of the tongue up until it touches the soft palate at the back.
- 3Build up air behind it, then release. No voice.
Elicitation strategies
Tips to help a child say this sound. Most need more than one.
Auditory
- Back and deep — "kuh, kuh", close to a small cough.
- Contrast directly with /t/, because fronting is the usual error: key / tea, cot / tot.
- Bombard with /k/ words at the start of play, with no demand to repeat.
Visual
- Completely hidden — nothing at the front of the mouth moves.
- A drawing of the tongue humped at the back does more than a mirror ever will.
- Do not ask them to watch your mouth; there is nothing there to copy.
Gestural
- Flat hand at the back of your jaw, near the throat, pulled backward as the sound comes.
- Keep it well behind the chin so it never reads as the /t/ tap.
- For /g/, the same backward pull with your other hand on your throat.
- Put their hand under their own chin so they feel what the sign is pointing at.
Tactile
- Hand under the chin, thumb pressed up into the soft part — it bunches on /k/.
- Lie the child on their back so gravity pulls the tongue back.
- Hold the tongue tip down gently with a depressor so only the back can move.
- Hand at the mouth for the puff, which arrives late and low.
How to teach any soundThe practice ladder, shaping from a sound they have, and what to do when it stallsShowHide
The practice ladder
Speech practice climbs. Each step is harder than the one below it, and the jump that trips most people up is the one from single words to real talking. Work at the step where the child is right now - not the one you wish they were on.
- 1
Just the sound
“k, k, k”The sound on its own, with no word attached. If the child cannot make it here yet, this is the whole job for now.
- 2
The sound in syllables
“ka, ko, kee”The sound glued to a vowel. Nonsense syllables are useful precisely because they carry no meaning - nothing to get in the way.
- 3
Words that start with it
“cat, cup, key”The easiest place in a word, because the child gets to set up their mouth before they begin.
- 4
Words with it anywhere
“cat, monkey, book”Middle and end are harder - the sound has to be produced while the rest of the word is already moving.
- 5
Short phrases
“a cold cup”Two or three words together. This is the first step where the child has to think about something other than the sound.
- 6
Whole sentences
“The cat curled up on the cushion.”A full sentence of their own. Expect the sound to slip here even though it was perfect in single words - that is normal, not backwards.
- 7
Reading and telling
“a paragraph, a story about their day”Longer stretches of talking, with the sound coming up over and over. Reading aloud is useful because the words are already chosen.
- 8
All the time
“in the car, at dinner, with friends”Real conversation with nobody reminding them. This is the goal, and the only step that actually counts as finished.
Two rules. Do not skip a step because the child is bored - go back one instead. And if the sound falls apart when you move up, that is information, not failure: drop down a rung, get a few easy wins, and try again in a day or two.
Start with a sound they already know
- /g/
- /ng/
Both already put the back of the tongue where /k/ needs it. From /g/, whisper it. From /ng/ — the end of “sing” — hold the back contact and release it through the mouth. A gentle cough is the same gesture, and works when nothing else does.
If it is not working
If a sound has not responded to several weeks of consistent work, stop and reconsider the target rather than drilling harder. There could be structural reasons a sound will not stabilize, and those need looking at before more practice will help.
Where this guidance comes from
- ASHA Practice Portal — Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology — Treatment framework, cue taxonomy, and named treatment approaches.
- ASHA Practice Portal — Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders — Why a resting tongue posture or open bite may need addressing before sibilant therapy.
- Boyce (2015), Articulatory Phonetics for Residual Speech Sound Disorders: A Focus on /r/ — Bunched versus retroflex /r/, the obligatory pharyngeal constriction, and /r/ error patterns.
- Shriberg (1978), Utilization of the "Straw Technique" for Correction of the Lateral Lisp (LSHSS) — A straw at the midline as a tactile cue for lateral /s/.
Print it
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Initial K
108 wordsThe sound is at the beginning of the word.
1 Syllable52 words
- cat
- cup
- key
- cow
- car
- cake
- kite
- king
- corn
- coat
- comb
- cage
- calf
- call
- calm
- camp
- can
- cane
- cap
- cape
- card
- care
- carve
- case
- cash
- catch
- cave
- coal
- coast
- code
- coil
- coin
- cold
- colt
- cone
- cook
- cool
- cork
- cost
- couch
- count
- cub
- cuff
- curl
- cut
- keep
- kick
- kid
- kind
- kiss
- kids
- cart
2 Syllables48 words
- cookie
- candy
- carrot
- kitchen
- cabbage
- kitten
- castle
- coffee
- cabin
- cable
- cactus
- camel
- candle
- canoe
- canyon
- captain
- carpet
- carriage
- carton
- cartoon
- cattle
- cocoon
- collar
- color
- copper
- copy
- costume
- cottage
- cotton
- country
- couple
- courage
- cousin
- cover
- cowboy
- cozy
- cuddle
- curtain
- cushion
- custard
- kayak
- kennel
- kernel
- ketchup
- kettle
- kitty
- kiwi
- cooking
3 Syllables6 words
- camera
- kangaroo
- calendar
- koala
- coconut
- coyote
4 Syllables2 words
- caterpillar
- koala bear
High-frequency initial K words
Some of these also sit in the lists above, and none of them are picture-card words - which is exactly why most lists leave them out. They are the words the child already says hundreds of times a day — so they carry more carryover value than any noun on this page. Target them in conversation, not in drill.
- could
- coming
- came
- called
- kids
- cut
- cold
- catch
- calling
- careful
- kept
- caught
- count
- calls
- keeping
- keeps
- color
- carrying
- kicked
- cooking
- carried
- kissed
- counting
- kissing
- kicking
- cooked
- colors
- cuts
- kisses
- carries
Medial K
88 wordsThe sound is in the middle of the word.
2 Syllables74 words
- monkey
- cookie
- jacket
- bucket
- rocket
- chicken
- sticker
- bacon
- blanket
- pumpkin
- raccoon
- second
- package
- necklace
- napkin
- taco
- doctor
- turkey
- vacuum
- acorn
- anchor
- ankle
- backpack
- basket
- biscuit
- broken
- buckle
- cupcake
- donkey
- duckling
- echo
- falcon
- freckle
- hiccup
- hockey
- locker
- lucky
- marker
- market
- mascot
- nickel
- nickname
- pancake
- parking
- peacock
- pickle
- picnic
- pinky
- rocking
- rocky
- secret
- shaky
- sneaker
- soccer
- sprinkler
- stocking
- tacos
- ticket
- tickle
- tricky
- uncle
- walking
- weekend
- yucky
- thank you
- ice cream
- breakfast
- baking
- biking
- cooking
- checkers
- raincoat
- looking
3 Syllables13 words
- bicycle
- acrobat
- alarm clock
- bakery
- balcony
- encourage
- mechanic
- mosquito
- popcorn ball
- porcupine
- recover
- vacation
- apricot
4 Syllables1 words
- helicopter
High-frequency medial K words
Some of these also sit in the lists above, and none of them are picture-card words - which is exactly why most lists leave them out. They are the words the child already says hundreds of times a day — so they carry more carryover value than any noun on this page. Target them in conversation, not in drill.
- okay
- because
- talking
- looking
- actually
- thinking
- working
- exactly
- taking
- making
- become
- taken
- asking
- speaking
- across
- quickly
- broken
- became
- drinking
- weekend
- breaking
- knocking
- becomes
- cooking
- kicking
- fixing
- fixes
Final K
107 wordsThe sound is at the end of the word.
1 Syllable100 words
- book
- duck
- sock
- cake
- milk
- lake
- rock
- bike
- snake
- truck
- clock
- block
- stick
- back
- look
- walk
- work
- shark
- drink
- thank
- pink
- cheek
- brick
- chalk
- bank
- beak
- black
- break
- brook
- buck
- chick
- chunk
- click
- cloak
- cluck
- cook
- crack
- creek
- dark
- deck
- desk
- dock
- elk
- flake
- flock
- fork
- hawk
- honk
- hook
- ink
- joke
- junk
- kick
- knock
- lick
- lock
- luck
- make
- mask
- neck
- oak
- park
- peak
- peek
- pick
- poke
- quack
- rack
- rake
- rink
- sack
- shake
- silk
- sink
- skunk
- snack
- sneak
- spark
- stack
- stalk
- steak
- stork
- stuck
- take
- talk
- tank
- thick
- think
- tick
- trick
- trunk
- wake
- week
- wink
- yolk
- link
- leak
- pack
- hike
- check
2 Syllables7 words
- backpack
- milkshake
- mistake
- sidewalk
- magic
- plastic
- music
High-frequency final K words
Some of these also sit in the lists above, and none of them are picture-card words - which is exactly why most lists leave them out. They are the words the child already says hundreds of times a day — so they carry more carryover value than any noun on this page. Target them in conversation, not in drill.
- think
- take
- make
- thank
- took
- drink
- week
- break
- broke
- spoke
- weak
- woke
- thick
- drank
Phrases, sentences and reading
Using the sound in longer stretches of talking, once single words are easy.
Phrases 12
Most of these carry two targets, so each one is two chances to practice.
- a cold cup
- my school bag
- cut the cake
- a black cat
- come quick
- cookies and milk
- a red car
- look at the clock
- count the coins
- a duck in the creek
- take a look
- back and forth
Sentences 12
- 1.The cat curled up on the cushion.
- 2.Can you count the coins in the cup?
- 3.Kate baked a carrot cake in the kitchen.
- 4.Look at the clock on the corner.
- 5.The duck swam across the creek.
- 6.Take the cookies out of the container.
- 7.My uncle drives a black truck.
- 8.Kick the ball back to me.
- 9.The monkey took the key and hid it.
- 10.Put the milk back in the cooler.
- 11.Carl walked quickly to catch the school bus.
- 12.The rocket took off with a crack.
Reading passage
Cooking with Grandma
Every Saturday, Kate and her grandma bake a cake in the kitchen. Kate cracks the eggs and cuts the butter while Grandma checks the cookbook. They pour the mix into a round cake tin and count to make sure the oven is hot. When the cake comes out, they cut it into thick slices and drink cold milk with it at the corner of the table.
Phonological awareness
Hearing and playing with the sounds inside words — the listening skill that reading is built on.
Rhyming
Word families built on words from the list above. Say the family out loud, then ask for one more that fits.
-at family
cat, that, hat, flat, rat, chat, bat, mat
rhymes with “key”
key, free, tea, tree, knee, bee, pea, tee
-ow family
cow, now, wow, bow, plow
-ar family
car, far, bar, jar, tar
rhymes with “cake”
cake, take, make, break, wake, fake, lake, bake
rhymes with “kite”
kite, right, night, might, light, white, write, bite
Syllable counting and blending
Clap or tap once per syllable. To blend, say the parts with a gap and let the child put the word back together.
- cat1
- cookie2
- camera3
- caterpillar4
- cup1
- candy2
- kangaroo3
- koala bear4
Sound blending
You say the separate sounds, the child says the word. Start with the two- and three-sound words.
- /k/ /ee/key
- /k/ /ow/cow
- /oh/ /k/oak
- /k/ /a/ /t/cat
- /k/ /uh/ /p/cup
- /k/ /ah/ /r/car
- /k/ /ay/ /k/cake
- /k/ /eye/ /t/kite
- /k/ /i/ /ng/king
- /k/ /oh/ /t/coat
- /k/ /oh/ /m/comb
- /k/ /ay/ /j/cage
Sound segmenting
The reverse, and the harder one. You say the word, the child breaks it into its separate sounds.
- key/k/ /ee/
- cow/k/ /ow/
- oak/oh/ /k/
- cat/k/ /a/ /t/
- cup/k/ /uh/ /p/
- car/k/ /ah/ /r/
- cake/k/ /ay/ /k/
- kite/k/ /eye/ /t/
- king/k/ /i/ /ng/
- coat/k/ /oh/ /t/
- comb/k/ /oh/ /m/
- cage/k/ /ay/ /j/
Generalization
Word lists get a sound into a child’s mouth. Generalization is what gets it into their life. These are activities where the target words come up on their own, so nobody has to be talked into practicing.
Play-based ideas for young children
Toy kitchen cooking
Cook pretend food together. Let them stir, taste and serve, and name everything you pick up as you go.
Words that come up
cook, cup, cake, cookie, carrot, corn, cut, hot, pancake, taco, milk, cold, kitchen, coffee
Car ramp and crash
Race toy cars down a ramp into a stack of blocks. Rebuild and repeat - the repetition is the point.
Words that come up
car, crash, go, back, knock, quick, stuck, kick, truck, block, pick, take, look, again
Cardboard box house
Turn a box into a house or cave for small toys. Cut a door, color it in, decide who lives there.
Words that come up
box, cut, color, cave, key, knock, come in, look, inside, hide, dark, make, take, cozy
Conversation and verbal games for older kids
Categories
Name things in a category until someone is stuck. Kitchens, clothes, countries, colors and animals with claws all start you in /k/.
Words that come up
category, kind, can, count, quick, keep, ask, think, name, pick, back, like
Cooking show
Narrate making a snack, step by step, like a TV chef. Cook, cup, cut, mix, bake and "okay" are constant.
Words that come up
cooking, kitchen, cake, cook, mix, bake, taste, cup, quick, crack, chocolate, take
Keep or toss
Go through an imaginary box of stuff and decide what to keep. "Keep," "could," "cool" and "okay" run through the whole game.
Words that come up
keep, kick, toss, quick, decide, like, junk, take, back, box, pick, okay
Play it
- Patchy's Slides & LaddersRoll, count your way along, say the word. Ladders climb; land on Patchy and slide back down.Choose position and play
- Enchanted ForestBeat dragons, trolls and witches at rock, paper, scissors on the way to the finish.Choose position and play
- Crazy EightsMatch the color or the animal, say the word to play the card, go out first.Choose position and play
- Build a CreatureMix heads, bodies, tails, wings and extras into something silly. Two words per part.Choose position and play
- Color PatchyColor him in one piece at a time. Every area costs one word.Choose position and play
- Sticker ScenePick a place, then drag people, things and clothes onto it. Best game for phrases and sentences.Choose position and play
Each game opens with K Sound selected. Choose a word position before playing. Score every production with Yes! or Not quite and a percentage appears at the bottom. Nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing is saved beyond this browser.