How to Teach R Sound: Articulation Activities, and Word Lists for Effective Speech Therapy

The R sound is the trickiest sound in English and the last one many children master — often not until age 7 or 8. To make it, the child either bunches the tongue up and back in the mouth OR curls the tip up and back (both work), with the sides of the tongue pressed against the upper back teeth and the lips NOT rounded. A key cue: pull the lips back into a slight smile, since rounding the lips is what turns “rabbit” into “wabbit.” Because R is complex, most therapists start with the “er” sound (as in “her”) and build from there. Practice moves from the sound alone, to syllables, to words, then phrases and sentences. If your child says “w” for R (“wabbit,” “wed” for “red”), that’s called gliding, and it’s very common — the fix is tongue tension plus keeping the lips unrounded.

To produce this sound, start by relaxing your jaw and tongue, then curl the tip of your tongue upwards and touch it to the roof of your mouth just behind your upper front teeth. Pull the back of your tongue upwards towards the roof of your mouth, creating a small space for the air to flow through. Push the air out gently while vibrating the back of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Keep your lips slightly apart and relaxed while producing the sound.

The Different Types of R Sound

Unlike most sounds, R changes depending on where it sits in a word. Speech therapists usually target these separately:

• Prevocalic (initial) R — R before a vowel: red, run, rabbit, rocket.
• Vocalic R (R-controlled vowels) — R blended into a vowel, often the hardest:
  • “AR” as in car, star
  • “OR” as in corn, storm
  • “AIR” as in chair, bear
  • “EAR” as in deer, hear
  • “IRE” as in fire, tire
  • “ER” as in her, bird, teacher
• R blends — R after another consonant: tree, brown, green, frog, crab.

Many therapists start with the “ER” sound because it’s often the easiest way in, then use it to shape the other R types.

Prevocalic (Initial) R Words

1-syllable: race, rack, rag, rail, rain, raise, rake, ram, ran, rat, reach, read, red, reef, rib, rice, rich, ride, right, ring, rip, road, roar, robe, rock, rod, roll, roof, room, root, rope, rose, row, rub, rug, run, rush

2-syllable: rabbit, raccoon, racecar, racket, radish, rainbow, raindrop, raisin, rapid, rascal, rattle, reading, ready, really, recess, record, rescue, ribbon, riddle, river, robot, rocket, rooster, rowboat, ruby, rudder, running

Vocalic R Words (R-controlled vowels)

AR (car): arm, art, bar, barn, car, card, cart, dark, far, farm, hard, jar, park, shark, star, start, yarn OR (corn): born, corn, cord, cork, for, fork, horn, horse, more, north, or, porch, short, sport, storm, store AIR (chair): air, bear, chair, fair, hair, pair, pear, share, square, stair, wear EAR (deer): beard, cheer, clear, deer, ear, fear, gear, hear, near, tear, year ER (her): bird, burn, curl, dirt, fern, first, germ, girl, her, herd, nurse, shirt, sir, skirt, stir, turn; and in longer words: butter, ladder, teacher, tiger, water, winter, summer

R Blend Words

br: brave, bread, brick, bridge, brown, brush · cr: crab, crayon, cream, cross, crown · dr: dragon, dream, dress, drink, drum · fr: free, frog, front, fruit · gr: grape, grass, green, ground · pr: present, pretty, price, prize · tr: train, tree, truck, try

Here are few tips you follow to teach the “R” sound:

Demonstrate the sound: Start by demonstrating the “R” sound for your child. Make the sound and have your child watch your lips and mouth movements. Explain that the sound is made by bringing the tongue close to the roof of the mouth and vibrating it.

Visual Cue: Show the child how to place the tip of their tongue behind their upper front teeth, and then curl their tongue slightly upward and back towards the roof of their mouth. The sides of the tongue should touch the upper molars on both sides of the mouth. You can also use a visual cue such as a picture or flashcard of an “R” to help your child remember the sound.

Understand the sound: Help your child understand that the “R” sound is a consonant made by bringing the tongue close to the roof of the mouth and vibrating it.

Practice Blowing: Help your child get used to the sensation of blowing out air with their mouth by having them practice blowing bubbles, blowing feathers across a table, or blowing out candles.

Practice Tongue Placement: Show your child how to position their tongue close to the roof of their mouth and vibrate it to make the “R” sound. You can make it more fun by having them imitate animal sounds, such as a roaring tiger or a purring cat, while using the “R” sound.

Practice in Isolation: Once your child has mastered the correct tongue and mouth position, have them practice making the “R” sound on its own without any other sounds.

Add Syllables: After your child has mastered the “R” sound in isolation, have them practice using it in different syllables, such as “ra,” “re,” and “ro.” You can make it more fun by having them say words like “rocket,” “rainbow,” and “robot.”

Practice in Words: Once your child has mastered the “R” sound in syllables, have them practice using it in different words such as “run,” “rabbit,” and “rain.”

Practice in Phrases: After your child has mastered the “R” sound in words, have them practice using it in phrases like “big rabbit,” “run fast,” and “rainy day.”

Practice in Sentences: Finally, have your child practice using the “R” sound in different sentences such as “The rabbit runs fast,” “I love the rain,” and “The rocket is flying high.”

Practice Everywhere: Encourage your child to practice using the “R” sound in different contexts, such as during playtime, mealtime, or while reading books. You can also make it more fun by having them use the “R” sound in different accents or dialects.

Download Printable PDF R Sound Initial Word List Articulation Worksheet

Free R interactive audio flashcards featuring words with the “R” sound words can be a useful tool for improving pronunciation and vocabulary.