Developmental pattern

Final Consonant Deletion

The last consonant of a word gets left off entirely.

Resolves by: By 3;3
Sounds affected: All final consonants
Minimal pairs: 19

What it sounds like

"boat" becomes "bow"
"cup" becomes "cuh"
"dog" becomes "daw"
"nose" becomes "no"

Also called: FCD, open syllable production

What is going on

Very early words tend to be open syllables - ma, da, ba. Consonants at the ends of words come later, because the child has to plan a closing gesture after the vowel is already running. Until that planning is in place, the ending simply falls off.

This is one of the highest-impact patterns for intelligibility, because English carries an enormous amount of meaning at the ends of words - plurals, past tense, possessives, and the difference between "bee" and "beach." A child with final consonant deletion can be very hard to follow even when every other sound is correct.

Try this at home

Final sounds are quiet, so make the ending the loud part. Say the word slowly and hold the last sound - "buh-kuh, book" - and let the child feel the puff of air on their hand. Two taps on the table helps as well: one for the start, one for the end, so the last sound has somewhere to land.

When to refer

Still deleting final consonants after age 3;3, or deleting them often enough past age 3 that plurals and past tense are disappearing.

Print it

Final Consonant Deletion minimal pairs27 pairs grouped by sound · PDF Final Consonant Deletion picture pair cards19 reviewed two-picture pairs · PDF

Picture-ready minimal pairs

19 pairs

These pairs have two distinct picture subjects. Put both pictures on the table and take turns asking for one. If the two words sound alike, slow down and compare the sounds together. The printable word list has additional listening contrasts.