Later sounds
L Sound
Press the tongue tip up behind the top front teeth, keep the sides of the tongue down so the voice flows around them, and hum. The mouth stays open.
- Sound
- /l/
- Typical age
- By age 4
- Voicing
- Voiced
- Type
- Alveolar liquid
- Words here
- 342
How to elicit L 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.
- 1Press the tongue tip up behind the top front teeth and hold it there.
- 2Let the sides of the tongue drop so the voice flows around them.
- 3Hum. The mouth stays open and the tip stays up.
Elicitation strategies
Tips to help a child say this sound. Most need more than one.
Auditory
- A long "lllll" with the tongue up — sing it rather than say it.
- Contrast with /w/ (lake / wake) and with /y/ (light / yight).
- Hold it for several seconds so they hear it is a continuous sound.
Visual
- Genuinely visible with the mouth open: the tongue tip lifts and stays.
- Open wide in a mirror and show the tip touching.
- Watch for rounded lips with no tongue lift, which is the /w/ substitution.
Gestural
- Index finger pointing straight up, held still while the sound runs.
- Up, and stay up — the holding is the cue, not the raising.
- Drop the finger exactly when the sound stops.
- Let them point up themselves and hold the sound as long as the finger is up.
Tactile
- Fingertip or depressor touching the ridge behind the top teeth as a target.
- A dab of something they like on the ridge, so the tongue goes looking for it.
- Hold the tongue tip up and hum — the sound comes out around the sides.
- Hand on the throat for the long unbroken voice.
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
“llll”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
“la, lo, lee”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
“love, leg, light”The easiest place in a word, because the child gets to set up their mouth before they begin.
- 4
Words with it anywhere
“love, yellow, ball”Middle and end are harder - the sound has to be produced while the rest of the word is already moving.
- 5
Short phrases
“a little lion”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 little lion lay in the long grass.”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
- /n/
- /d/
Both already put the tongue tip on the right spot. From /n/, hold the tip up, close off the nose, and let the sides of the tongue drop - the voice comes out around the sides, which is /l/. From /d/, hold the contact instead of releasing it.
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 L
113 wordsThe sound is at the beginning of the word.
1 Syllable67 words
- love
- leg
- light
- lamp
- lunch
- leaf
- lake
- look
- log
- lock
- lace
- lag
- lamb
- land
- lane
- lap
- large
- lark
- lash
- last
- latch
- late
- laugh
- launch
- lawn
- lay
- leak
- lean
- leap
- learn
- leash
- least
- leave
- ledge
- left
- lend
- length
- lens
- less
- lick
- lid
- lie
- life
- lift
- like
- limb
- lime
- line
- link
- lint
- lip
- list
- load
- loaf
- lodge
- lone
- long
- loop
- loose
- lose
- lost
- lot
- loud
- low
- luck
- lump
- lips
2 Syllables41 words
- lion
- letter
- lemon
- ladder
- lizard
- laundry
- listen
- little
- lobster
- label
- ladle
- lady
- lagoon
- language
- lantern
- later
- lava
- layer
- lazy
- leader
- leather
- legend
- leopard
- lesson
- level
- lever
- lightning
- lily
- linen
- liquid
- litter
- living
- llama
- locker
- locust
- lonely
- lotion
- loyal
- luggage
- laughter
- lucky
3 Syllables5 words
- lollipop
- ladybug
- library
- leftover
- lullaby
High-frequency initial L 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.
- let
- long
- leave
- looking
- looks
- least
- leaving
- lives
- laughing
- looked
- loved
- laugh
- lived
- loves
- liked
- listening
- leaves
- letting
- learning
- lets
- listened
- laughed
- loudly
- listens
- learns
Medial L
101 wordsThe sound is in the middle of the word.
2 Syllables72 words
- yellow
- balloon
- pillow
- color
- jelly
- salad
- silly
- ceiling
- dollar
- chocolate
- pilot
- valley
- alike
- alive
- allow
- along
- aloud
- although
- always
- asleep
- ballet
- belly
- below
- billion
- bowling
- bullfrog
- cellar
- chili
- collar
- dolly
- elbow
- fallen
- filling
- follow
- gallon
- gallop
- hello
- hollow
- jealous
- lilac
- melon
- million
- mellow
- olive
- polar
- police
- pollen
- railing
- relax
- roller
- ruler
- sailor
- salute
- shallow
- silent
- silver
- solar
- solid
- swallow
- tailor
- tulip
- village
- volume
- wallet
- willow
- dolphin
- eyelash
- balloons
- sailing
- alarm
- island
- shoelace
3 Syllables26 words
- elephant
- umbrella
- telephone
- eleven
- salami
- pelican
- violin
- holiday
- alphabet
- already
- calendar
- celery
- colorful
- deliver
- delicious
- elastic
- envelope
- gorilla
- jelly bean
- koala
- melody
- telescope
- yellow bird
- lollipop
- family
- wallpaper
4 Syllables3 words
- alligator
- helicopter
- television
High-frequency medial L 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.
- really
- only
- always
- hello
- believe
- family
- already
- actually
- also
- alone
- probably
- exactly
- children
- almost
- telling
- finally
- follow
- calling
- absolutely
- building
- certainly
- unless
- quickly
- especially
- usually
- helping
- silly
- following
- although
- color
Final L
128 wordsThe sound is at the end of the word.
1 Syllable58 words
- ball
- doll
- bell
- pool
- girl
- school
- tail
- whale
- wheel
- smile
- nail
- oil
- hill
- owl
- all
- bowl
- coal
- cool
- crawl
- fall
- feel
- file
- fool
- full
- goal
- growl
- heel
- mall
- mile
- mole
- pale
- pearl
- pile
- pole
- quill
- real
- rule
- sail
- scale
- seal
- shell
- snail
- spell
- spill
- stall
- still
- tall
- tool
- wall
- well
- will
- wool
- yell
- bull
- fill
- hole
- call
2 Syllables67 words
- apple
- pencil
- towel
- turtle
- camel
- squirrel
- angel
- ankle
- bagel
- barrel
- beetle
- bottle
- bubble
- bundle
- cable
- candle
- castle
- cattle
- chisel
- circle
- couple
- cuddle
- cymbal
- dial
- eagle
- easel
- equal
- fossil
- fuel
- giggle
- handle
- hotel
- jungle
- kettle
- level
- marble
- medal
- metal
- model
- mural
- nickel
- noodle
- nostril
- paddle
- pedal
- people
- petal
- pickle
- puddle
- puzzle
- rattle
- sandal
- shovel
- simple
- single
- snuggle
- sparkle
- table
- tickle
- travel
- tunnel
- uncle
- vowel
- whistle
- wiggle
- little
- muscle
3 Syllables3 words
- bicycle
- animal
- turtle shell
High-frequency final L 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.
- will
- feel
- girl
- whole
- until
- beautiful
- full
- special
- pull
- careful
- wonderful
- middle
- smell
- smile
- awful
- several
- spill
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 little lion
- look and listen
- a yellow lemon
- all alone
- my lunch box
- light the lamp
- a long line
- roll the ball
- please and thank you
- fall leaves
- a tall wall
- help me look
Sentences 12
- 1.The little lion lay in the long grass.
- 2.Look and listen carefully.
- 3.I put a yellow lemon in my lunch box.
- 4.Please help me light the lamp.
- 5.Roll the ball along the floor.
- 6.The tall girl stood alone in the line.
- 7.All the leaves fell off the apple tree.
- 8.Lily lost her lollipop at the pool.
- 9.Follow the yellow line to the hall.
- 10.The little owl flew over the wall.
- 11.I will call you later tonight.
- 12.Let the ball roll all the way down the hill.
Reading passage
Lily and the Lost Lunch
Lily left her lunch box in the hall at school. All morning she felt a little worried. At lunchtime she looked along all the shelves and finally found it lying below the coat hooks. Inside was a yellow apple, a roll and a little lemon biscuit. Lily smiled, ate it all, and carried the empty box home to tell her family.
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.
rhymes with “leg”
leg, egg, peg
rhymes with “light”
light, right, night, might, white, write, bite, bright
-amp family
lamp, camp, damp, ramp, clamp
-unch family
lunch, bunch, crunch, munch
rhymes with “leaf”
leaf, chief, beef, brief, reef
rhymes with “lake”
lake, take, make, break, wake, cake, fake, bake
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.
- love1
- lion2
- lollipop3
- alligator4
- leg1
- letter2
- ladybug3
- helicopter4
Sound blending
You say the separate sounds, the child says the word. Start with the two- and three-sound words.
- /l/ /ay/lay
- /l/ /eye/lie
- /l/ /oh/low
- /oy/ /l/oil
- /ow/ /l/owl
- /aw/ /l/all
- /l/ /uh/ /v/love
- /l/ /e/ /g/leg
- /l/ /eye/ /t/light
- /l/ /ee/ /f/leaf
- /l/ /ay/ /k/lake
- /l/ /oo/ /k/look
Sound segmenting
The reverse, and the harder one. You say the word, the child breaks it into its separate sounds.
- lay/l/ /ay/
- lie/l/ /eye/
- low/l/ /oh/
- oil/oy/ /l/
- owl/ow/ /l/
- all/aw/ /l/
- love/l/ /uh/ /v/
- leg/l/ /e/ /g/
- light/l/ /eye/ /t/
- leaf/l/ /ee/ /f/
- lake/l/ /ay/ /k/
- look/l/ /oo/ /k/
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
Look and find
A picture book or an I-spy game. "Look" is the highest-value /l/ word a toddler has.
Words that come up
look, little, light, love, lion, leg, lap, ball, doll, all, fall, tall, pull, bell
Lights on, lights off
Flip a light switch, use a lamp, use a torch. Narrate every flip.
Words that come up
light, lamp, look, on, off, little, dark, all, pull, fall, tall, ball, help, well
Lining things up
Line up cars, animals or blocks in a long row. Count the line, then knock it down.
Words that come up
line, long, little, look, last, line up, all, ball, tall, fall, pull, roll, well, hill
Conversation and verbal games for older kids
Lists of favorites
Make a top-ten list out loud. "List," "like," "love" and "last" all repeat.
Words that come up
list, like, love, least, last, lot, little, well, all, still, really, film
Lately
Talk about what you have been up to lately. "Lately," "little," "lot" and "like" carry it.
Words that come up
lately, last, long, later, little, lot, well, all, still, only, family, really
Would you believe
Tell a tall tale. "Believe," "little," "almost" and "actually" are all loaded with /l/.
Words that come up
believe, willing, unlikely, silly, lovely, all, well, still, tell, whole, actually, hopeless
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 L 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.