What is articulation in speech therapy?

How clearly your child produces individual speech sounds. It's the physical ability to move the tongue, lips, and jaw to make sounds correctly. Different from phonology, which is about sound patterns. Example: A child with articulation difficulty might have trouble saying the "r" sound clearly.

🔊Speech Sounds

Articulation

What is articulation in speech therapy?

Example

A child with articulation difficulty might have trouble saying the "r" sound clearly.

🔊 Clear vs. unclear "r" sound

How can I help my child with articulation?

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About this guide: This glossary is designed to help parents understand speech therapy terminology. Definitions are simplified for clarity and informed by resources from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Not medical advice: This information is educational only. For concerns about your child's speech development, consult a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP).Find an SLP near you →

Learn More From Trusted Sources

ASHA: Speech & Language Development Chart— Official milestones by age
ASHA: Late Blooming or Language Problem?— When to seek help
Identify the Signs— ASHA's early intervention resource

Parents Also Ask

What is articulation in speech therapy?▼

Articulation is how clearly your child produces individual sounds. It's the physical act of moving the tongue, lips, teeth, and jaw to make speech sounds. Articulation errors affect specific sounds (like "r" or "s"), not patterns of sounds.

What is the difference between articulation and phonology?▼

Articulation = physical production of individual sounds (motor skill). Phonology = patterns of sound errors (language skill). A child with articulation issues struggles with specific sounds. A child with phonological issues has predictable patterns affecting groups of sounds.

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Related Terms

Phonology

The system of sound patterns in a language—how sounds work together. Different from articulation (physical production). Phonological disorders involve patterns of errors, not just individual sounds.

Speech Sound Disorder

When a child has ongoing difficulty producing speech sounds correctly, making their speech hard to understand. This is different from normal developmental patterns that resolve on their own.

Motor Planning

The brain's ability to plan and sequence muscle movements for speech. Difficulty with motor planning is called apraxia. Repetitive practice helps build motor plans.

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