Skip to main content
Skip to main content

What is consonants in speech therapy?

Speech sounds made by blocking airflow—all letters except A, E, I, O, U. Consonants develop in a predictable order, with some (like TH and R) not mastered until age 6-7. Example: The "b" in "bus," "t" in "truck," and "m" in "motorcycle."

🔊Speech Sounds

Consonants

What is consonants in speech therapy?

Speech sounds made by blocking airflow—all letters except A, E, I, O, U. Consonants develop in a predictable order, with some (like TH and R) not mastered until age 6-7.

Example

The "b" in "bus," "t" in "truck," and "m" in "motorcycle."

🔊 The "b" sound in "bus"

How can I help my child with consonants?

Our 100+ vehicles cover consonants across all positions: beginning, middle, and end of words.

Explore Talk & Listen App

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

Parents Also Ask

What order do consonants develop?▼

Early (by age 3): P, B, M, N, W, H. Middle (by age 4-5): T, D, K, G, F, Y. Later (by age 5-6): S, Z, L, SH, CH, J. Latest (by age 6-7): R, TH, ZH. Every child's timeline varies slightly.

Aligned Horizons
"I enjoy the "Repeat with Reddy" section where the kids can imitate the sounds. It's very easily organized. The stories are a nice touch too."
Aligned Horizons — Speech-Language Pathologist
Trusted by 25+ Speech-Language PathologistsSee all SLP reviews →

Related Terms

Vowels

Speech sounds made with an open mouth—A, E, I, O, U. Vowels are usually the first sounds babies make and are rarely a concern in speech development.

Articulation

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.

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.

More Speech Sounds

View all →
ArticulationPhonologyPhonemic AwarenessFricativesLiquid SoundsR Sound

Learn More About Speech Development

Onomatopoeia in Early SpeechArticulation Practice ActivitiesPhoneme Practice GamesEliminating Schwas in Speech

Explore our parent guides for more speech development resources.

Support Your Child's Speech Development

Little Wheels apps use vehicle-based learning to make speech practice engaging and fun. Perfect for home practice between therapy sessions.

Explore Talk & ListenBrowse All Terms