Know all about Final consonant deletion – what it is? what activities, sentences, words, and games are involved and how a speech and language pathologist helps a child to achieve desired goals?

When a child ends a sentence or word with proper sound and constant (without skipping the end consonant), then this seems okay but if he/she drops off the last consonant of each and every word then this indicates that the child is having some issues and you need to consult with a certified speech therapist.

Today we are gonna practice saying final consonants together, but before to continue we will learn more about the final consonants, what is final consonant deletion and how a speech therapy will help to fix it.

What is final consonant deletion

So basically if we talk about the Final consonant deletion, it is a phonological process (pattern of speech errors) where a child cuts off the ending consonants of each and every words.

With this, a child makes his speech process very simplified and commonly you can observe this type of cases in young children.

This is quite common among children having age less than 3 years!

It is important to note that while final consonant deletion is a common occurrence in young children’s speech, it is considered a normal part of their development up to a certain age (up to 3 years).

As children mature and refine their speech skills, they gradually eliminate this error pattern and produce words with the correct final consonant sounds. If the error persists beyond the expected age range, it may indicate a speech disorder that requires intervention from a speech-language pathologist.

Common example of final consonant deletion are Cat sound like Ca, Dog sound like Duh, Moon sound like Moo.

These all are the speech errors which can be fixed under the guidance of a certified and experienced speech and language pathologist.

What are final consonants

The final consonants are the ending consonant that occur at the end of a word . Here are the few final consonants examples:

• /t/ as in “cat”
• /d/ as in “dog”
• /k/ as in “book”
• /s/ as in “bus”
• /n/ as in “pen”
• /m/ as in “home”
• /p/ as in “cup”
• /z/ as in “buds”
• /ʃ/ as in “wish”
• /g/ as in “big”

So for example in the word CAT, if you pronounce it properly with sound T that sound is the ending sound or final consonant.

It is always important to include your final consonants in your word because if you drop off that ending sound you’ll change your word meaning.

Why Include Final Consonants

Guys, you should always practice to use the last consonant while pronouncing a word in front of others.

They often carry important grammatical and semantic information in words. They can distinguish between singular and plural forms (e.g., “cat” vs. “cats”), verb tenses (e.g., “walk” vs. “walked”), or indicate possession (e.g., “dog” vs. “dog’s”).

Omitting the final consonant can lead to confusion and difficulties in understanding the correct meaning!

Final Consonant Deletion Examples

Example 1: BAT

If you wanted to say the word BAT but you left off T and said BA that’s not right.. that’s the sound the sheep makes

So here if you would like to pronounce the word BAT correctly, you need to bring back T and make sure to put on the ending sound BAT (end with T sound now).

Let’s have a look at the another example…

Example 2: TEAM

Like you’re on a soccer team the final consonant is the M sound mmm…

So if we take away the M then we have Tea that’s not what we want to say!

T is a yummy drink but that’s not the word we were trying to say.  Let’s bring back the M and say TEAM (end with sound M now).

Example 3: SEAT

Our next word is SEAT and  the final consonant is the T sound seat.

If we take away our T and we don’t say it then we have the word C that’s not what we wanted to say.

Let’s bring back our T sound and say SEAT now with ending sound T.

At What Age Final Consonant Deletion is Normal?

The problem that we have mentioned here, it is a normal among the young children having age less than 3 years.

So if your child is at early stage and learning things, learning new words and here if he skips the end consonant while speaking then it is a normal.

We assume as child grows up then the speech errors will auto fixed in later years.

Here is a general timeline for the development of final consonant sounds:

• Around 18 months: Children may still exhibit some final consonant deletion errors, particularly with more complex or later-developing sounds.
• 2 years: Final consonant deletion is still relatively common, but children should begin to produce some final consonant sounds in their speech.
• 2.5 to 3 years: Most children should significantly reduce their use of final consonant deletion and accurately produce a wide range of final consonant sounds in their speech.
• 3 to 4 years: Final consonant deletion should be minimal, and children should consistently produce ending sounds in their words.

But guys if after few years, you observe that you child is not pronouncing each and every word properly with end sound then here you need to consult with a speech therapist available in your area.

Final consonant deletion activities: Tip and trick to help you remember ending sound

Drag the finger and Tap

The best thing to remember the final consonant sound is the drag finger and tap method.

You can take your finger and drag it along a piece of paper, card, or on iPad  / tablet for the first part of the word and then tap for the final consonant.

So for example

If a word is BAT you could say BAT and tap for that final T or if my word is TEAM, you could say team and when you say that ending mmm sounds, tapped right here.

Now try the following words with proper ending sound…

• Moon
• Peak
• Goose
• Nose
• Race
• Bean
• Soup

Did you try to reach all those ending? please let us know in the feedback section below:

Now are you ready to practice more words? with or without ending sound?

Well if you would like to continue and practice then check this minimal pair final consonant deletion list. Here you can easily differentiate what happens when you don’t use the end consonant.

MOO 🐄	MOON 🌑
BYE👋	BIKE🏍️
NO 🚫	NOSE 👃
PEA	PEAK
GOO	GOOSE
RAY	RACE
BEE 🐝	BEAN 🫘
SUE	SUOP

Great guys, keep practicing it and improve sound quality with proper clarity.

Prefer Song to remember things

Now guys, finally those who struggling how to remember all this, I have created a song, which will help you remember final constant. It goes like this…

Don’t say BA say BAT

Don’t say C say SEAT

Don’t forget your ending sounds…

Now your words are complete

Now I’m gonna sing it again and you can sing with me

Don’t say BA say BAT

Don’t say C say SEAT

Don’t forget your ending sounds…

Now your words are complete

This article I hope it helps you practice your final consonants.

The above mentioned final consonant deletion activities provide positive reinforcement and praise the child’s efforts and progress. If you feel like you need a little more practice just read the full article again and don’t forget to share it with others on the social media groups and forums.