How do I help a student hear /t/ versus /d/?

Have them feel the voice: a hand on the throat buzzes on /d/ and not on /t/. Then say pairs like “tie” and “die” and ask which one they heard, before asking them to say each one.

What if a student says /d/ for /g/?

That is velar fronting: the back sound has moved forward. Practice /g/ with back-of-the-tongue cues, and use /d/ words as the contrast so the student hears that “dot” and “got” are different words.

Who are the /d/ boards written for?

Preschool to second grade. The words are short and easy to picture, so the boards suit students who are still building accuracy on single words before moving to phrases.

Free /d/ articulation activities and games

7 free activities · no sign-up

/d/ is the voiced partner of /t/: the same tongue-tip tap behind the top teeth, with the voice switched on. Children who front back sounds may say /d/ for /g/ (“doe” for “go”), and children who stop longer sounds may say /d/ for /z/ or for the voiced /th/ in “this”.

Use the initial and final flashcards and phrases for drill, and the sentences once words are steady. The /t/ and /d/ set and the /t/ /d/ /n/ cards practice the tongue-tip sounds side by side, which is useful when a student mixes them up.

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Play free/d/ Final FlashcardsOpen full activity →

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Word level 4

Phrase level 2

Sentence level 1

/d/ Initial SentencesShort sentences loaded with word-initial /d/ for sentence-level practice.FlashcardsGrades K–28 cards

Questions

How do I help a student hear /t/ versus /d/?: Have them feel the voice: a hand on the throat buzzes on /d/ and not on /t/. Then say pairs like “tie” and “die” and ask which one they heard, before asking them to say each one.
What if a student says /d/ for /g/?: That is velar fronting: the back sound has moved forward. Practice /g/ with back-of-the-tongue cues, and use /d/ words as the contrast so the student hears that “dot” and “got” are different words.
Who are the /d/ boards written for?: Preschool to second grade. The words are short and easy to picture, so the boards suit students who are still building accuracy on single words before moving to phrases.

Keep the data from every board

With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal. Assign any board as home practice through the parent portal.

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