Later sounds
SH Sound
Pull the tongue back a little from the /s/ spot, make a wider channel, and round the lips like you are about to whistle. Blow a broad, hushed stream of air.
- Sound
- /ʃ/
- Typical age
- By age 4
- Voicing
- Voiceless
- Type
- Postalveolar fricative
- Words here
- 159
How to elicit SH 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.
- 1Pull the tongue back slightly from the /s/ position, making a wider, flatter channel.
- 2Round and push the lips forward, as if about to whistle.
- 3Blow a broad, hushed stream of air.
Elicitation strategies
Tips to help a child say this sound. Most need more than one.
Auditory
- Long "shhhh" — the quiet sound, with the lips pushed forward.
- Contrast with /s/ (ship / sip), which is the usual substitution.
- Model it low and wide; /s/ is high and thin.
Visual
- Genuinely visible: the lips round and push forward.
- Exaggerate the push in a mirror — the easiest way into this sound.
- Watch for spread lips, which means they are still making /s/.
Gestural
- One finger held upright against your lips — the everyday "shh".
- Use it exactly as it already is; it is the one sign every child knows.
- Push your lips forward around the finger so the sign carries the rounding.
- Let them hold their own finger up and hold the sound with it.
Tactile
- Their fingers on your pushed-forward lips, then on their own.
- Hand in front: a wide warm stream, not the thin cold one of /s/.
- Start from a long /s/ and slide the tongue backward until the sound changes.
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
“shshshsh”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
“sha, sho, shee”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
“shoe, ship, shark”The easiest place in a word, because the child gets to set up their mouth before they begin.
- 4
Words with it anywhere
“shoe, fishing, fish”Middle and end are harder - the sound has to be produced while the rest of the word is already moving.
- 5
Short phrases
“a big shoe”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
“She washed the dishes and put them on the shelf.”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
- /s/
- /ch/
From /s/, slide the tongue backward and push the lips forward until the hiss drops low and wide. From /ch/, hold the release open instead of cutting it short.
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 SH
60 wordsThe sound is at the beginning of the word.
1 Syllable35 words
- shoe
- ship
- shark
- sheep
- shirt
- shell
- shut
- shop
- share
- shape
- shine
- shelf
- sheet
- shorts
- shy
- shed
- shack
- shade
- shake
- shall
- sharp
- shave
- she
- shield
- shift
- shin
- shore
- short
- should
- shout
- show
- shush
- sure
- chef
- chute
2 Syllables23 words
- shovel
- shower
- sugar
- shampoo
- shadow
- shoulder
- shaggy
- shallow
- shamrock
- shatter
- shepherd
- sheriff
- shimmer
- shiny
- shiver
- shoelace
- shuffle
- shuttle
- sheepdog
- shellfish
- shipwreck
- shoebox
- shortcake
3 Syllables2 words
- shopping cart
- shower cap
High-frequency initial SH 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.
- she
- should
- sure
- showed
- showing
- shared
- sharing
- shares
Medial SH
54 wordsThe sound is in the middle of the word.
2 Syllables42 words
- fishing
- washing
- ocean
- dishes
- station
- motion
- machine
- mushroom
- brushing
- cushion
- lotion
- seashell
- wishing
- sunshine
- patient
- pushing
- rushing
- flashlight
- action
- crashing
- crushing
- dashing
- fashion
- flashing
- fraction
- glacier
- gushing
- hushing
- mansion
- mission
- potion
- precious
- seashore
- shushing
- special
- splashing
- washer
- washcloth
- wishbone
- trash can
- bushes
- milkshake
3 Syllables9 words
- delicious
- vacation
- direction
- fisherman
- permission
- rocket ship
- gas station
- addition
- eyelashes
4 Syllables3 words
- dictionary
- invitation
- lotion bottle
High-frequency medial SH 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.
- special
- especially
- wishes
- pushing
- finishing
- wishing
- pushes
- finishes
- washes
Final SH
45 wordsThe sound is at the end of the word.
1 Syllable32 words
- fish
- dish
- brush
- wash
- push
- trash
- cash
- bush
- splash
- leash
- wish
- flash
- squash
- fresh
- rush
- ash
- blush
- clash
- dash
- gosh
- gush
- harsh
- hush
- lash
- marsh
- mash
- mush
- plush
- sash
- shush
- slush
- swish
2 Syllables12 words
- toothbrush
- finish
- radish
- eyelash
- paintbrush
- English
- relish
- vanish
- goldfish
- starfish
- sunfish
- swordfish
3 Syllables1 words
- jellyfish
High-frequency final SH 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.
- finish
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 big shoe
- wash the dishes
- she said shh
- a fresh fish
- push the shopping cart
- sharp shells
- my shirt and shorts
- brush your hair
- a shiny shovel
- shut the shed
- a seashell station
- splash in the shower
Sentences 12
- 1.She washed the dishes and put them on the shelf.
- 2.The shark swam past the shallow water.
- 3.Push the shopping cart to the shop.
- 4.Shelly found sharp shells on the seashore.
- 5.Shut the shed door before the shower starts.
- 6.My shirt and shorts are in the washing machine.
- 7.Brush your hair and shine your shoes.
- 8.The sheep pushed through the bushes.
- 9.She whispered "shh" and pointed at the fish.
- 10.The machine makes a rushing sound.
- 11.Wash the fresh fish in the shallow dish.
- 12.He shovelled the snow off the shed roof.
Reading passage
Shells on the Seashore
Sheila went to the seashore to look for shells. She wore her shorts and a shirt and pushed a shovel into the wet sand. She found shiny shells, sharp shells and one shell shaped like a fish. A wave splashed her shoes and she shrieked. On the way home she washed the shells in a shallow dish and put them on the shelf in her bedroom.
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 “shoe”
shoe, you, two, new, knew, blue, clue, zoo
-ip family
ship, trip, tip, rip, chip, hip, flip, lip
-ark family
shark, dark, park, bark, lark
rhymes with “sheep”
sheep, keep, deep, cheap, creep, leap, jeep, weep
rhymes with “shell”
shell, well, tell, bell, yell, gel
rhymes with “shut”
shut, what, but, cut, nut, hut, mutt
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.
- shoe1
- shovel2
- shopping cart3
- dictionary4
- ship1
- shower2
- shower cap3
- invitation4
Sound blending
You say the separate sounds, the child says the word. Start with the two- and three-sound words.
- /sh/ /oo/shoe
- /sh/ /eye/shy
- /sh/ /ee/she
- /sh/ /oh/show
- /a/ /sh/ash
- /sh/ /i/ /p/ship
- /sh/ /ee/ /p/sheep
- /sh/ /er/ /t/shirt
- /sh/ /e/ /l/shell
- /sh/ /uh/ /t/shut
- /sh/ /ah/ /p/shop
- /sh/ /e/ /r/share
Sound segmenting
The reverse, and the harder one. You say the word, the child breaks it into its separate sounds.
- shoe/sh/ /oo/
- shy/sh/ /eye/
- she/sh/ /ee/
- show/sh/ /oh/
- ash/a/ /sh/
- ship/sh/ /i/ /p/
- sheep/sh/ /ee/ /p/
- shirt/sh/ /er/ /t/
- shell/sh/ /e/ /l/
- shut/sh/ /uh/ /t/
- shop/sh/ /ah/ /p/
- share/sh/ /e/ /r/
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
Shopping trip
Set up a pretend shop with a basket and play money. Take turns being the shopkeeper, so you model the asking on your turns too.
Words that come up
shop, shoe, shirt, sugar, shelf, cash, push, show me, wash, dish, fish, brush, shut, shell
Washing station
Wash toy dishes or toy cars in soapy water. Scrub, rinse and dry each one.
Words that come up
wash, dish, splash, shine, brush, shake, finish, shirt, push, shh, fresh, rush, shower, shampoo
Sleeping animals
Put stuffed animals to bed and shush them. Anyone who wakes up gets shushed again.
Words that come up
shh, sleep, shush, quiet, wake, shut, sheep, shoulder, shake, fish, wish, brush, blanket, shadow
Conversation and verbal games for older kids
Show and tell
Describe something you own and why it matters. "Show" and "share" anchor it.
Words that come up
show, shape, shoes, shirt, share, shiny, special, finish, wash, brush, sure, machine
Shopping spree
Spend an imaginary hundred dollars, item by item, and justify each purchase.
Words that come up
shop, shopping, shoes, shirt, shelf, cash, wish, sure, cheap, expensive, finish, splash
Should or should not
Debate school or house rules. "Should," "shouldn't" and "sure" repeat constantly.
Words that come up
should, shouldn’t, sure, wish, shame, selfish, finish, sharp, shocking, shall, push, rush
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 SH 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.