This blog post is for my fellow Speech Therapist or parent working on the SK or SC speech sounds. I’ve done the hard work for you and gathered over 110+ SK and SC consonant blends. As Speech-Language Pathologists, we are always in need of articulation lists for consonant clusters. I hope this list of sk words for speech therapy will take some of the hard work off your plate!
SK Words Speech Therapy
Below I’ve outlined target words, phrases, and sentences for practice as well as interactive flash cards and a one-page free download with real-life photos.
Be sure to save this post so you can refer back to it often when you need a quick and easy word list for your next speech therapy session!
Phonological Processes
One phonological disorder a child or student might be experiencing when it comes to s blends in the initial position of words is called consonant cluster reduction.
For example, cluster reduction is when a child or student reduces two or three consonant sounds down to just one consonant, such as the “sk” blend down to simply the s sound.
For example, the word “skip” would become “sip”.
Be sure to consult with a certified Speech Language Pathologist if your child is experiencing a phonological speech disorder.
Minimal Pairs
Using minimal pairs is a great idea when working on cluster reduction of initial blends.
For example, when using minimal pairs for cluster reduction for a child’s speech of the SC and SK speech sounds you could use the minimal pairs of “scoop” and “soup”.
One of the first things you can try is to show the child or student pictures of a scoop of ice cream vs. a bowl of soup and have them listen to hear the different sound at the beginning of each word.
You could lay out the two pictures for the words scoop and soup and then ask the child to point to the picture of the scoop or the picture of the soup.
You could then move on to have the child be the teacher and tell you to pick up the correct words either the picture of the word “scoop” or “soup”. If you pick up the incorrect picture due to their speech errors you could then point to the picture of the word they just said.
The English language can be confusing and young children may have a hard time producing consonant clusters, but using visual picture cards and minimal pair words can be helpful for your phonology students.
Cycles Approach
The cycles approach, developed by Barbara Hodson, is typically used with children who are experiencing multiple phonological process errors. For example, a student who is experiencing more than just the phonological error of stopping could benefit from the cycles approach.
When using the cycles approach a student will work on one phonological error for a short period of time like 6 weeks. Next, they cycle on to another one of their phonological errors. They will then continue to cycle through to the next pattern for a short length of time until each phonological error is eliminated.
You can start the cycles approach at the word level and then work towards using their phonological pattern in conversational speech.
Target Words for Stopping
Here are some of the primary patterns of different consonant sounds to target when reducing the phonological processing disorders of stopping.
- Initial /f/ vs /p/
- Initial /s/ vs /t/
- Initial /sh/ vs /t/
- Initial /ch/ vs /t/
- Initial /th/ vs /t/
- Initial /th/ vs /p/
If you need a list of words for each of these speech sounds be sure to check out my list of over 130 single words that are paired up to practice minimal pairs.
Target Words
Here are word lists of initial SK and SC articulation sound for you to use in therapy or at home practice to work on your student or child’s new skill.
- For Example: skip, ski, sky, scoop, scone, scope, score, skit, skate
See full list of words, phrases, and sentences below.
Be sure to grab my one page freebie of initial SC and SK sounds below. Simply scroll to the bottom of this post and grab your free copy!
Word Position: SC and SK Words Speech Therapy
Initial Position of Words
The initial position of the sc and sk blend sound is at the beginning of a word. For example, “skill” or “scope”.
Final Positions of Words
The final positions of words are when the target sound is at the end of a word. For example, “whisk” or “mask”.
Speech Production
Teach your child or student how to make the s sound or also known as the snake sound.
- Tongue Tip: The /s/ sound in the English language is made by lightly placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of the mouth on the alveolar ridge right behind your upper front teeth.
- Middle of the Tongue: Be sure to place the sides of the tongue against the upper side of your teeth to allow for the passage of air to go down the center of the tongue.
- Air: Then while smiling blow a skinny stream of air over the center of the tongue (you do not want the air to come out the sides of the tongue).
Initial SK Words at Word Level
Some ways to practice include having your child or student say each initial sk word one by one as they go through a list.
Using a dot marker can also be a fun way to practice having your child put a dot under each sk sound.
In addition, I’ve compiled an easy-to-download one page overview of initial sk sounds below. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post and download your free copy.
- 1 Syllable: sky, ski, skin, skull, skate, sketch, skill, skunk, skip, skirt, skew, skim, skit, skates, skid, skins, skis, scrape, scare, scarf, scout, scoop, scab, school, scarce, scare, scope, Scott, scar, scratch, scream, scale, score, scan, scone, scam, scold, scalp, scales, scram, scowl, scotch, screech, script, screen, scribe, scrub
- 2 Syllable: skinny, skating, skittle, skillet, skipper, skeptic, skittish, sketchy, skilled, skyline, skyward, sketching, skincare, skywalk, skirting, skater, skewer, skipping, skylark, sketchbook, skydive, skylight, scooter, Scotland, scary, scheme, scorching, scarlet, scripture, schedule, scorpion, Scottish, screaming, scholar, scandal, scoreboard, scuba, schooling, scowling, scrooge, scratchy, screening, scribble, scrabble, scrawny, scratcher, scanner, sculpture, scammer, skateboard, skiing, scoreboard
- 3 Syllable: skeleton, skillfulness, skydiving, skeptical, skeletal, skedaddle, skillfully, skeptically, scarecrow, scarcity, scholarship, scrumptious, scrutinize, skateboarding
- 4 Syllable: skyrocketing, skepticism, scoliosis
Practice in Flash Card Mode Right Here from Your Computer!
SK Words Speech Therapy
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable | 3 Syllable | 4 Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| sky | skinny | skateboarding | skateboarding |
| ski | skating | skeleton | skyrocketing |
| skin | skittle | scrutinize | skepticism |
| skull | skillet | skillfulness | scoliosis |
| skate | skipper | skydiving | |
| sketch | skeptic | skeptical | |
| skill | skittish | skeletal | |
| skunk | sketchy | skedaddle | |
| skip | skilled | skillfully | |
| skirt | skyline | skeptically | |
| skew | skyward | scarcity | |
| skim | sketching | scholarship | |
| skit | skincare | scrumptious | |
| skates | skywalk | ||
| skid | scammer | ||
| skins | skirting | ||
| skis | skater | ||
| scrape | skewer | ||
| scare | skipping | ||
| scarf | skylark | ||
| scout | sketchbook | ||
| scoop | skydive | ||
| scab | skylight | ||
| school | scooter | ||
| scarce | Scotland | ||
| scare | scary | ||
| scope | scheme | ||
| Scott | scorching | ||
| scar | scarlet | ||
| scratch | scripture | ||
| scream | scooter | ||
| scale | schedule | ||
| score | scorpion | ||
| scan | Scottish | ||
| scone | screaming | ||
| scam | scholar | ||
| scold | scandal | ||
| scalp | scoreboard | ||
| scales | scuba | ||
| scram | schooling | ||
| scowl | scowling | ||
| scotch | scrooge | ||
| screech | scratchy | ||
| scoop | screening | ||
| script | scribble | ||
| screen | scrabble | ||
| scribe | scrawny | ||
| scrub | scratcher | ||
| scanner | |||
| sculpture | |||
| skateboard | |||
| skiing | |||
| scoreboard | |||
| scarecrow |
Short Sentences or Phrases
When working on initial sk sound production, it’s important to work on short phrases once your child or student has mastered the sound at the word level at or near 80% or higher accuracy.
Here is a list of initial sk word phrases to try:
SK Words Speech Therapy in Phrases
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable |
|---|---|
| blue sky | skinny legs |
| ski trip | ice skating |
| sunburnt skin | ate skittle |
| skull x-ray | eggs in skillet |
| skate park | skipper helped |
| sketch book | she is skeptic |
| skill set | skittish cat |
| skunk smells | sketchy situation |
| skip and jump | skilled craftsman |
| yellow skirt | gorgeous skyline |
| data has a skew | look skyward |
| skim milk | sketching in her notebook |
| wrote a skit | skincare routine |
| put on skates | pretty skywalk |
| skid marks | scarecrow in the field |
| character skins | skirting around |
| new skis | skater boy |
| scrape her knee | bamboo skewer |
| was a scare | skipping at the park |
| scarf is red | skylark sang |
| girl scout | forgot sketchbook |
| two scoops | want to skydive |
| scab over | skylight let light in |
| walked to school | kids scooter |
| eggs were scarce | trip to Scotland |
| scope out | scary situation |
| Scott clapped | grand scheme |
| scar on his hand | scorching hot |
| scratch my back | scarlet fever |
| scream loudly | theme in scripture |
| truck scale | put it on the schedule |
| score points | scorpion crawled |
| scan this | Scottish accent |
| lemon scone | screaming loudly |
| scam calls | scholar studies |
| scold her | big scandal |
| itchy scalp | scoreboard lit up |
| dragon scales | scuba dive |
| told to scram | home schooling |
| she scowls | scowling at me |
| scotch tape | Scrooge is a character |
| loud screech | scratchy throat |
| new script | vision screening |
| screen was cracked | scribble quickly |
| scribe wrote | play scrabble |
| scrub the dishes | scrawny kid |
| cat scratcher | |
| police scanner | |
| sculpture in museum | |
| scammer was caught | |
| skateboard park | |
| skiing past me |
| 3 Syllable | 4 Syllable |
|---|---|
| loves skateboarding | scoliosis diagnosis |
| skeleton for Halloween decoration | skyrocketing above us |
| scrutinize details | skepticism didn’t help |
| never been skydiving | |
| seems skeptical | |
| skeletal system | |
| told to skedaddle | |
| skillfully painted | |
| asked skeptically | |
| times of scarcity | |
| awarded a scholarship | |
| scrumptious food |
SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy
Sentence Level: SK Words Speech Therapy
The next step after working at the word and phrase levels is to work on the sk sound at the sentence level.
For example, you could give your child or student a list of sentences to read aloud while they work on their sk sound.
Another idea would be to give your child or student pictures with their sk sound in them and then have them create a sentence about those pictures.
Below is a list of sentences to use with your child or students.
SK Words Speech Therapy in Sentences
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable |
|---|---|
| The blue sky is beautiful. | The chicken has skinny legs. |
| They went on a ski trip. | She practices her ice skating. |
| Her sunburnt skin stings. | He ate a skittle. |
| The skull x-ray showed no cracks. | I cooked eggs in a skillet. |
| They built a new skate park. | The skipper helped the captain. |
| She forgot her sketch book. | She is a skeptic. |
| He has a skill set. | The skittish cat ran away. |
| That skunk smells stinky. | We left the sketchy situation. |
| The kids skip and jump. | The skilled craftsman built a table. |
| She wears a yellow skirt. | The sunset made a gorgeous skyline. |
| This data has a skew. | He will look skyward. |
| I bought skim milk. | She is sketching in her notebook. |
| He wrote a skit to perform solo. | She likes her skincare routine. |
| She put on her skates. | We went to the pretty skywalk. |
| The tires left skid marks. | He practiced skillfulness. |
| The game characters had different skins. | She is skirting around the truth. |
| He saved up and bought new skis. | The skater boy wore a hat. |
| She fell and scraped her knee. | I used a bamboo skewer for the kabobs. |
| That was a big scare. | The girl is skipping at the park. |
| Her scarf is red. | The skylark sang a pretty song. |
| I ordered some girl scout cookies. | He forgot his sketchbook. |
| I asked for two scoops of ice cream. | I want to skydive. |
| My cut started to scab over and heal. | The skylight let light in. |
| She walked to school. | The kids’ scooter at the park. |
| Eggs were scarce. | We took a trip to Scotland. |
| They will scope out a good hike. | This is a scary situation. |
| Scott laughed with his friends. | His grand scheme failed. |
| There is a scar on his hand. | It is scorching hot out. |
| I have a scratch on my back. | He had scarlet fever. |
| Kids can scream loudly. | That is a common theme in scripture. |
| The semi stopped at the truck scale. | Please put it on the schedule. |
| The score board was even. | The scorpion crawled onto the rock. |
| I need to scan this. | He spoke in a Scottish accent. |
| She ordered a lemon scone. | The kids are screaming loudly outside. |
| I block scam calls. | The scholar studies her book. |
| He did not want to scold her. | The big scandal was on the news. |
| He bought new shampoo for his itchy scalp. | The scoreboard lit up when it got dark. |
| The dragon scales were shiny. | He will scuba dive with turtles. |
| He told the dog to scram. | She is excited to try home schooling. |
| She scowls when she is frustrated. | He is scowling at me. |
| The scotch tape held it together. | Scrooge is a character in a story. |
| The hawk had a loud screech. | Her scratchy throat was soothed with tea. |
| He started a new script. | Her vision screening went well. |
| My phone screen was cracked. | She made a quick scribble of a tree. |
| The scribe wrote out the notes. | They love to play scrabble. |
| I will scrub the dishes. | The scrawny kid grew up to be tall. |
| The kitten loves the cat scratcher. | |
| The police scanner went off. | |
| The famous sculpture is in the museum. | |
| The scammer was caught. | |
| The scarecrow is in the cornfield. | |
| They go to the skateboard park. | |
| They go skiing past me. | |
| 3 Syllable | 4 Syllable |
|---|---|
| He will scrutinize the details. | She received a scoliosis diagnosis. |
| He put up a skeleton for Halloween decoration. | It was skyrocketing above us. |
| We ate scrumptious food. | His skepticism did not help us. |
| We have never been skydiving. | |
| He seems skeptical. | |
| They learned about the skeletal system. | |
| He was told to skedaddle. | |
| He skillfully painted the canvas. | |
| She asked her question skeptically. | |
| These are times of scarcity. | |
| He was awarded a scholarship. | |
| We ate scrumptious food. | |
| He loves skateboarding. |
S Blends
The different s blends can be difficult sound combinations for our speech therapy students.
That’s why I created a complete list of over 213 s-blends to help any speech pathologist get started right away!
SN Words
Are you hoping to find a list of initial sn blends for your speech students?
If you answered yes, here is a list of 12 to get you started! Or simply grab my entire list of 65+ sn words and don’t forget to download the free pdf as well.
| snack | snail | sniff |
| snake | snap | snoop |
| snuck | snore | snob |
| snow | snooze | snug |
SM Words
Are you hoping to find a list of initial sm blends for your speech students?
If you answered yes, here is a list of 12 to get you started! Or simply grab my entire list of 63+ sm words and don’t forget to download the free pdf as well.
| smart | smile | smack |
| smash | smell | smirk |
| smooth | smoke | small |
| smoothie | smudge | smear |
ST Words
Are you hoping to find a list of initial st blends for your speech students?
If you answered yes, here is a list of 12 to get you started! Or simply grab my entire list of 90+ st words and don’t forget to download the free pdf as well.
| stick | stuck | stamp |
| steep | stink | step |
| stop | star | stool |
| stove | sting | storm |
SP Words
Are you hoping to find a list of initial sp blends for your speech students?
If you answered yes, here is a list of 12 to get you started! Or simply grab my entire list of 90+ sp words and don’t forget to download the free pdf as well.
| space | spoon | sport |
| speed | spot | spark |
| spade | speak | spoke |
| splash | spring | spell |
Need A Different Sound?
Do you have students with other sound disorders? Then you’ll want to check out my complete growing list of all my articulation word lists!
SK Words Speech Therapy Ideas
Below is a great list of Sk or Sc therapy resources.
Boom Cards
Are you looking to add some fun and engaging activities to your articulation targets?
Here are a few favorite boom cards to work on the sk sound blends:
- FREEBIE-Blend Practice BOOM Cards by Kinder Jenni is a set of 20 boom cards with S blends, including the sk/sc sound! This deck was built with the purpose for review and enrichment.
- Sound Listening Articulation Blends Sc Sk Free Sample Product for Boom Cards by Chatterbox Charlie Speech Therapy Materials LLC is a set of 18 engaging boom cards to practice articulation of the sk/sc sound.
- S Blends Digital Boom Cards™ | SC Beginning Blend by The Primary Brain is a great set of 18 boom cards that build in difficulty.
Video Games
Video games are another fun and engaging way to strengthen your child or student’s articulation therapy.
Board games are a great way to reinforce practice while working on your students’ sounds.
Some fan favorite video games to try are:
- SK Blends Picture Match Up on Quia by Mrs. Oulette is a fun and interactive game that has students match pictures with the appropriate SK word.
- /sk/ blend games on Quia by Legacy Speech is a set of flashcards, matching, concentration, and word search that can be used to practice SK articulation.
- SKidaddle! On Quia by is a fun set of 4 games for your students to play on a computer that target correct SK articulation.
SEE ALSO: Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy
Language Therapy
Do you have a group of students with articulation goals and language goals?
Here are a couple of worksheets for the sc and sk blends that include some language skills as well.
- FREE Speech Therapy Game – Articulation S Blends by The Elementary SLP – Kelly Workman is an engaging S blend dice game that helps students build from word level to sentence level. SK/SC and other S blends are included!
- Articulation S Blends Book- Space Themed (St, Sp, Sk) Freebie! By MsKirstinSpeech is a great resource to use to build language skills with sk and other s blends.
- Spring S-Blends Roll and Say Games FREEBIE by Talking Mama Bears is a fun dice game that incorporates sk articulation and other s blends. Students practice the target word and then use prompts to build into sentence and conversation levels!
Carrier Phrase
When working on the initial sk-blend sound using a carrier phrase can be a great idea.
- S clusters FREEBIE – Carrier Phrases for Speech Therapy by Speech Tree Co. is an amazing set of silly, fun S cluster words with carrier phrases. The full version has 120 pages of engaging S cluster carrier phases.
- Articulation Carrier Phrases and Sentences Freebie by Natalie Snyders is a set of 20 carrier phrase cards to be used with articulation activities!
SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials
Auditory Bombardment
Another way to work on articulation practice of the initial sk sound production is through auditory bombardment.
Auditory bombardment is a term used to describe the process of providing a student with an abundance of listening opportunities to hear the right sound without hearing their typical error patterns.
This can be done in a variety of ways such as through listening activities, songs, stories, and more.
Here are a few auditory bombardment activities to work on the initial sc and sk sound:
- Auditory Bombardment by The Pedi Speechie is an engaging cluster reduction packet that uses auditory bombardment to address different clusters, including sk/sc.
- Sk or Sc? Which Will It Be? {Anchor Chart} by A Plus Classroom Creations is a great resource that produces multiple sk/sc articulation targets with a fun game!
- sk/sc, st, sp sounds by Sardonna’s ABC is a clear and organized sound worksheets for multiple s blend targets including sk and sc.
No Prep Worksheets
Feeling like you don’t have enough time to prep for your speech therapy sessions?
Then you’ll want to grab these little to no prep worksheets as a simple way to have grab and go lessons in your therapy room this year. Here are some friendly print out worksheets to help get you started.
- SK/sc S C sorting by Jade’s SLT Gems is a fun, easy to print and go game that has students sort through the correct sounds.
- Color by S Blends Free Phonics Worksheets by Terrific Teaching Tactics is a print and go worksheet that has students color by s blend sound! This worksheet has multiple sk/sc targets and is a good review or homework.
- Beginning Blends – Print and Go ELA CCSS RF.2.3 by Happy Little Sprouts Designs is a 20 page freebie that has different print and go activities to practice S blends, including sk and sc. This freebie is highly rated!
In Conclusion: SK Words Speech Therapy
We hope you have found this article helpful for working on your child or student’s sk sound.
Be sure to grab your free one-page printable with real-life photos (using real-life photos makes it a great resource for adult speech therapy) of 20 words to start practicing 5 minutes a day!
Grab Your Free SK Word List with Pictures Here!
Simply enter your name and email to have this free Initial SK Words list with pictures emailed directly to your inbox!
Want Even More S Blend Words Speech Therapy?
- 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy
- 213+ S Blends for Speech Therapy
- 917+ Best Free Boom Cards for Speech Therapy
- 11 Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy
- Best Free Interactive PDF for Speech Therapy All-in-One
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