I’m excited that I get to share with parents and speech therapists my latest SP consonant blends word lists. This blog post includes just over 90+ SP words for speech therapy.
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, consonant cluster reduction is when a child or student reduces two or three consonant sounds down to just one consonant sound, such as the “sp” blend down to simply the p sound.
For example, the word “spy” would become “pie”.
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 s blends.
For example, when using minimal pairs for cluster reduction with a child’s speech sounds you could use the minimal pairs of “speak” and “peak”.
One of the first things you can try is to show the child or student pictures of a person speaking vs. a mountain peak 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 speak and peak and then ask the child to point to the picture of someone speaking or a picture of a mountain peak.
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 “speak” or “peak”. If you pick up the incorrect picture due to their sound 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 the right sound, but using visual picture cards and minimal pair words can be helpful for your phonology students.
Correct 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).
Target Words
Here’s a list of SP articulation sounds for you to use in therapy or at home practice to work on your student or child’s new skill.
- For Example: spy, speak, spin, spit, spatula, spark, spiral, spot, sport, speech, spine, space, spun, spare, spill
See full list of words, phrases, and sentences below.
Be sure to grab my one page freebie of initial SP sounds below. Simply scroll to the bottom of this post and grab your free copy!
Word Positions: SP Words Speech Therapy
Initial Position of Words
The initial position of the SP sound is at the beginning of a word. For example, “spider” or “speed”.
SP Words at Word Level
Some ways to practice include having your child or student say each SP 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 SP sound.
In addition, I’ve compiled an easy-to-download one page overview of initial SP sounds below. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post and download your free copy.
- 1 Syllable: spring, space, Spain, spoon, sport, speed, spot, spout, spike, spin, speech, spear, spell, sprout, spark, spec, spare, sport, span, spill, spine, spray, speak, spar, spade, spire, spouse, spam, spy, spore, split, spit, spook, spur, splash, spoke, spread, spots, sprung, spry, springs
- 2 Syllable: special, spirit, sponge, sparkle, Spanish, species, speechless, Sparta, spider, spinach, Spencer, sparkler, spelling, spalding, sparkling, spooky, speeding, sparrow, speaking, spiral, splendor, sprinkles, splinter, spirits, spectrum, splatter, spotlight, spoken, spoiled, Spokane, spinal
- 3 Syllable: sporadic, spaghetti, spaceship, spatula, sportsmanship, spectator, sponsorship
- 4 Syllable: sporadically, spectacular, spiritual, specialty, specificness
Practice in Flash Card Mode Right Here from Your Computer!
SP Words Speech Therapy
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable |
|---|---|
| spring | special |
| space | spirit |
| Spain | sponge |
| spoon | sparkle |
| sport | Spanish |
| speed | species |
| spot | speechless |
| spout | Sparta |
| spike | spider |
| spin | spinach |
| speech | spencer |
| spear | speaker |
| spell | spelling |
| sprout | Spalding |
| spark | sparkling |
| spec | spooky |
| spare | speeding |
| spork | sparrow |
| span | speaking |
| spill | spiral |
| spine | splendor |
| spray | sprinkles |
| speak | splinter |
| spar | spirits |
| spade | spectrum |
| spire | splatter |
| spouse | spotlight |
| spam | spoken |
| spy | spoiled |
| spore | Spokane |
| split | spinal |
| spit | |
| spook | |
| spur | |
| splash | |
| spoke | |
| spread | |
| spots | |
| sprung | |
| spry | |
| springs |
| 3 Syllable | 4 Syllable |
|---|---|
| sporadic | sporadically |
| spaghetti | spectacular |
| spaceship | spiritual |
| spatula | specialty |
| sportsmanship | specificness |
| spectator | |
| sponsorship |
Short Sentences or Phrases
When working on SP 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 SP word phrases to try:
SP Words Speech Therapy in Phrases
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable |
|---|---|
| spring flowers | special day |
| moon in space | young spirit |
| visit Spain | cleaning sponge |
| spoon and fork | sparkle in his eye |
| loves to play sport | Spanish class |
| car speeds | new species |
| cheetah has spots | was speechless |
| water spout | Sparta was a place |
| spike in his tire | spider web |
| spin around | spinach salad |
| speech class | Spencer called |
| fishing for spear | speaker turned up |
| spelling quiz | spelling bee |
| sprout up | sparkling lights |
| spark starts the fire | spooky stories |
| computer specs | speeding ticket |
| spare tire | sparrow flew |
| camping spork | speaking loudly |
| life span | spiral staircase |
| juice spill | great splendor |
| x-ray spine | sprinkles on her cupcake |
| bug spray | splinter in my finger |
| speak loudly | lifted spirits |
| spar on the mat | wide spectrum |
| uses the spade | paint splatter |
| tall spire | spotlight on him |
| stood next to spouse | spoken to calmly |
| spam call | spoiled dog |
| spy glasses | trip to Spokane |
| mold spore | spinal surgery |
| the road split | |
| spit on the ground | |
| noise spooked them | |
| spur on her boots | |
| splash in the water | |
| spoke her opinions | |
| spread on the butter | |
| red spots | |
| sprung into action | |
| was spry | |
| springs recoiled |
| 3 Syllable | 4 Syllable |
|---|---|
| sporadic decisions | sporadically visits |
| eat spaghetti | spectacular view |
| saw a spaceship | spiritual retreat |
| spatula for cooking | specialty pizza |
| good sportsmanship | |
| was a spectator | |
| had sponsorship |
SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy
Sentence Level: SP Words Speech Therapy
The next step after working at the word and phrase levels is to work on the SP 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 SP sound.
Another idea would be to give your child or student pictures with their SP 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.
SP Words Speech Therapy in Sentences
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable |
|---|---|
| The spring flowers are blooming. | Today is a special day. |
| We saw the moon in space. | She has a young spirit. |
| I want to visit Spain. | I used a cleaning sponge. |
| I forgot my spoon and fork. | He has a sparkle in his eye. |
| He loves to play sports. | I am taking a Spanish class. |
| The car speeds down the road. | They discovered a new species. |
| The cheetah has spots. | I was speechless. |
| The water spout is leaking. | Sparta was a place in Rome. |
| He has a spike in his tire. | The spider built its web. |
| The ride spins around. | I ate a spinach salad. |
| He goes to his speech class. | Spencer called his friend. |
| They are fishing for spear. | The speaker should be turned up. |
| She studeied for her spelling quiz. | I am in the spelling bee. |
| The plants sprout up. | The sparkling lights were beautiful. |
| The spark starts the fire. | They told spooky stories. |
| The computer specs are fast. | He got a speeding ticket. |
| The spare tire is on the back of the car. | The sparrow flew from the tree. |
| I used my camping spork. | She is speaking loudly. |
| That has a long life span. | I walked up the spiral staircase. |
| The juice spilled. | The old house still has great splendor. |
| The doctor took an x-ray of his spine. | She puts sprinkles on her cupcake. |
| They put on bug spray. | There is a splinter in my finger. |
| She speaks loudly. | Her friend helped lift her spirits. |
| The karate class will spar on the mat. | There is a wide spectrum. |
| She uses the spade to garden. | The paint splatter is on the wall. |
| The castle has a tall spire. | He does not like the spotlight on him. |
| He stood next to his spouse. | He wants to be spoken to calmly. |
| I blocked the spam call. | The spoiled dog has lots of treats. |
| He wore spy glasses. | They took a trip to Spokane. |
| The mold spores spread quickly. | He is having spinal surgery. |
| The country road split into two. | |
| He spit on the ground. | |
| The loud noise spooked the horses. | |
| She has a spur on her boots. | |
| The ducks splash in the water. | |
| She always spoke her opinions. | |
| I spread the butter on my toast. | |
| There are blue spots on her dress. | |
| He sprung into action. | |
| The man was spry for his old age. | |
| The springs recoiled. |
| 3 Syllable | 4 Syllable |
|---|---|
| He makes sporadic decisions. | My brother sporadically visits. |
| They love to eat spaghetti. | The mountains have a spectacular view. |
| They saw a spaceship. | They went on a spiritual retreat. |
| I used a spatula for cooking. | She ordered the specialty pizza. |
| He practices good sportsmanship. | |
| He was a spectator at the game. | |
| She had sponsorship. |
Need Other S and S Blend Words?
- Initial S Words
- Medial S Words
- Final S Words
- S-Blends
- SN-Blend Words
- SM-Blend Words
- ST-Blend Words
- SW-Blend Words
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!
SP Words Speech Therapy Ideas
Below is a list of therapy ideas for when working on the SP sound.
Video Game
Are you looking to add some fun and engaging activities to your therapy sessions?
Video games are a great way to reinforce practice while working on your students’ sounds.
Some fan favorite video games to try are:
- SP Blends Picture Match Up on Quia by Mrs. Oulette is an engaging computer game that prompts students to match pictures in order to create the sp articulation word.
- SP Flashcards, Matching, Concentration and Word Search on Quia by Leonie Sinclair is a fun set of games that focus on the S blends Sp and Sn!
- Initial S Blends Challenge on Quia by Mrs. Butler is a great challenge game to play with students to practice SP and other S blend articulation.
SEE ALSO: Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy
Variety of Home Practice Sheets
Do you have some students who are making slow progress? Why not send home some simple worksheets to give your students some extra practice across multiple settings?
Here are a few fun and engaging ways to strengthen your child or student’s articulation therapy from home.
- FREE Initial S Blends Drill Worksheet by the Speech Spot Creations is a great resource to send home for parents/caregivers to practice articulation drilling with their students! This is a comprehensive list of many s blends, including SP.
- I Spy “Sp” Blends! By Speech and Language Adventures is an easy to print and send home set of worksheets for students to play “I Spy” and find the words that start with SP!
- Articulation /s/ by An SLP’s Archive is a great passage for students to practice reading at home that has multiple S blend targets.
Conversation Level
Once your child or student has mastered the different levels at the word level, phrase level, and sentence level then it’s time to start working at the conversational level.
Here are a few conversational level resources to get you started.
- Speech Therapy Articulation Game for S blends | Rock Paper Scissors by Activity Tailor is a fun game to play with your speech students! This incorporates the popular “rock, paper, scissors” game with S blend, including SP blend targets! Use the prompts to elicit conversational level SP targets.
- [FREE] S Blends Bingo with Articulation Cards by Food for Speech is an engaging activity for students to practice multiple S blend targets! Incorporate conversational level practice by having students discuss the provided words.
- S Blend Articulation Dino Freebie by Speechasaurus is a resource that targets multiple S blends in a fun format. Students will be prompted with a stimulus or a functional WH question!
No Prep Worksheets
If you’re looking for a simple way to work on your child or student’s articulation practice here are a handful of no prep worksheets to make therapy simple.
- S Blend Articulation Coloring Page by Allison Diamond is an easy, print and go activity that prompts students to color by s blend.
- /s/ blends visual by Speech Doodles is a great worksheet to print and review as a warm-up with students that are practicing SP and other S blends!
- Articulation Games – The Spider Web Game by Speech Pathology Toolkit is a print-and-go, structured drilling worksheet for students to adapt sp blend words into complete sentences.
Therapy Room
Are you a speech therapist looking for SP words to practice with your clients?
Here are a couple of fun worksheets and games that you can use in your therapy room to work on the initial SP sound.
- Articulation Aquarium BOOM Cards: Initial SP and ST FREEBIE Sample by Panda Speech Therapy is a fun boom card activity to incorporate into your therapy practices! Students drag aquatic-themed pieces while practicing SP and ST articulation.
- Articulation Farm SP-Blend (FREEBIE) by Busy Bee SLP is an interactive activity for your students to practice their SP articulation! Students will cut out farm animals and paste them onto the coordinating page with SP blend prompts.
- FREEBIE BOOM CARDS™ S Blends Articulation (Water Park Theme): SP & SL by SLP on the Charles is a fun deck of boom cards that target SP and SL blends! Students complete winter-themed activities while practicing the targeted blends.
SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials
Language Therapy
Do you have students working on language therapy along with S initial sounds? Here are a few resources that work on both skills.
- SP Blends: BOOM CARD FREEBIE! By Speaking Spanglish is a great resource to use to practice SP articulation. This interactive deck incorporates target sounds as well as carrier phrases.
- Articulation S Blends Book- Space Themed (St, Sp, Sk) Freebie! By MsKristinSpeech is an interactive, no-prep activity to read through with your students. There are multiple S blend targets (St, Sp, Sk) to practice throughout this book.
- FREE! Articulation /S/ Blend Board Game by Vivi Speechie is a fun board game to play with your students! This digital board game is a great way for your students to practice listening to directions as well as SP blend articulation.
- Phonology (Articulation) SP cluster/Oral Language-I Spy with My Little Eye Game by LK Speech Therapy is an interactive I spy game that can be used while focusing on oral language, vocab, questions and answers, imitation or language expression. This game is easy to print and go, or can be sent home!
In Conclusion: SP Words Speech Therapy
We hope you have found this article helpful for working on your child or student’s SP sound.
Be sure to grab your freebie of 20 words filled with real-life photos making it perfect for adult speech practice and start practicing 5 minutes a day!
Grab Your Free SP Word List with Pictures Here!
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