Phonological Processes Chart

Oct 12, 2026

Phonological Processes Chart summarizes common speech-sound patterns in children by listing major process categories: substitutions, assimilations, and syllable-structure processes. For each process, it provides a clear definition, a representative example word substitution, and an approximate age range when the process typically declines or “eliminates” based on developmental norms. The chart also cautions that age-based guidelines vary across literature and individuals and should support, not replace, clinical judgments about overall intelligibility.

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Phonological Processes

Substitutions

Assimilations

Syllable Structure

| Phonological Processes | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | SUBSTITUTIONS | DEFINITION | EXAMPLE | APPROX. AGE OF ELIMINATION | | Affrication | When a nonaffricate is replaced with an affricate | “cheap” for “sheep” | 5:0 | | Backing | When alveolar sounds are substituted with velar sounds | “go” for “doe” | N/A | | Deaffrication | When an affricate is replaced with a fricative or stop | “ships” for “chips” | 4:0 | | Fronting | When velar or palatal sounds are substituted with alveolar sounds | “tup” for “cup” | 4:0 | | Gliding | When a liquid is replaced with a glide | “wed” for “red” or “yion” for“lion” | 5:0-6:0 | | Stopping | When a fricative or affricate is substituted with a stop consonant | “teep” for “sheep” or “pan”for “fan” | /f, s/ -3:0
/z, v/ -4:0
/sh, ch, j, th/ -5:0 | | *Vocalization
(vowelization) | When /l/ or /er/ sounds are replaced with a vowel | “appo” for “apple” or“papuh” for “paper” | 3:0-4:0 | | ASSIMILATIONS | DEFINITION | EXAMPLE | APPROX. AGE OF ELIMINATION | | Assimilation
(Consonant Harmony) | One sound becomes the same or similar to another sound in the word | “bab” for “bad”,“nan” for“can”,“gog” for “dog” | 3:0 | | Final Consonant Devoicing | When a voiced consonant at the end of the word is
substituted with a voiceless consonant | “bat” for “bad” | 3:0 | | Prevocalic Voicing | When a voiceless consonant in the beginning of the word is substituted with a voiced consonant | “gomb” for “comb” | 3:0 | | SYLLABLE STRUCTURE | DEFINITION | EXAMPLE | APPROX. AGE OF ELIMINATION | | Consonant Cluster Reduction | When a consonant cluster is reduced to a single consonant | “pane” for “plane” or “top”for “stop” | 4:0-5:0 | | Final Consonant Deletion | When the final consonant in a word is left off | “toe” for “toad” | 3:0 | | Initial Consonant Deletion | When the initial consonant in a word is left off | “unny” for “bunny” | N/A* | | Weak Syllable Deletion | When the weak syllable in a word is deleted | “nana” for “banana” | 4:0 | | Coalescence | When two phonemes are substituted with a different phoneme that has similar features | “foon” for “spoon” | N/A* | | Epenthesis | When a vowel sound is added between two consonants, typically the uh sound | “bu-lue” for “blue” | N/A* | | Metathesis | Two sounds or segments are transposed | “cimmanin” for “cinnamon” | N/A* | | Reduplication | When a complete or incomplete syllable is repeated | “baba” for “bottle” | 2:0 | Note: Norms vary widely in the literature and across individuals as reflected by the age ranges in the chart. Clinicians should not rely solely on the age of suppression for eligibility but rather use this as a guide when considering overall intelligibility *N/A indicates atypical phonological processes that are not considered developmentally appropriate at any age. References: Peña-Brooks, A., & Hegde, M. N. (2015). Assessment and Treatment of Speech Sound Disorders in Children: A Dual-Level Text. Austin, TX: PRO-ED. Shipley, K. G., & McAfee, J. G. (2016). Assessment in speech-language pathology: A resource manual. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Bennett (11/85: 9/87) Adapted from Hodson (1980); Ingram (1981); Shribert & Kwiakowski (1981); Kahn (1982).

FAQs

What kinds of phonological processes are covered in the chart?

The chart groups processes into substitutions, assimilations, and syllable-structure processes, each with definitions, examples, and approximate elimination ages.

How should clinicians use the age ranges provided?

Age norms vary widely by literature and individuals. The chart advises clinicians not to rely solely on elimination age for eligibility, but to consider overall intelligibility.

What does “N/A” mean in the chart?

“N/A” indicates atypical phonological processes that are not considered developmentally appropriate at any age.

Oct 12, 2026

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