T, D, N

Made with the tongue tip behind the teeth, these sounds are known as Aveolar Sounds.

Typical age of clear speech for these sounds: 3 years old.

T and D are paired sounds. That means for both sounds, the mouth movements are the same. The difference between them is that D uses your voice, and T is made only by the built up air behind your tongue before you say it. I like to think it as a quick tap of my tongue tip on the ridge right behind my front teeth.

N, much like M, actually relies on air escaping through your nose. The tongue position is usually up behind the front teeth, just like for T and D. That's why it's grouped it with them for the website and for the book "Ted and Tina Adopt a Kitten."

A Song to Pair with Ted and Tina Adopt a Kitten:

This goes roughly to the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (Play link below to hear)


Ted and Tina are allowed to get a pet.

They thought hard about what pet to get,

First they thought about a dog,

Then they thought about a cat,

That's the pet that they want to get.

Then their dad took them to the shelter,

They picked out a tan and white kitten.

Now Ted and Tina have a pet.

Now Ted and Tina have a cat.

Ted and Tina Song.m4a

Additional Resources for learning about and practicing Alveolar Sounds:

These are resources found on the internet for free, that demonstrate or provide information and activities for practicing N, D, T sounds. Each item listed is a button with a link embedded - so click away and enjoy exploring!

Below is a free printable (pdf) coloring page that fits with the "Ted and Tina Adopt a Kitten" theme.

Ted and Tina Coloring Worksheet .pdf