The B sound is a common speech sound in the English language. It is a bilabial stop that is produced by pressing the lips together and releasing a puff of air. If you’re interested in learning how to correctly say the B sound, continue reading below!
B Sound
The B sound is a voiced bilabial stop. It is an early-developing sound, meaning it is one of the first sounds a baby or toddler will learn to say.
Even though most young children will learn to say the B sound correctly on their own, some children need help producing the sound correctly. If you have concerns regarding your child’s speech, a speech-language pathologist can help!
Have you been on the hunt for a way to work on the B sound with a child or client in speech therapy? Check out my Mega B Sound Activity Packet! It’s jam-packed with over 20 worksheets and activities to practice the B sound in isolation, syllables, words, phrases, sentences, reading, and conversation!
When Does B Sound Develop?
The B sound is acquired between 2-3 years old. This age is not “set in stone,” though. Some children may continue to “master” this sound beyond the age of 3, but most young children can say the B sound at a very young age.
For more information on when speech sounds develop, please refer to the Speech Sound Development post on this website.
How to Make the B Sound
The B sound is made by pressing the lips together, building air behind the lips, and then releasing a puff of air. Here’s how to make the B sound:
- Lips together. Press the lips gently together. Allow a small amount of air to build in the mouth behind the closed lips.
- Release a puff of air. Open the lips quickly to release a puff of air.
- Voice turned ON. The vocal cords vibrate when saying the B sound. If you place your fingertips on your throat and make the B sound, your larynx, or voice box, will vibrate.
If you’re interested in more in-depth information on the production of speech sounds, please refer to this post on Place, Manner, and Voicing.
How to Teach the B Sound
The B sound is a fairly easy sound to teach, as you can easily see what the lips and mouth are doing when saying the sound.
Helpful tip! When teaching a child to say a sound correctly, be sure to provide positive encouragement when your child is trying their best. Learning new speech sounds can be tricky!
Verbal Cues
Verbal cues are things you tell a child or individual to help them understand what they need to do when saying a specific sound.
One way to cue a child is to give the sound a fun or “goofy” name.
For example, we can call the B sound the “bouncing sound” or the “ball sound” to remind them to release a puff of air when saying the sound. This helps us visualize the lips “bouncing” apart when saying the B sound, just like balls bouncing on the ground.
You can give other verbal cues to children by saying things like:
- “Lips together.”
- “Let a small puff of air out of your mouth.”
- “Bounce your lips open and closed like a bouncy ball!”
- “Voice turned on.”
Visual Cues
A visual cue is something you can look at that shows how to make the B sound.
You can give a visual cue by pointing to your closed lips when making the B sound, so children or clients can see what it looks like. You can also show them illustrated images of the mouth showing what the sound looks like.
Here is a basic visual cue for the B sound showing the lips in the correct placement:
Cue cards are a great way to show children how to say each sound correctly. If you’re on the hunt for some bright and colorful cue cards, look no further than my complete set of Speech Sound Cue Cards here. They’re great for use in speech therapy and at home!
Tactile Cues
A tactile cue involves using physical touch or some sort of sensory feedback to help produce a speech sound correctly.
To give tactile cues to your child, hold their hand over your mouth while you say the B sound to let them feel the closed lips and the puff of air that is released when you say the sound.
Additionally, place fingers on your throat when saying the B sound so you can feel the vibration or “buzz” when saying the sound.
Tips for Saying the B Sound
Looking for some different ways to help teach the B sound? Check out these fun activities to help elicit the B sound.
Dancing Tissue
Place a tissue in front of the child’s mouth, or have the child hold the tissue themselves. Have them practice saying the B sound and making the tissue “dance” with each burst of air.
Foggy Mirror
Practice saying the B sound with the lips very close to a mirror and try to fog up the mirror with each burst of air. You can also use the back side of a metal spoon instead of a mirror.
Bouncing Lips
Grab a ball and bounce it up and down while practicing pressing the lips open and closed to make the B sound (don’t forget to turn the voice on!).
Activities to Practice the B Sound
Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to practice the B sound? This MEGA B Sound Activity Packet is full of 20 worksheets and activities to practice the B sound in a variety of ways. It also includes data sheets and informational handouts to help elicit the B sound.
This resource is extremely comprehensive and is the absolute best to practice the B sound in speech therapy, at home, or at school.
B Sound
The B sound develops between 2 and 3 years old. If your child is 4 or older and still having difficulty pronouncing B correctly, it is recommended that you consult a speech-language pathologist for further assistance.
Interested in learning more about speech sounds and speech therapy? Check out these other similar posts from The Speech Guide:
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