Rhotacism: How to Help Children Learn the /r/ Sound

Mispronouncing the /r/ sound is one of the most common speech errors in children. Difficulty producing this sound is also called rhotacism. The /r/ sound can be especially frustrating because it is one of the hardest sounds to teach, learn, and master. With enough guidance, practice, and repetition, however, your child can learn to produce it.

Key takeaways

• Difficulty pronouncing the /r/ sound, known as rhotacism, is a common speech error in children.
• The /r/ sound can be difficult to learn because it varies across words. It is also hard to visualize because its production involves only the tongue.
• There are two types of /r/ sounds. A prevocalic /r/ comes before a vowel ("read"), while a vocalic /r/ follows a vowel ("fire").
• Signs of rhotacism include replacing /r/ with /w/, such as saying "wun" for "run" or "vewwy" for "very." Words ending in /r/ may sound distorted, such as “chay-uh” for "chair."
• The best way to treat rhotacism is to work with a licensed speech therapist. Daily practice can make a big difference, and at-home techniques can help your child visualize tongue placement and enjoy practice.
• If your child is approaching age 5 and still struggling to produce the /r/ sound, consider contacting a speech therapist for an evaluation.

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Why is the /r/ sound so difficult to produce?

Rhotacism is fairly common in children because mastering the /r/ sound can be challenging for several reasons.

One factor is vowel placement. The /r/ sound may come before a vowel (prevocalic) or after a vowel (vocalic), and the vowel can affect how /r/ is pronounced. Vocalic combinations include “ar,” “air,” “ear,” “er,” “or,” and “ire.” Say each one aloud, and you will quickly hear how much the sound can vary.

These vowel combinations can also appear in different parts of a word, adding another layer of difficulty. Whether /r/ appears at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word can affect how it is produced.

The /r/ sound is challenging partly because it is produced through tongue position alone.

Another challenge is that /r/ depends on tongue position rather than visible movements of the lips or teeth. Compared with other sounds, that makes it much harder for children to visualize.

For example, you can easily see the lips move when someone makes the /b/ sound. The /th/ sound is also easy to visualize because the tongue rests between the teeth. To produce /r/, the tongue must move in a specific way that can be difficult to demonstrate to a child. The tongue also needs enough tension to hold the position required for a correct /r/ sound.

In short, /r/ has more variations than nearly any other sound in English. Teaching it requires specific techniques and plenty of practice, which we cover below.

At what age should a child pronounce the /r/ sound correctly?

Children develop different sounds at different ages, but every sound in English has an expected age of acquisition.

In general, a child should produce the /r/ sound correctly in everyday conversation by age 5. The start of kindergarten is a useful rule of thumb: Children should be easy for others to understand and able to say all speech sounds when they begin school.

This does not mean you should wait until that age to address speech concerns. When speech therapy is needed, starting earlier gives your child more time to make progress.

What matters is that you hear your child's speech improving over time. Normal, steady progress is a positive sign. But if their /r/ productions have plateaued and you are not hearing improvement as their fifth birthday approaches, it may be time to ask a speech therapist for an evaluation.

The 2 types of /r/ sounds

When discussing /r/ production, you need to consider where the sound appears in a word. A child may have difficulty with one or both positions.

A prevocalic /r/ comes before a vowel, as in words such as:

• read
• rain
• right

A vocalic /r/ comes after a vowel. The vocalic /r/ combinations include:

• “ar” as in star
• “air” as in hair
• “ear” as in hearing
• “er” as in sister
• “or” as in pour
• “ire” as in tired

The /r/ itself is produced the same way whether it is prevocalic or vocalic. With a vocalic /r/, however, the tongue must move into the correct position immediately after the vowel, producing /r/ as it moves. Try saying one yourself while paying close attention to your tongue's position and movement. You will soon notice why this coordination can be difficult for children.

How children learn to produce the /r/ sound

Speech therapists follow a progression from simpler to more complex tasks when helping a child learn any new speech sound. The usual stages for learning /r/ are:

• Isolation level: Producing the sound by itself
• Syllable level: Combining the sound with a vowel (re, ray, rye, ro, rue)
• Word level: Producing the sound within a word (run, berry, winter)
• Phrase level: Combining several /r/ words in a short two- or three-word phrase (run fast or car ride)
• Sentence level: Producing longer, more complex sentences containing /r/ words (The dog runs fast)
• Conversation level: Using /r/ words in connected conversational speech with 100% accuracy

As a child progresses through these stages, the speech therapist will introduce words containing /r/ in different positions. Practice will include /r/ at the beginning, middle, and end of words, as well as /r/ before and after different vowels (prevocalic and vocalic).

Some children move quickly through every level and variation of /r/ production. Others may get “stuck” at one or more stages, including particular prevocalic or vocalic /r/ variations.

Signs of rhotacism: Common /r/ speech errors

You may hear your child make a couple of different types of errors.

Children often replace /r/ with /w/. For example, "rice" may sound like “wice,” or a word such as "berry" may be pronounced “be-wy.”

When a word ends with a vocalic /r/, you are more likely to hear a distorted attempt at the sound. For example, "father" may sound like “fath-uh,” while "chair" may be pronounced “chay-uh.”

Knowing which errors to listen for can help you recognize signs of rhotacism in your child's speech.

Is my child ready to practice the /r/ sound?

A few signs can help you determine whether your child is ready to practice /r/.

Can they imitate the sound? One sign of readiness is the ability to imitate /r/ accurately in isolation, meaning they can say the sound by itself, even with a little help. If a child needs a lot of cueing or modeling to produce /r/, they may not yet be ready to practice.

Can they hear the difference between correct and incorrect pronunciation? Another useful criterion is whether your child can distinguish a correct /r/ from an incorrect one. To test this, say both pronunciations aloud and ask them to identify the correct sound. If they cannot, first help them learn to recognize an accurate /r/ before beginning production practice.

How old are they? Age remains an important consideration. If your child is approaching age 5 and still cannot produce /r/ by itself, consider contacting a speech therapist. During a speech evaluation, the therapist can assess your child's readiness and current skill level to determine whether speech therapy is needed.

The 2 tongue positions for producing /r/

The /r/ sound can be produced with two different tongue positions: the "bunched position" and the "retroflexed position."

Bunched tongue position: In the bunched position, the tongue is essentially gathered or bunched while remaining in a neutral position in the mouth. Speech therapists often tell children to “scoot your tongue back!”

Retroflexed position: In the retroflexed position, the tongue tip curls and points backward toward the throat.

Either tongue position can produce a correct /r/, although one often feels more natural to a child. Your child should use whichever position is easiest and produces an accurate sound. Finding the best option may take some time and practice.

Your speech therapist will probably discuss tongue tension as well. The tongue is a muscle, and it must sit high enough and feel “tight” enough in the mouth to form a correct /r/. If the tongue is too low or lacks enough tension, /r/ may sound like /uh/.

Related guides

A Complete Guide to Articulation and Speech Sound Disorders

How to Improve Your Child’s Speech Articulation

How to Practice Speech Sounds at Home

Speech Sound Development Chart by Age: Milestones and Examples

Tips and techniques for practicing the /r/ sound

Working with a licensed speech therapist is the best way to treat rhotacism. If you are also practicing at home, try these tips.

• Determine whether the bunched or retroflexed tongue position works best for your child. Use the position that feels easiest and produces a correct sound.
• Have your child use a mirror so they can watch their mouth.
• Use a visual aid to explain tongue position. You might shape your hand like the tongue, create a model tongue with Play-Doh, or demonstrate the /r/ position by opening your mouth slightly and pointing.
• If /r/ still does not sound right despite frequent practice, remind your child to keep the tongue “tight.” This reinforces the tongue tension needed for correct production.
• Remind your child to hold the tongue high enough in the mouth. The back sides of the tongue should touch the insides of the top back molars. To help your child find that spot, try brushing the back sides of their tongue with something in a flavor they enjoy, perhaps a lollipop. Explain that this part of the tongue should touch the top back molars. The sensation can make tongue placement easier to visualize.
• Practice daily. If possible, aim for 10 minutes every day.
• Stay at the stage you are targeting until your child can complete it independently with at least 90% accuracy. Then move to the next, more complex level.

Exercises for practicing the /r/ sound

These useful, playful exercises can help you teach your child the /r/ sound:

• Make model tongues from Play-Doh, then shape them into the bunched or retroflexed position your child has been practicing. This can be especially helpful for visual learners.
• Explain that the tongue is a muscle and needs to be “tight and strong.” Your child can explore the idea of muscle tension by closing their fists “tight” or making their arm muscles “tight.”
• Produce the /r/ sound correctly and incorrectly, then ask your child to spot the difference. Make it a game and offer a reward when they choose the correct one.
• As you read books with your child, ask them to point out every /r/ sound they read or hear you produce.
• Practice target /r/ sounds during a turn-taking game your child enjoys. For example, if they love Connect 4, ask them to practice /r/ at least three times before each turn.
• Look through magazines together and ask your child to find pictures of items containing their target /r/ sound. You or your child can cut out the pictures and use them to make a collage or scene.

Building /r/ practice into your everyday routine

The goal of speech practice is for children to carry their new skills into daily life. Everyday conversations can provide valuable opportunities to practice. Here is one approach.

Choose a time of day when your child is especially talkative. Tell them you will listen for correct /r/ productions while you talk together. Then spend about 10 minutes chatting. The topic does not matter.

If your child mispronounces /r/, first give them a chance to notice the error on their own. If they do not, gently point it out. You can tell them directly or use a small visual cue, such as raising your hand. Then return to that part of the conversation and ask your child to try the word or sentence again with a correct /r/.

As your child improves, they should become more able to notice and correct their own productions. Keep supporting them until they can use the sound independently in fluent conversation.

What to expect from speech therapy for the /r/ sound

If you believe your child may benefit from speech therapy, contact a speech-language pathologist. The process will begin with a formal evaluation. This allows the speech therapist to determine which types of /r/ are difficult for your child and whether any other speech sounds also require treatment. The therapist will then develop speech therapy goals based on the results.

In each session, the speech therapist will work with your child on those specific goals. They will use games and activities your child enjoys to practice /r/. The therapist will also provide activities for you to use at home during the week. More practice and repetition will help a child master /r/ at the conversational level more quickly.

How long does speech therapy for the /r/ sound take?

The time needed to treat rhotacism varies from child to child. Factors that can affect the length of speech therapy include:

• The child's age
• How quickly the child learns basic /r/ production at the isolation level
• How many different types of /r/ sounds are difficult for the child
• The child's motivation to improve their /r/ productions
• How often the child practices at home

The /r/ sound can be challenging, but speech therapy support and plenty of play-based practice at home can help your child master it. To get started, find a speech therapist and schedule an evaluation here.