Initial Consonant Deletion: Why Your Child Says "Up" for "Cup"

When a child leaves off the first sound of words, so cup becomes “up”, dog becomes “og” and boat becomes “oat”, the pattern is called initial consonant deletion. It is less common than the other patterns young children use while they learn to talk, so it is worth asking a speech-language pathologist about it early, at any age. Asking is not a diagnosis of anything: it gets your child heard by someone who can tell you what the pattern means for them.

While you wait for that appointment, there is plenty to do at home. Every game on this page rests on one idea, the front of the word against the rest of it: the first sound gets its own moment, a knock or a pop, before the rest of the word arrives.

What is initial consonant deletion?

Initial consonant deletion is a speech pattern where a child says the middle and end of a word but leaves off the consonant at the start. The same child might say “up” for cup, “og” for dog and “all” for ball. The chart of phonological processes from Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction gives the example “oy” for toy.

It is the mirror of final consonant deletion, where the last sound is dropped and boat becomes “bo”. Dropping the first sound makes speech harder to follow, because the first sound is often what tells a listener which word they are hearing: “all” could be ball, doll or tall.

	Final consonant deletion	Initial consonant deletion
The sound left off	The last one	The first one
An example	”bo” for boat	”up” for cup
In ASHA’s table of common patterns	Yes, usually gone by 3	Not listed
What to do	Practice at home; ask if it lasts past 3	Ask a speech-language pathologist early

Is initial consonant deletion normal?

Initial consonant deletion is not one of the patterns most children pass through, so there is no age to wait for it to stop. The table of phonological patterns published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) gives a usual age for 9 common patterns, from 3 for final consonant deletion to 6–7 for gliding, and initial consonant deletion is not one of the 9. Wisconsin’s chart lists it as an “atypical process seen in more severe delays”.

That wording sounds frightening, and it is meant for clinicians. For a parent it means one practical thing: this is a pattern to mention to a speech-language pathologist now, rather than one to watch for a year. ASHA’s Practice Portal for clinicians names initial-consonant deletion among the errors “that most affect intelligibility”, meaning how easily other people understand a child, as one way to choose what to work on first.

At 2, many words are still unclear, and a toddler who leaves the first sound off a word now and then is not the same as one who leaves it off most words. If you hear it often, ask; the speech-language pathologist can tell you whether it matters at your child’s age.

Is initial consonant deletion a sign of autism?

Initial consonant deletion on its own is not a sign of autism, or a diagnosis of anything. It is a pattern in how a child says words. Autistic children and children who are not autistic can both have it.

Autism is identified from a much wider set of signs. ASHA’s Practice Portal on autism says screening looks at “eye gaze, orienting to one’s name, pointing to or showing objects of interest, pretend play, imitation, nonverbal communication, and language development”, and that “speech difficulties are not the same as language and social communication problems”.

So if the dropped first sounds are the only thing you notice, the question is about speech, and a speech-language pathologist is the person to ask. If you also notice some of the signs above, mention those to your pediatrician as well: doctors look at all of them together to tell a speech delay from autism.

Quick first-sound check

The quick first-sound check is an at-home screening, not a diagnosis and not an autism screen, and it does not replace an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist. Ask your child to name 10 pictures or things, and for each, note what you heard. Do not correct them during the check.

Word	If the first sound is left off, you hear
cup	”up”
dog	”og”
ball	”all”
sun	”un”
mom	”om”
key	”ee”
fish	”ish”
pig	”ig”
top	”op”
bed	”ed”

Read the notes by pattern, not by count. If the first sounds are there, there is nothing to act on. If they drop in several words, take the notes to a speech-language pathologist or your pediatrician, and ask whether your child’s hearing has been checked recently. Note which first sounds are kept: the ones your child already says are the place to start practicing.

How can I help my child say the first sound?

Help in three steps: knock first, make the first sound big, then play the pairs. Practicing for 5 minutes a day is enough, and stop while it is still fun. If your child sees a speech-language pathologist, follow their plan first.

1. 1

   Knock first

   Knock on the table as you say the first sound, then say the rest of the word: d (knock), og. Your child knocks and says the first sound with you. The knock gives the first sound its own moment before the word comes in.

2. 2

   Make the first sound big

   Hold a sound that can be held, such as mmm-oon or sss-un, and give a sound that cannot be held, such as b or d, a clear little pop. Your child copies you, one word at a time.

3. 3

   Use the pairs

   Lay out a pair such as seal and eel. Say one and let your child point to it, then swap roles and point to the one you heard them say. If they say eel when they meant seal, point to the eel, and try again together.

The same games work for autistic children. Build them around what your child already loves, such as their favorite animals or toys, and follow the speech-language pathologist’s plan for how much to ask.

Hearing the first sound of a word is also an early reading skill. The Institute of Education Sciences’ practice guide on foundational reading skills recommends helping children become aware of the separate sounds in spoken words and how they link to letters, and the first sound is usually the easiest to notice. Hearing sounds in words covers that listening for reading.

Initial consonant deletion minimal pairs

Minimal pairs for initial consonant deletion are a word and the same word without its first sound, like seal and eel. Because the child’s version is a real word, saying “eel” for seal means asking for the wrong thing, which is what makes the pair useful.

The whole word	Without the first sound	The first sound
leg	egg	l
seal	eel	s
deer	ear	d
gate	eight	g
tie	eye	t
fox	ox	f
pants	ants	p
dice	ice	d
sink	ink	s
wheel	eel	w

Use the pairs in 2 sets of 5, the first 5 rows and then the last 5. Start with the set whose first sounds your child already says sometimes.

First-sound games and activities

Each game below needs the first sound to work, so your child has a reason to say it.

• Knock knock. Every word has to knock before it comes in. Your child knocks on a door or a box and says the first sound, then the whole word: “b… ball”.
• Feed the monster. You say a word, and your child feeds that picture to a toy monster. The monster asked for a seal, so it will not eat the eel.
• Go fish. Deal the pair cards. “Do you have the gate?” only works if the asker says the g.
• The sound bag. Fill a bag with toys that start with one sound, such as a ball, a bear, a boat and a bus. Your child pulls one out and names it.

Free printable initial consonant deletion cards

The cards and the listening sheet use the 10 pairs above, so the pictures match the page. Print the listening sheet to see whether your child hears the first sound before you ask them to say it, and the picture cards to practice one early sound at a time.

Free PDF · no sign-up

Free printable initial consonant deletion cards

Pair cards in two sets with the games on the last page, a circle-the-one-I-say listening sheet, and picture cards for b, d, m and p at the beginning of the word, one sound to a page. The picture check and a practice log come from the minimal pairs page. No account, no email.

1. 1Minimal Pair Cards (PDF)10 pairs · 3 pagesDownload
2. 2Circle the One I Say (PDF)5 pairs · answer key included · 2 pagesDownload
3. 3Articulation Picture Cards (PDF)48 cards for B, D, M and P · 5 pagesDownload
4. 4Which Speech Pattern? Picture Check (PDF)12 pictures · 2 pagesDownload
5. 55-Minute Speech Practice Log (PDF)5 days · 1 pageDownload

How do speech therapists treat initial consonant deletion?

A speech-language pathologist starts with an evaluation, then works on making the first sound matter to your child. ASHA’s Practice Portal for clinicians describes what a speech sound evaluation includes:

• a hearing screening, because “a hearing screening is conducted during the comprehensive speech sound assessment”;
• a look at how the lips, jaw and tongue move;
• listening to your child name pictures and talk, describing pictures or telling a story, to hear each sound at the start, middle and end of words.

Treatment for a pattern like this one usually practices contrasts, such as the minimal pairs above, so your child hears and says the difference the first sound makes. The speech-language pathologist chooses the approach and the sounds to start with, and sends practice home. A child who is not yet speaking much may also be offered other ways to communicate while speech develops.

When should my child see a speech-language pathologist?

See a speech-language pathologist as soon as you notice your child leaving off first sounds in many words, at any age, rather than waiting. A few notes make the appointment more useful:

• the words where you hear it, and what your child says instead, from the first-sound check;
• the first sounds your child does say;
• your child’s age when you first noticed;
• any ear infections, and when your child’s hearing was last checked;
• anything else about talking, playing or understanding that worries you.

Ask about a hearing test too. A child has to hear a sound clearly to say it, and ASHA’s Practice Portal lists persistent fluid in the middle ear (otitis media with effusion), “often associated with hearing loss”, among the risk factors for speech sound problems.

To find a certified speech-language pathologist in the United States, use ASHA ProFind, which lists over 20,000 audiologists and speech-language pathologists accepting referrals. Your child’s pediatrician can also refer you, and speech delay in toddlers explains how an evaluation works and how to ask for free early intervention. The ages for the common speech patterns are on the phonological processes chart.