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Mouth Shapes

A quick look-up card for every sound. Tap a sound to hear it while you see where the lips, teeth and tongue go. Handy to keep open during Say It Back or Word Finding.

Each close-up photo shows a real mouth position to copy. Take your time and try each one in a mirror if that helps.

p / b

Lips · Both lips press together, then pop open.

  • p
    Real mouth position for p, with the tongue resting naturally
    as in “pen”Lips together, then a quiet puff of air. No buzz in your throat.Quiet — air only
  • b
    Real mouth position for b, with the tongue resting naturally
    as in “bed”Same lips as 'p', but your throat buzzes as they open.Throat buzzes

t / d

Tongue · Tongue tip taps the bump behind your top teeth.

  • t
    Real mouth position for t, with the tongue tip raised behind the upper teeth
    as in “toe”Tap the tongue tip down sharply. Just air, no buzz.Quiet — air only
  • d
    Real mouth position for d, with the tongue tip raised behind the upper teeth
    as in “dog”Same tap as 't', with a buzz in your throat.Throat buzzes

s / z

Airflow · Teeth nearly closed, air hisses down the middle.

  • s
    Real mouth position for s, with the tongue blade raised behind the teeth
    as in “sun”Smile a little, teeth close together, let the air hiss.Quiet — air only
  • z
    Real mouth position for z, with the tongue blade raised behind the teeth
    as in “zoo”Same hiss as 's', but buzzing — like a bee.Throat buzzes

f / v

Lips · Top teeth rest on your bottom lip.

  • f
    Real mouth position for f, with the tongue resting naturally
    as in “fish”Blow air gently between teeth and lip. No buzz.Quiet — air only
  • v
    Real mouth position for v, with the tongue resting naturally
    as in “van”Same teeth on lip, now let it buzz and tickle.Throat buzzes

k / g

Tongue · The back of the tongue lifts to the roof of the mouth.

  • k
    Real mouth position for k, with the back of the tongue raised
    as in “key”Made at the back of the mouth, then released. No buzz.Quiet — air only
  • g
    Real mouth position for g, with the back of the tongue raised
    as in “goat”Same back release as 'k', with a buzz.Throat buzzes

sh / zh

Airflow · Lips push forward a little, air flows wide.

  • sh
    Real mouth position for sh, with the tongue blade raised behind the teeth
    as in “shoe”Like asking for quiet — long and smooth, no buzz.Quiet — air only
  • zh
    Real mouth position for zh, with the tongue blade raised behind the teeth
    as in “measure”Same as 'sh', with a soft buzz. Heard in 'measure'.Throat buzzes

th / th

Tongue · Tongue tip peeks between your teeth.

  • th (quiet)
    Real mouth position for th (quiet), with the tongue tip between the front teeth
    as in “thumb”Tongue tip just touching your teeth, blow gently. No buzz.Quiet — air only
  • th (buzzy)
    Real mouth position for th (buzzy), with the tongue tip between the front teeth
    as in “this”Same tongue, now humming — as in 'this' and 'that'.Throat buzzes

ch / j

Airflow · A tap, then a hush, joined together.

  • ch
    Real mouth position for ch, with the tongue blade raised behind the teeth
    as in “chair”Start like 't', finish like 'sh'. Lips push forward.Quiet — air only
  • j
    Real mouth position for j, with the tongue blade raised behind the teeth
    as in “jam”Same as 'ch', but buzzing in your throat.Throat buzzes

l / r

Tongue · The tongue leads these two.

  • l
    Real mouth position for l, with the tongue tip raised behind the upper teeth
    as in “leaf”Tongue tip stays up behind your teeth while the sound hums.Throat buzzes
  • r
    Real mouth position for r, with the tongue drawn back
    as in “rain”Tongue pulls back and curls; it never touches the roof.Throat buzzes

m / n / ng

Airflow · The sound comes down your nose.

  • m
    Real mouth position for m, with the tongue resting naturally
    as in “moon”Lips closed and humming. You can feel your nose buzz.Throat buzzes
  • n
    Real mouth position for n, with the tongue tip raised behind the upper teeth
    as in “nose”Tongue tip up, lips open, hum through your nose.Throat buzzes
  • ng
    Real mouth position for ng, with the back of the tongue raised
    as in “ring”Back of the tongue lifts and hums — the end of 'ring'.Throat buzzes

h / w / wh

Airflow · Open air and rounded lips.

  • h
    Real mouth position for h, with the tongue resting low
    as in “hat”Just warm breath, like fogging a window.Quiet — air only
  • w
    Real mouth position for w, with the back of the tongue raised
    as in “water”Round your lips tight, then slide them open.Throat buzzes
  • wh
    Real mouth position for wh, with the back of the tongue raised
    as in “when”Like 'w' with a puff of air first — as in 'when'.Quiet — air only

ee, i, e, ae

Lips · Front vowels — lips spread, tongue high to low.

  • ee
    Real mouth position for ee, with the tongue held high
    as in “tree”Wide smile, tongue high and forward.Throat buzzes
  • i
    Real mouth position for i, with the tongue at mid height
    as in “fish”A short, relaxed 'ih'. Lips barely move.Throat buzzes
  • e
    Real mouth position for e, with the tongue at mid height
    as in “bed”Jaw drops a little more than 'ih'.Throat buzzes
  • ae
    Real mouth position for ae, with the tongue resting low
    as in “cat”Wide, flat mouth — the 'a' in 'cat'.Throat buzzes

a, u, ar

Lips · Open vowels — the jaw drops.

  • a
    Real mouth position for a, with the tongue resting low
    as in “car”Drop your jaw and say 'ah', like at the doctor.Throat buzzes
  • u
    Real mouth position for u, with the tongue at mid height
    as in “cup”Short and relaxed, no lip shape at all.Throat buzzes
  • ar
    Real mouth position for ar, with the tongue drawn back
    as in “park”Start with 'ah', then pull the tongue back for 'r'.Throat buzzes

oo, uu, oe, o, aw, au, or

Lips · Back vowels — lips round.

  • oo
    Real mouth position for oo, with the tongue held high
    as in “moon”Small tight circle, like blowing out a candle.Throat buzzes
  • uu
    Real mouth position for uu, with the tongue held high
    as in “book”A shorter, looser 'oo' — as in 'book'.Throat buzzes
  • oe
    Real mouth position for oe, with the tongue at mid height
    as in “boat”Round lips that close in slightly as you finish.Throat buzzes
  • o
    Real mouth position for o, with the tongue resting low
    as in “hot”Open and round — the 'o' in 'hot'.Throat buzzes
  • aw
    Real mouth position for aw, with the tongue resting low
    as in “saw”Open, rounded, and held a little longer.Throat buzzes
  • au
    Real mouth position for au, with the tongue resting low
    as in “caught”Very like 'aw' — many people say them the same.Throat buzzes
  • or
    Real mouth position for or, with the tongue drawn back
    as in “door”Round for 'aw', then curl the tongue for 'r'.Throat buzzes

er, ur, ir

Tongue · The 'r' colors the whole vowel.

  • er
    Real mouth position for er, with the tongue drawn back
    as in “letter”Relaxed lips, tongue bunched back — the end of 'letter'.Throat buzzes
  • ur
    Real mouth position for ur, with the tongue drawn back
    as in “nurse”A longer 'er', as in 'nurse'.Throat buzzes
  • ir
    Real mouth position for ir, with the tongue drawn back
    as in “bird”Same as 'ur' for most people — as in 'bird'.Throat buzzes

oy, ow, ie, ue

Lips · Two vowels that slide into one another.

  • oy / oi
    Real mouth position for oy / oi, with the tongue at mid height
    as in “boy”Start rounded like 'aw', slide into a smile.Throat buzzes
  • ow / ou
    Real mouth position for ow / ou, with the tongue resting low
    as in “house”Start wide open, finish with rounded lips.Throat buzzes
  • ie
    Real mouth position for ie, with the tongue resting low
    as in “pie”Start with 'ah', slide up into 'ee'.Throat buzzes
  • ue
    Real mouth position for ue, with the tongue held high
    as in “blue”A quick 'y' that slides into 'oo'.Throat buzzes

No timer, no score. Look, listen, and try when you're ready.