Voicing is the phonological process where a child replaces a voiceless (sound where there is no vibration / car engine rumble in throat) like “k” and “f” with a voiced sound (sounds with vibration in the throat) like “g” and “v”.

Voiced sounds include b, g, v, z, th(there, them), l, r, m, n, w.

Voiceless sounds include p, t, k, f, s, sh, ch, th(thing, Thor)

Tips that are helpful for teaching a child the difference include:

• Having the child feel your throat as you go between making voiceless and voiced sounds.
• Teaching voiced sounds as the car engine or buzzing bee noise.  When teaching voiceless sounds, telling the child to turn their motor or buzzing bee sound off is helpful!

Examples of voicing include:

• “gat” for “cat”
• “bie” for “pie”
• “pig” for “pick“
• “zock” for “sock”

It is common for all children to make theses errors; however, if the errors persist after the child turns 3, you may want to consult a school / local Speech-Language Pathologist to see if they qualify for services.