Complete /P/ Word List for Parents & Speech Therapists

Charlotte Witts
ESL Teacher
July 26, 2023

The consonant sound ‘p’ is one of the most common in the English language, appearing in around one-fifth of words. 

Although most children can pronounce this sound by the age of around 2-3, some can struggle. They might substitute the sound with a /b/, /f/, or /h/ sound, saying ‘big’ instead of ‘pig’ or ‘fizza’ instead of ‘pizza’, or even drop it altogether. 

This can make it harder to understand what your child is saying, make them appear younger, and significantly affect their confidence, social skills, and even academic performance. 

Luckily, the /p/ sound is both easy to see and easy to teach. 
Simply use the list of /p/ words we share here, ensure your child knows how to articulate the sound, and then get plenty of practice with phrases, sentences, games, and activities. Used alongside the patented Forbrain headset, you’ll soon notice a difference.

Word list: /P/ word list

As mentioned above, teaching your child how to pronounce the /p/ sound is usually straightforward and you’ll see an improvement within just a few weeks. 

Start by reading through the following /p/ word list to show your child where this very common sound appears in real-life language to kickstart their home speech therapy with ease. 

We’ve included words where this sound appears at the beginning (initial /p/), middle (medial /p/), or end (final /p/) to ensure you have a comprehensive resource you can turn to whenever you need to practice. 

What is the /p/ sound?

The /p/ sound is known as a voiceless bilabial stop. 

This means that when this sound is pronounced correctly, the vocal cords are not vibrating (voiceless), both lips are pressed together (bilabial) and the air is briefly blocked when leaving the lungs. 

Interestingly, this sound is the counterpart to the voiced /b/ sound. Both /p/ and /b/ are articulated in a similar way but with the /b/ sound the vocal cords are vibrating and with /p/ they are not. Therefore, if your child can pronounce the /b/ sound, you could try asking them to say the word ‘bee’ but then ‘turn their vocal cords off’ and say ‘pea’ instead. 

We’ll be sharing more guidance on how to help your child confidently pronounce the /p/ sound later in this article so stay tuned. 

Here is our list of the most common, child-friendly /p/ words.

Further /P/ sound word practice using short phrases and sentences

If you’ve been using the above /p/ word list, your child should already find it easier to pronounce this sound when it appears on its own. 

However, many of the problems children experience with this sound aren’t actually the sound itself, but transitioning from one sound to another. For example, words that contain the /pr/ or /pl/ sound blend can be much more challenging as they require much better control of the speech organs. 

The best way to improve is to provide your child with plenty of practice. You can do this by using the scientifically proven Forbrain headset, alongside the word lists, phrases, sentences, and games we provide here. This will help them master these sound transitions while boosting their confidence and overall communication fluency. 

Here at Forbrain, we’ve created a free home speech therapy program that can help you do exactly that. 

• First, work through the /p/ word list we shared earlier and encourage your child to pronounce these words. If they are struggling, turn to the articulation guidance we share later on in this article. Repeat until they appear comfortable. 

• Second, use the list of carrier phrases to encourage them to use them to get easy practice using this word in real-life contexts.

• Third, move on to the short phrases and sentences for the /p/ sound. 

• Fourth, play child-friendly games and activities with your child, and make sure you’re reading together a lot. 

• Finally, use our child-friendly, effective Forbrain headset throughout this process to provide your child with the scientifically proven practice they need. 

Carrier phrases 

Carrier phrases are an outstanding tool used in speech therapy to boost confidence, further improve articulation skills, and help your child use these /p/ words in real-life contexts. 

Simply choose one of the phrases, insert a /p/ word, and then encourage your child to practice. 

We highly recommend that you choose words from each of the sub-lists of /p/ words: initial, medial for best results. 

Here are some of our favorite carrier phrases: 

• “I see a…”

• “I found a…”

• “I want a…”

• “He found a…”

• “She found a…”

• “I have a…”

• “He has a…”

• “She has a…”

• “I like to…”

• “He likes to…”

For example, you could create phrases like these:

• “I want PIZZA”

• “I like PRINCESSES”

• “She has a HIPPO”

• “I see a COMPUTER”

• “I found a SHEEP” 

• “He has SOUP”

Short phrases for the /P/ sound

Further improve your child’s pronunciation of the /p/ sound by next working through the following list of short phrases for the /p/ sound. 

Short sentences for the /P/ sound

Once you’ve practiced the short /p/ word phrases above, you can then move onto longer sentences. This will further improve their pronunciation, help them transition more easily from the /p/ sound to other consonants and vowels, and boost fluency, confidence, and overall language skills. 

Games & activities with /P/ sound words

If you’re working on the /p/ sound, your child is most likely young, perhaps even of preschool age. Therefore, the most effective way to teach them anything is to make it fun and child-friendly. 

Here are some of the best games and activities you can try when practicing those /p/ words, alongside the Forbrain headset. 

Play picture sorting

Your child should be able to understand how to pronounce the /p/ sound and see that it is different from other sounds. It’s time to put this into practice with this simple yet highly effective game. Here’s how to play it: 

• Print out flashcards that feature the /p/ sound as well as flashcards with other sounds, cut them up, and then shuffle them. A quick Google search will help you find the right ones for your child.

• Place some of the pictures on the table, face side up. Make sure you have a mixture of /p/ words and words with other sounds. If your child is very young, we recommend that you stick to just a small handful, for example, 4-6 cards. 

• Ask your child to say what they see on the flashcard and whether it is a /p/ word. 

• If they get one right, give them a high five or do a silly dance to celebrate their efforts.

Play the Lucky Dip game

Every child (and adult!) loves to play Lucky Dip and it can be a great way to encourage them to pronounce the /p/ sound effectively. 

Simply find a box or basket and fill it with items that contain the /p/ sound. This could include a peach, a pear, a pen, a piece of paper, a plant, an apple, and so on. 

Then you can cover the box with a blanket or even fill it with shredded paper and encourage your child to put their hand inside and pull out an item. When they do so, ask them to name the item, using the carrier phrase, “I found a [insert word]”. 

Although this is fun in itself, it can help to offer a small reward when they correctly pronounce the word. 

Play Stepping Stones

With this fun game, your child can practice their /P/ sound words and have fun imagining they’re leaping across a river with crocodiles snapping at their toes. 

Simply use those sound cards from your picture sorting game but this time, select only the /p/ sound words. Spread them across the floor, spaced apart so your child can jump from one to the next. 

Then tell your child they are going on an adventure and have to cross the river before the troll under the bridge catches them. The way to defeat the troll is to say those /p/ words aloud as they cross. 

When they reach the other side, it’s time to celebrate together! 

Read books

Reading with your child is one of the most effective ways to improve their overall language skills, escape into an imaginary world, and enjoy some meaningful quality time with them. 

If you can read books that include the /p/ sound, you can also reinforce your home speech therapy sessions and make it fun! Here are the books that we recommend.

• The Three Little Pigs by Patricia Seibert 

• Peek a Who by Nina Laden 

• The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

• Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey 

• Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

• Pat’s Perfect Pizza by F.R. Robinson

• Piggies in Pajamas by Michelle Meadows

How to pronounce the /P/ sound

The most effective way to help your child pronounce the /p/ sound is to learn the correct way to articulate it ourselves. 

Luckily, this is relatively simple with the /p/ sound because it’s easier to pronounce than many other sounds in English and also easier to ‘see’ how our speech organs move to produce this sound. 

The /p/ sound is made by keeping your lips close together and then releasing air from your lungs in an ‘explosive’ way. Your vocal cords should not be vibrating when you make this sound as it’s produced mainly by your lips. 

Pronouncing the /P/ word sound

Let’s quickly explore how this looks in practice. 

Start by choosing a word from the above /p/ word list such as ‘peach’ and then repeat it aloud a few times. As you do, pay attention to the shape of your mouth and lips, how the air flows from your lungs, your tongue and teeth position, and whether you use your vocal cords. 

You should see that you mainly use your lips when you pronounce this sound, making a popping action. Your vocal cords are not used, the air passes from your lungs and quickly escapes between your lips and your teeth remain neutral. Easy, right?

How to help your child produce the /P/ sound correctly

Now it’s time to get your child involved and help them articulate the /p/ sound effectively. Here’s how to do this: 

1) Sit in front of a mirror with your child then make the /p/ sound. You can either make the sound on its own or use one of the initial /p/ words from our complete list. 

2) Encourage your child to watch your lip position and copy you, looking in the mirror all the time. 

3) If they need more help, hold a piece of tissue over their lips and encourage them to say the word again. You should notice that every time they articulate the /p/ sound, the puff of air makes the tissue pop up like a ghost. 

Encourage them to keep practicing, keeping it light and fun as you do so. If you need extra help, watch this excellent video by Peachie Speechie then use the Forbrain headset. 

Using Forbrain to Upgrade Sound Practice

Practice makes perfect! That’s why we highly recommend you practice often, using the scientifically proven Forbrain headset to enhance your child’s learning of the /p/ sound and boost their confidence and fluency. 

Child-friendly, comfortable, and easy to use, the headset will teach your child how to identify the /p/ sound, give them instant feedback via the enhanced auditory feedback loop, and get the targeted practice they need. 

Used for just 10 minutes per day, you could see an improvement in as little as a few days! 

Our revolutionary training device is backed by scientific research, harnessing the power of technology to retrain the brain’s auditory feedback loops. That’s why it’s used globally by professional speech therapists who want to help children overcome their speech challenges, grow in confidence, and fulfill their potential. 

Find out about the science that underpins the Forbrain headset and buy yours today. 

Final Words

Although the /p/ sound is one of the first that children master, many do experience problems articulating this sound. 

If so, don’t worry. This is one of the easiest sounds to master in home speech therapy and within a matter of days, you will see a significant improvement. 

Use the /p/ word list we’ve shared here, practice with short phrases and sentences, play those games, read books, and use the patented Forbrain headset for just 10 minutes per day and you will help them master this sound and grow in confidence.

Charlotte Witts

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Charlotte is a linguistics graduate, ESL teacher, and parent who is passionate about sharing her expertise in speech therapy, language acquisition, and second-language learning so everyone can reach their full potential.

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