Initial SH Words for Speech Therapy
Words that begin with SH — ship, shoe, shark, sugar. Matched by pronunciation, so words like sugar, where SH is not spelled sh, are included.
Word list
1-syllable
- chef
- sean
- shade
- shades
- shaft
- shake
- shall
- shame
- shape
- shaped
- shapes
- share
- shared
- shares
- shark
- sharp
- shaved
- shaw
- she
- shed
- sheep
- sheer
- sheet
- sheets
- shelf
- shell
- shield
- shift
- shine
- ship
- shipped
- ships
- shirt
- shirts
- shock
- shoe
- shoes
- shoot
- shop
- shops
- shore
- short
- shorts
- shot
- shots
- should
- show
- showed
- shown
- shows
- shut
- sri
- sure
2-syllable
- champagne
- charlotte
- chevy
- shadow
- shadows
- shanghai
- shareware
- sharing
- sharon
- shelter
- shepherd
- sheriff
- shipment
- shipments
- shipping
- shooting
- shopper
- shoppers
- shopping
- shortcuts
- shorter
- shortly
- shoulder
- showcase
- shower
- showers
- showing
- shuttle
- sugar
- surely
3-syllable
- shareholders
Words without competing sounds
- chef
- sean
- shade
- shades
- shaft
- shake
- shall
- shame
- shape
- shaped
- share
- shared
- shares
- shark
- sharp
- shaved
- shaw
- she
- shed
- sheep
- sheer
- sheet
- shelf
- shell
- shield
- shift
- shine
- ship
- shipped
- shirt
- shock
- shoe
- shoes
- shoot
- shop
- shore
- short
- shot
- should
- show
- showed
- shown
- shows
- shut
- sri
- sure
- champagne
- charlotte
- chevy
- shadow
- shadows
- shanghai
- shareware
- sharing
- sharon
- shelter
- shepherd
- sheriff
- shipment
- shipping
- shooting
- shopper
- shoppers
- shopping
- shorter
- shortly
- shoulder
- shower
- showers
- showing
- shuttle
- sugar
- surely
- shareholders
Related lists
Other SH positions
Other sounds in the initial position
Worksheet preview
/sh/: 84 words · competing-free 74Generate a custom worksheet for this sound
Generate your worksheetAbout Initial SH words
90% of children produce SH by 4;11 (Crowe & McLeod, 2020). The usual error in this position is /s/ for SH — ship becomes sip, shoe becomes sue — because the two sounds sit close together, with SH made further back and the lips slightly rounded.
That closeness is what makes initial SH the natural home for minimal pairs. Because the S substitution so often produces another real word (sip, sue, save), the child hears the meaning change rather than being told about the error.
Practising Initial SH
Lip rounding is the cue that separates SH from S most reliably, and it is visible in a mirror. SH can also be held indefinitely, so a sustained onset gives the child time to feel the tongue further back than it sits for S.
Acquisition ages: Crowe & McLeod (2020), American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Educational content — an SLP chooses the target for a specific child.
Frequently asked questions
- How many words have /sh/ in the initial position?
- Our dictionary lists 84 initial /sh/ words suitable for speech therapy practice.
- What are some example initial /sh/ words?
- Examples include chef, sean, shade, shades, shaft, shake, shall, shame.
- Why is sugar on the initial SH list?
- Because sugar begins with the SH sound despite its spelling. These lists match pronunciation, which catches the sh-sound words that a search for the letters sh would miss.
- What is the difference between S and SH?
- /s/ is made with the tongue tip forward and a narrow airstream; SH is made further back with the lips slightly rounded. Substituting one for the other is common, which is why they are often practised as contrasting pairs.
When do kids master each sound?
Free interactive checker: pick a sound and an age, see the research norm — all 24 consonants, sourced from Crowe & McLeod (2020).
Open the checker →