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.
Also called word-initial SH, SH in the initial position, or SH at the beginning of words.
- 80
- words
- 70
- competing-free
- 1–3
- syllables
Starter set: 48 Initial SH words
One- and two-syllable words with no competing sounds, spread across the alphabet — enough to pick 10–20 targets for a session. The full list of 80 words is further down the page.
- chef
- shade
- shaft
- shake
- shame
- shape
- share
- shark
- sharp
- shaved
- shaw
- she
- sheep
- sheer
- sheet
- shelf
- shell
- shield
- shift
- shine
- ship
- shirt
- shock
- shoe
- shoot
- shop
- shore
- short
- shot
- show
- shown
- shut
- sure
- chevy
- shadow
- sharing
- shelter
- sheriff
- shopper
- shortcuts
- shorter
- shortly
- showcase
- shower
- shuttle
- sugar
- surely
- shareholders
- 01chef
- 02shade
- 03shaft
- 04shake
- 05shame
- 06shape
- 07share
- 08shark
/sh/: 80 words · competing-free 70Generate a Initial SH practice pack
Pick an age band and a theme; the list you just read becomes picture cards with phrases and sentences, a no-prep game, a data sheet and a home letter, every word verified before the PDF is built.
- Picture cards: word, phrase, sentence
- Say & dab game
- Data sheet + probe
- Home practice letter (B&W)
04 · Full listShow all 80 Initial SH words
Grouped by syllable count, competing-free words marked
70 of 80 words contain the target without the sounds children commonly substitute for it
1-syllable · 51
- chef
- 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
- sure
2-syllable · 28
- champagne
- chevy
- shadow
- shadows
- shanghai
- shareware
- sharing
- shelter
- shepherd
- sheriff
- shipment
- shipments
- shipping
- shooting
- shopper
- shoppers
- shopping
- shortcuts
- shorter
- shortly
- shoulder
- showcase
- shower
- showers
- showing
- shuttle
- sugar
- surely
3-syllable · 1
- shareholders
Take Initial SH to the next level
Ready-made, pronunciation-checked practice beyond single words:
About 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.
Therapy guides
Minimal pairs therapy
Minimal pairs examples by pattern, how a session runs, and a worked fronting example.
Read the guidePrint-and-go articulation activities
No-prep drill ideas that turn a word list into a full session.
Read the guideNo-prep teletherapy articulation
Screen-share friendly activities that use the same word lists online.
Read the guideFrequently asked questions
- How many words have /sh/ in the initial position?
- Our dictionary lists 80 initial /sh/ words suitable for speech therapy practice.
- What are some example initial /sh/ words?
- Examples include chef, shade, shaft, shake, shame, shape, share, shark.
- 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.