ER
as in bird
- bird
- birth
- burke
- burn
- burst
- church
Vocalic R Words for Speech Therapy
Vocalic R is /r/ colored by a vowel — the er in bird, ar in car, or in corn. Many students who manage consonantal /r/ still struggle here. Each list below is matched on pronunciation, not spelling, and split by variant.
1400
AR
as in car
- arc
- arch
- are
- arm
- art
- bar
OR
as in corn
- board
- bored
- born
- cord
- core
- cork
AIR
as in chair
- air
- bare
- bear
- care
- chair
- dare
EAR
as in deer
- cheers
- dear
- deer
- ears
- fear
- gear
IRE
as in fire
- buyer
- dryer
- fire
- higher
- hire
- iron
RL
as in girl
- girl
- pearl
- early
- girlfriend
- sterling
- elderly
Why vocalic R gets its own lists
Vocalic R behaves differently from /r/ at the start of a word: the tongue position is shaped by the vowel, and each variant — AR, ER, OR, AIR, EAR, IRE — can succeed or fail independently.
Therapy usually probes each variant separately and drills the ones that break. Use the variant lists once the SLP has identified which contexts need work.
Word pronunciations are checked with the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.
All R word listsTherapy guides
How to teach the R sound
Techniques with published support, why R is a family of sounds, and a realistic teaching sequence.
Read the guideMinimal 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 guideFree · 5 packs to start · no card
Build a practice pack for any of these blends
Pick a blend, an age band and a theme. Every word is pronunciation-checked before the PDF is built, and the picture cards, dab game, data sheet and home letter all come from the same list.
Form pre-filled with/r/Vocalic R
No card requiredNo student namesFailed generations refunded
One pack includesPractice pack
- Picture cards: word, phrase, sentence8–16 verified words, each with its own picture plus a phrase and a sentence for the next level.
- Say & dab gameBig pictures with 10 dots each: 60 practice turns with no prep.
- Data sheet + probeMark 10 tries per word, then check untrained words for carryover.
- Home practice letter (B&W)Simple steps for parents and a 7-day tracker that prints on any printer.
One print-ready PDF on US Letter. Any page you don’t need can be switched off before generating.