How to Make the /G/ Sound

The /g/ sound is produced in the back of the mouth. This guide will take you through the steps to teach or practice the /g/ sound effectively.

Locate the Soft Palate:
The /g/ sound is made in the back of the mouth. The roof of your mouth is the hard palate, and directly behind it is the soft palate, which is the muscular tissue. Run your tongue from behind the upper front teeth backward, and you can feel when the hard palate becomes the soft palate.
Tongue Placement:
To produce the /g/ sound, raise the back portion of your tongue to meet the soft palate, forming a seal.
Voice Box Activation:
Turn on your voice box (make your throat vibrate).
Release the Air Pressure:
The back of the tongue is suddenly pulled away from the soft palate to release the built-up air pressure. Give it a try!

Helpful Tips:

Isolate the Sound:
When teaching or practicing a sound, it’s important not to add an ‘uh’ after the sound. For example, say /g/ not /guh/. Adding the ‘uh’ vowel after the sound can be confusing, especially for children. In speech therapy, this process is called isolating the sound.
/K/ and /G/ are Similar:
Remember, the /k/ and /g/ sounds are similar in tongue placement and airflow. The main difference is that the voice box is turned off for the /k/ sound (e.g., car, baker, back) and turned on for the /g/ sound (e.g., gas, bigger, tag).
Have the child place their hand lightly on their throat while saying these words to feel the difference when the voice box is on and off.
Hum to Activate the Voice Box:
A simple way to practice turning the voice box on is to have the child hum with their lips closed. Can they feel their throat vibrating? This means their voice box is turned on.
Lying on the Back:
To help with tongue positioning, have the child lie on their back on the floor. This naturally draws the tongue toward the back of the mouth. Practice making the /g/ sound while in this position.
Gargling Water:
When gargling water, the back of the tongue is positioned correctly for the /g/ sound. Ask the child to stop the airflow mid-gargle, turn on their voice box, and release the pressure to produce the /g/ sound.
Coughing:
Have the child cough while lightly touching their throat with their hand. This will help them feel where the sound should be produced.

Common Errors:

Substituting /D/ for /G/:
The most common error is substituting a /d/ for a /g/ sound. This is called fronting, as the child is producing a sound made in the back of the mouth (i.e., /g/) in the front of the mouth (i.e., /d/).
To correct this, use a tongue depressor (or spoon) to gently push the child’s tongue tip down and toward the back of the mouth.
Substituting /K/ for /G/:
If you hear a /k/ sound instead of /g/, the child needs to turn on their voice box. Have the child place their hand lightly on their throat while switching between the /k/ and /g/ sound to feel the difference when the voice box is on and off.

Important Note:

Do not practice the sound incorrectly! If after a few tries the child continues to say the sound incorrectly, please stop and reach out to a speech-language pathologist for help. These tips and tricks are not meant to replace the guidance of a licensed speech-language pathologist. More harm than good may occur if a child practices a sound incorrectly.

References:

Hanks, H. (2007, July 14). How to Teach the K Sound & G Sound. Mommy Speech Therapy. Link
Secord, W. A., Boyce, S. E., Donohue, J. S., Fox, R. A., & Shine, R. E. (2007). Eliciting Sounds: Techniques and Strategies for Clinicians (2nd ed.). Delmar, Cengage Learning.

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