L sound words and playful ways to practice at home
Sound: /l/
Told to "just practice at home" between speech-therapy sessions? Here is a free L-sound word bank plus calm, play-based ideas, designed with speech-language pathologists to support your child's therapy, never to replace it.
Where the L sound is made
Open your mouth, lift the tip of your tongue up behind your top teeth, and hum a la la la sound.
L sound word bank
Words with the L sound at the start, middle, and end of a word. Start wherever your SLP suggested, and keep it light and playful.
Start of a word
- lion
- leg
- log
- lamp
- leaf
- look
- love
- lake
- line
- lip
- lock
- lemon
Middle of a word
- yellow
- jelly
- balloon
- pillow
- color
- sailor
- lollipop
- melon
- tulip
- ruler
- salad
- pilot
End of a word
- ball
- bell
- doll
- hill
- wall
- tail
- owl
- seal
- snail
- pool
- school
- whale
Phrases and sentences to try
Once single words feel easy and fun, string a few together.
- little lion
- yellow lemon
- long ladder
- leaping lizard
- loud laugh
- The little lion loves to leap.
- Lily licks a yellow lollipop.
- Look at the leaf on the lake.
- A lazy llama laughs loudly.
- Leo lost his blue ball.
A silly L story
Leo the lion loved a little lake. He leaped over a long log and landed in a pile of leaves. Then he laughed loud and rolled like a silly log.
Playful ways to practice the L sound
Sound hunt
Look around the room and sing la la la each time you both find something with an L, like a lamp, a leaf, or a lego.
Mirror mouth
In the mirror together, watch your tongue tips lift up behind your top teeth to make the la la sound.
Give it a character
Make the L a lazy lion and let your child sing la la la before each word.
Book points
While reading, point to and say the L words you find together on each page.
Bath and car
In the bath or the car, take turns naming L words like little duck, lake, and traffic light.
Common questions about the L sound
- What are some words with the L sound?
- Start of a word: lion, leg, log, lamp, leaf, look. Middle of a word: yellow, jelly, balloon, pillow, color, sailor. End of a word: ball, bell, doll, hill, wall, tail.
- How do you make the L sound?
- Open your mouth, lift the tip of your tongue up behind your top teeth, and hum a la la la sound.
- When should my child say the L sound?
- The L sound is a later sound to develop, lots of children are still working on it around age 5, and your speech-language pathologist knows what is right for your child.
- How can we practice the L sound at home?
- Keep it short and playful. Look around the room and sing la la la each time you both find something with an L, like a lamp, a leaf, or a lego. You can print a free L-sound practice pack with word banks, play ideas, and cut-out picture cards at https://logopedia-site-ecru.vercel.app/guide?sounds=l.