213+ S Blends for Speech Therapy - Speech Therapy Store (2024)

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Are you on a hunt for a list of s blends to practice with your child or student?

Then this s blends word blog post is just what you need!

This post has over 213 s blend words that will help strengthen your child or student’s s consonant blends.

Let’s jump right in!

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What are S Blend Words?

Okay first off let’s answer the question, “what is an s blend word anyways”?

As a speech-language pathologist might tell you an s blend word is any word that starts with the letter s and is then followed by another consonant sound.

When there are 2 or 3 consonants put together then we call those consonant clusters.

If that sounds confusing I promise it’s not. Let me explain.

For example, the word “smell” is an s blend word because the initial s sound is then followed by another consonant sound, in this case, the letter /m/.

Now if we removed the letter /m/ from the word “smell” we would be left with the word “sell”, which would be considered just a simple initial s word versus an initial s blend word.

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Target Words– List of S Blend Words

Here’s a list of beginning blends with the s sound for you to use in your speech therapy session or at-home practice.

Blends with S Examples: smart, stack, swap, stomp, snort, slow, spoon, scrap, ski, snow, smile, swim, stand, slime, and small

See full list of words, phrases, and sentences below.

Correct S Blend Production

When it comes to working on the correct production of the different s blend speech sounds you will simply want to focus on first producing the correct s sound and then adding on the additional consonant sound.

The /s/ initial sounds in the English language are made by lightly placing the tip of your tongue on the ridge right behind your upper front teeth.

Be sure to place the sides of the tongue against the upper side of your teeth to allow for the passage of air to go down the center of the tongue.

Then while smiling blow a skinny stream of air over the center of your tongue (you do not want the air to come out the sides of the tongue).

Many speech therapists often refer to the s sound as the “snake sound”. They will have their student pretend they are a snake making the ‘SSSS” snake sound first and then moving on to the next sound in the word.

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What Are the S Blends in Speech?

The different s-blends in speech therapy are:

Sk/Sc: ski, scoop, skip
Sp: spatula, spot, spit
St: stop, stomp, still
Sl: sling, slot, slant
Sm: smirk, smart, smooth
Sn: snuggle, snip, snot
Sw: swipe, swing, swivel

As you might have noticed I’ve put the /sk/ blend and /sc/ blend in the same list because the letter “k” and the letter “c” make the same /k/ sound in the English language.

However, this doesn’t apply to all words. Don’t you just love the English language?

For example, the word “scent” is not an initial s blend because in this case, the letter “c” is silent therefore making this word actually an initial /s/ word.

So my example above applies when the letter “c” actually makes the /k/ sound following an initial s, such as in the word “score”.

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Practice with S Blends Words List

Below I’ve gathered some word lists to help you to get started practicing with your child or student right away.

Some ways to practice include having your child or student say each s blend word one by one as they go through a list.

Using a dot marker can also be a fun way to practice having your child put a dot under each of the s blend words.

In addition, I’ve compiled real-life photos in my s blend list to help your young readers work on their s blend words for speech therapy. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post and download your free 67-paged copy.

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SK/SC Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of S blends for SK and SC blends.

SK/SC Words	SK/SC Words	SK/SC Words
scab	scallop	scan
scale	scalp	scar
scare	scarf	scatter
scavenger	schedule	school
scold	scoop	scooter
scope	score	scorpion
scotch tape	scuba diver	sculptor
skate	skateboard	skeleton
sketch	ski	skin
skinny	skip	skirt
skull	skunk	sky
skydiver

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SP, ST, SL Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of S blends for SP, ST and SL.

SP Words	ST Words	SL Words
space	stab	slam
spacecraft	stable	slant
spade	stack	slap
spaghetti	stadium	slash
Spain	staff	sled
Spanish	stage	sleep
spare	stain	sleeve
spark	stainless	sleigh
sparkler	stairs	slice
sparrow	stale	slick
spatula	stall	slid
speak	stand	slide
spear	star	slim
spearmint	stare	slime
special	start	sling
speckled	startle	slingshot
spectrum	state	slip
speech	station	slippers
speed	statue	slit
spell	stay	slither
spend	steady	sliver
spice	steak	slobber
spider	steal	slope
spike	steam	slot
spill	steel	sloth
spin	steep	slouch
spiral	steer	slow
spirit	stencil	slowdown
spit	step	slug
spoil	stereo	slushy
sponge	stick
spooky	sting
spoon	stingray
sports	stink
spot	stitch
spouse	stock
spout	stomach
spy	stone
	stool
	stop
	storage
	stork
	storm
	stove
	stuff
	stumble
	stump

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SM, SN, SW Words Speech Therapy

Here is a list of S blends for SM, SN, SW.

SM Words	SN Words	SW Words
s’more	snack	swab
smack	snag	swaddle
small	snail	swallow
small talk	snake	swam
smart	snap	swamp
smartphone	snatch	swan
smash	sneak	swap
smear	sneaker	swarm
smell	sneeze	sway
smidge	snickerdoodle	swear
smile	sniff	sweat
smirk	snip	sweater
Smith	snoop	Sweden
smitten	snooze	sweep
smoke	snore	sweet
smoky	snorkel	swell
smooch	snort	swim
smooth	snot	swing
smoothie	snout	switch
smudge	snow	swivel
	snuggle	swollen
		swoosh

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S Blend Articulation Phrases

When working on initial s blend production, it’s important to work on short phrases once your child or student has mastered the sound at the word level at or near 80% or higher accuracy.

Here is a list of s blend phrases to try:

SK/SC Blend Phrases Speech Therapy

Here is a list of SK/SC phrases:

SK/SC Phrases	SK/SC Phrases
scabbed knee	keep score
apple scale	big scorpion
yummy scallops	scotch tape the presents
itchy scalp	fast scuba diver
arm scan	impressive sculptor
scar face	ice skate
scaredy cat	brand new skateboard
wavy scarf	found a skeleton
scattered leaves	sketch artist
scavenger hunt	ski black diamond
new schedule	skin tag
grade school	skinny jeans
scold the dogs	skip class
scoop ice cream	long skirt
bike scooter	dinosaur skull
scope the space	smelly skunk
	blue sky
	brave skydiver

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SP/ST/SL Blend Phrases Speech Therapy

Here is a list of S blend phrases for SP, ST and SL.

SP Phrases	ST Phrases	SL Phrases
space shuttle	stab proof vest	slam the door
spacecraft names	stable health	slanting tree
black spade	stack of books	slap of water
spaghetti sauce	stadium sports	slash a tire
Spain flag	staff employees	sled downhill
Spanish dictionary	stand on stage	sleep walking
spare ribs	stain remover	sleeves rolled up
spark plug	stainless steel	sleigh ride
sparkler candle	climb stairs	slice of pizza
chirping sparrow	stale bread	slick ice
spatula set	stalled car	slid down
speak and spell	stand up desk	play on the slide
spear thrower	stars in space	slim chance
spearmint gum	stare down	wet slime
special Olympics	start up	arm sling
speckled egg	startle reflex	slingshot shot
across a spectrum	state of Washington	slipped on ice
types of speech	station wagon	fuzzy slippers
speed of light	statue of Liberty	cut a long slit
spell check	stay tuned	slithered down
spend money	steady hands	sliver of cheese
spice rack	rare steak	dog slobber
spider-man	steal food	sloped downhill
blood pressure spike	cloud of steam	fit into the slot
spill the beans	steel wool	three-toed sloth
spin the wheel	steep hill	slouch down
spiral staircase	steer the boat	slow lane
spirit animal	stenciled wall	a traffic slowdown
spit on	step back	slug bug
spoiled kid	stereo equipment	slushy snow
sponge cake	popsicle stick
spooky house	bee sting
eat with a spoon	long-tailed stingray
sports clip	make a big stink
stained spot	four stitches
female spouse	chicken stock
water spout	stomach pain
spy kids	built of stone
	sat on the stool
	stop giggling
	easy storage
	white stork
	wind storm
	cook with a stove
	technical stuff
	stumble across the stage
	tree stump

SM/SN/SW Blend Phrases Speech Therapy

Here is a list of S Blend phrases for SM, SN and SW.

SM Phrases	SN Phrases	SW Phrases
eat s’mores	light snack	throat swab
smack into the car	string snagged	swaddle the baby
small dog	snail mail	swallow a mouthful
make small talk	venomous snake	swam in the water
look smart	finger snap	turned into a swamp
holding a smartphone	snatch a cookie	swan dive
smash a window	sneak up on	swap places
smear with dirt	sneaker shoes	swarm of bees
smells bad	he sneezed	sway to the music
smidge taller	snickerdoodle cookies	swear to tell the truth
winning smile	sniffing flowers	break out in a sweat
side smirk	snip the roses	wear a sweater
Mr. Smith	snooping around	Sweden flag
smitten with the boy	snooze in bed	sweep the floors
smoke in the air	snore at night	sweet candy
smoky bacon	snorkel and flippers	foot swelling up
he smooched her	snort when laughing	swim practice
smooth road	snotty nose	ride the swing
chocolate smoothie	pig snout	hit the switch
smudged with dirt	white snow	swivel chair
	snuggled up	swollen thumb

Sentence Level: Speech Therapy S Blends

The next step after working at the word and phrase levels are to work on the initial s blend sound at the sentence level.

For example, you could give your child or student a list of sentences to read aloud while they work on their s blend sound.

Another idea would be to give your child or student pictures with their s blend sound in them and then have them create a sentence about those pictures.

S Cluster Words in Sentences

Below is a list of sentences to use with your child or students.

SK/SC Blend Sentence List

SK/SC Sentences	SK/SC Sentences
His knee had a scab.	The scorpion crawled across my hand.
She weighed the tomatoes on the scale.	The scotch tape ripped.
They put cooked scallops on their tacos.	He wants to be a scuba diver when he grows up.
Their scalps were itchy.	The sculptor loved his job.
He got an arm scan after he broke his arm.	She loves to skate.
She has a scar on her left arm.	The skateboard broke.
The children were scared of the clown.	They touched the skeleton.
She wore a blue scarf.	She sketched the dog.
He raked up the scattered leaves from the yard.	The ski park is now open.
They went on a scavenger hunt.	His skin is dry.
Her schedule was changed.	The cat is skinny.
He starts school tomorrow.	They skipped class.
His mom scolded him for dropping the plate.	She wore a skirt.
She wanted two scoops of ice cream.	They examined the skull.
He got a new scooter for his birthday.	The skunk was too close for comfort.
He needed to scope the lay of the land.	The sky is blue.
She scored a goal at soccer practice.	The skydiver jumped out of the plane.

SP Blends Sentence List

SP Sentences	SP Sentences
He went to space.	The spider is fast.
The spacecraft launch was successful.	He put spikes on his bike helmet.
He drew a spade card.	He accidentally spilled the milk.
The spaghetti was amazing.	She wanted to spin the wheel.
He wants to visit Spain someday.	The spiral staircase is beautiful.
She wants to learn Spanish.	He drew a picture of his spirit animal.
The spare tire is flat.	The baby spit up his milk.
He needs spark plugs.	The apple spoiled.
She lit the sparkler.	The sponge is dirty.
The sparrow flew in the air.	Her costume is spooky.
She flipped the eggs with the spatula.	She ate her yogurt with a spoon.
The baby is learning to speak.	She played three sports.
The asparagus spear is rotten.	There is a spot of juice on the carpet.
The spearmint gum is on sale.	She wanted to find a spouse.
The store is having a special with 50% off everything.	He drank out of the water spout.
The egg is speckled.	He wants to become a spy someday.
She drew a rainbow spectrum.	The boy was nervous to give a speech.
The car was speeding.	She spelled the word correctly.
He wanted to spend the night at his friend’s house.	She added more spice to the latte.

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ST Blends Sentence List

ST Sentences	ST Sentences
The cactus stabbed my finger.	The pot of water was steaming.
The horse is in his stable.	There is a steel plate on the road.
She stacked the books in a pile.	The mountain is steep.
The stadium is full.	He wanted to steer the car.
The staff members are working on a project together.	She drew a stencil of her dog.
He sang on stage.	She took a step toward the tiger.
There is a ketchup stain on his shirt.	The stereo is loud.
The stainless cooktop is broken.	The stick was in the middle of the road.
The stairs are narrow.	The bee will sting you if you hit it.
The bread went stale.	The stingray swam in the ocean.
He stalled having to give his presentation.	The refrigerator was starting to stink.
She needed to stand after sitting for hours.	She needed to stitch her coat.
The stars are in the sky.	He stocked away his baseball cards.
The baby stared at her mother.	There is a baby in her stomach.
The car wouldn’t start.	He climbed on top of the stone.
The cat was startled.	She sat on the stool.
I grew up in the state of Texas.	They approached the stop sign.
They went to the gas station.	He put all of his things in storage.
They took a picture of the statue.	The stork flew in the air.
He wanted to stay home.	The storm was intense.
The doctor had steady hands.	The stove caught on fire.
She ate a steak for dinner.	All her stuff fell out of her purse.
The girl wanted to steal clothes.	He stumbled over a branch.
She sat on the tree stump.

SL Blend Sentence List

SL Sentences	SL Sentences
He could slam dunk the basketball.	The slingshot broke.
The line was in a slant.	He slipped on the rock.
He laughed and slapped his knee at his friend’s joke.	Her slippers are pink.
The tire had a slash.	He cut a slit in the fabric.
The sled is fast.	The snake slithered across the floor.
She wanted to go to sleep.	He got a sliver in his foot.
He rolled his sleeve.	The dog slobbered on her hand.
They went for a ride in a sleigh.	He skied down the slope.
He ate a slice of cake.	She put her money in the slot.
The ice is slick.	The sloth sat in the tree.
He slid down the hill.	He slouched in his chair.
The slide is long.	The turtle moved slowly.
The tiger is slim.	That car needs to slowdown.
They played with slime.	The slug ate the flowers.
She carried her baby around in a sling.	She ordered a blueberry slushy.

SM Blend Sentence List

SM Sentences	SM Sentences
They made s’mores.	She smirked at the joke.
The car smacked into the tree.	Mr. Smith is the best teacher.
The kitten is small.	She is smitten.
They had small talk.	The smoke filled the room.
That boy is smart.	The skies are smoky.
I want a smartphone.	They smooched.
The pumpkin is smashed.	The rock is smooth.
The painting was smeared.	He ordered a peach smoothie.
The dog smelled bad.	The pen ink smudged on the paper.
She wanted just a smidge of cake.	He smiled at her.

SN Blend Sentence List

SN Sentences	SN Sentences
They ate a snack.	The dog wanted to sniff the new person.
Her shirt got a snag.	She snipped the roses.
The snail crawled across the grass.	He snooped through his mom’s purse.
The snake is green.	She hit the snooze button.
They snapped their fingers.	Her dad snores.
The bird snatched a worm.	They went snorkeling.
She sneaked up behind the boy.	The pig snorted.
He lost his sneaker.	The baby had snot on his face.
She had to sneeze.	Dogs have snouts.
They ate snickerdoodles for lunch.	He wanted it to snow.
The mom snuggled her new baby boy.

SW Words Sentence List

SW Sentences	SW Sentences
The doctor swabbed her mouth.	She wore a sweater.
He swaddled the baby girl.	He lives in Sweden.
She swallowed the water.	She is sweeping the floor.
He swam in the ocean.	The ice cream is sweet.
The alligator lives in the swamp.	Her foot is swelling.
The swan fed her babies.	They went swimming.
The kids swapped toys.	He played on the swing.
The bees swarmed the house.	They switched seats.
They swayed to the music.	He sat in the swivel chair.
He swore to tell the truth.	Her toe is swollen.
He started to sweat in PE class.	Nike has a swoosh on its shoes.

Games

Are you looking to add some fun and engaging activities to your therapy sessions?

Games or a fun video game are a great way to reinforce practice while working on your students’ sounds.

Here are a few your students might enjoy!

SM Words Speech Therapy: FREEBIE: BOOM CARDS™ S-Blends Articulation (SM & SN) by SLP on the Charles is a fun game that prompts students to play hide and seek with bunnies to find the SM blends!

SL Blends Speech Therapy: FREEBIE! BOOM CARDS™ S Blends Articulation: Chicken Theme (SM & SL) by SLP on the Charles is a game where chickens escape the farm and students practice finding and saying SL/SP blends to catch them!

SW Blends Word List: OH NO! Articulation Game Cards for higher S-blends (SK, SL, SW, STR, SKR) FREE! by Speech Therapy Tool Box is a great warm-up or last five minute game filler for some extra practice! S-blends included are SK, SL, SW, STR, and SKR.

ST Blend Word List: Articulation Aquarium BOOM Cards: Initial SP and ST FREEBIE Sample by Panda Speech Therapy is an interactive game that prompts students to drag aquatic animals across the screen while practicing the appropriate articulation.

SK Blends Word List (SK/SC Blends): FREE Speech Therapy Game – Articulation S Blends by The Elementary SLP is an interactive fun dice game to help students practice their sk/sc blends.

SP Blend Words: FREEBIE BOOM CARDS™ S Blends Articulation (Water Park Theme): SP & SL by SLP on the Charles is an interactive game to get your students practicing SL & SP blends!

SN Blends Word List: Speech Artic – initial /sm/ and /sn/ consonant blends: Straight-6 Bingo Game by Jackie G is a bingo-style game to practice sm and sn blends.

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In Conclusion: S Blend Worksheets

We hope you have found this article helpful for working on your child or student’s initial s blend sound.

Whether you’re needing s blends word list worksheets for a first grade student or a tenth-grade student these worksheets are perfect for different levels since they include real-life photos they can be used across multiple different age ranges.

Be sure to grab your copy of the worksheets with your s-blend words in alphabetical order by simply filling out the form below.

Grab Your Free S Blends Word List with Pictures Here!

Simply enter your name and email to have this free s blend words list and s blend pictures emailed directly to your inbox!

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