How to Say J
Grown-up and child: read this together. Practice in front of a mirror.
Need more than one? Tap + for extra copies (up to 10).
How to do it
- Read the steps together in front of a mirror.
- Practice the sound alone, then in syllables.
- Color a star on the ladder at each level you master.
Teaching tip
J is CH with the voice on. Hand on the throat: feel the buzz.
About this worksheet
A cue card with a mouth picture, three simple steps, syllables to practice, and a practice ladder from the sound alone to talking.
What kids practice
Articulation means making speech sounds clearly. J is made just like CH, with round lips and the tongue pressed up behind the top teeth, but the voice is turned on. J can be spelled j (jar), g (giraffe), ge (cage) or dge (bridge). Many children master J between ages 5 and 7, so it's common to still be working on it in 2nd grade. A child who is practicing J often says d (dump for jump), z or a soft zh sound. These sheets climb the same ladder speech therapists use: the sound alone, then syllables, words, phrases, sentences, reading and everyday talking. Common Core doesn't cover speech sounds, so these sheets have no Common Core code.
Watch for
- Saying d for j (dump for jump). Round the lips and slide the d into a buzz.
- Leaving the voice off, so jeans sounds like cheans. Feel for the throat buzz.
- Listening to spelling instead of sound. Giraffe and cage have the J sound too.
- If your child is hard to understand, frustrated when talking, or not improving, ask a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full articulation: the j sound guide for 2nd grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. All My J WordsEvery J practice word on one page, sorted by where the sound is: start, middle or end. 
3. J Cards: Start of WordsNine picture cards with J at the start of the word. The sheet is the same every time, so two copies make matching pairs.
4. J Cards: Middle of WordsSeven picture cards with J in the middle of the word, plus spaces to draw your own J words.
5. J Cards: End of WordsSeven picture cards with J at the end of the word, plus spaces to draw your own J words.
6. J PhrasesNine short phrases with J words in blue, each with a picture.
7. J SentencesEight real-life sentences with the J words in blue.
8. J BingoTwo picture bingo boards packed with J words.
9. J Board GameA board game with J words and star squares that add extra practice.
10. J Roll and SaySix J pictures, one for each side of a die, with circles to color each time you say the word. Fewer has 3 circles each and More adds a second round of 6 pictures.
11. J Spin and SayA paper clip spinner with J pictures and a box row for each word. Fewer, Standard or More give 6, 8 or 10 pictures.
12. J Practice TrackerA ten-day tracker to record ten tries a day and the practice level.
13. J Read-Aloud StoryOne of ten short stories packed with J words in blue, with a 3-read score and a story retell.
14. J: Talk About ItSix real conversation questions, each with J words to try in the answer.