Updated November 2026
Have you heard of “facilitating contexts?” They have the power to truly revolutionize your treatment of the R sound. That sounds dramatic. Well, it is dramatic… but I promise you it’s warranted.
What Are Facilitating Contexts for the R Sound?
First, let’s give a brief overview of what this mouthful means. A facilitating context essentially means that the target phoneme is next to other phonemes that share similar properties. In our case, we’re discussing phonemes that overlap with R tongue placement, typically in terms of tongue root retraction, tongue side elevation, or tongue tip elevation.
Translation: the surrounding phonemes set the articulators up for success to say the R.
You may also see these called “facilitative contexts.” Same idea! And this one is backed by research. Preston et al. (2020) recommend starting with a small set of facilitating contexts (just two to four syllables) that take advantage of coarticulation.
Why Karla Works, Sound by Sound
More like what is Karla! Karla (or Carla) is my absolute favorite first word for the R sound. It’s one of those magical words that seem to really make it easier for people to produce a beautiful R. Why? It’s a stellar facilitating context. Let’s break it down:
- /k/= gets us started (it isn’t right next to the R, so the next sounds do the heavy lifting)
- /a/= tongue root retraction, low tongue body
- /ɹ/= target phoneme: tongue tip elevation, root retraction, side elevation
- /l/= tongue tip elevation
- /ə/= well… the schwa isn’t the best for R necessarily but /l/ is a good buffer
And it’s not just me! Preston et al. (2020) actually name “Carla” as an example word, since it puts R between a low vowel and an alveolar consonant.
A note for my non-rhotic friends (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond): Karla doesn’t have an R in your accent, so skip down to the “all speakers” list below.
I promise you it’s worth a try. There’s no need to focus on R in isolation first. It’s more than okay to start at syllables or words. Any way that you can get an accurate R (the staRt app is so helpful to make sure it is in fact accurate) is a-okay. Follow your student’s/client’s strengths always.
More Facilitative Contexts to Try
Karla is one of my all-time favorites, but it isn’t the only facilitative context worth trying to elicit the R sound! Try a few, keep the 2 to 4 that sound best, and practice those first. Here’s why each one works (Preston et al., 2020):
All speakers (rhotic and non-rhotic)
- After T or D (tree, trap, drag): the front of the tongue is already up
- Before short “a” (rat, ran): the tongue body is getting ready to go low
- After “ee” (T-rex, earring): “ee” and R both lift the sides of the tongue, and “ee” helps keep the lips from over-rounding
Rhotic speakers only
- After “ah” (are, car, pardon): “ah” helps pull the tongue root back
- After “ee” (ear): same side-lift perk. Try a bunched tongue shape here!
Save any words with the R sound next to “oo” and “oh” (room, road) and the unstressed “er” in feather for later. These tend to be trickier at first.
Want even more ideas? Check out my free R Cue Database.
How to Use Karla in a Speech Therapy Session
Was your student able to say Karla? Yay! Here’s how to build on it:
- Start small. Model “ar” or “car,” then Karla. Only count it if the R sounds good going in and coming out.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. Early on, practice the same target 10+ times in a row with specific feedback (“keep the back of your tongue low and pulled back”).
- Self-rate. Before you give feedback, ask “Was that a good R?” Then tell them if you agree.
- Build a chain. ar → car → Karla → Karla’s car → their own sentence. Move up after 5 of 6 correct. If it falls apart, take a step back. No big deal!
- Fade your support. As they get more accurate, give feedback less often, add more words, and mix up the order.
The self-rating and 5-of-6 rule come from Speech Motor Chaining (Preston et al., 2019).
What if Karla Doesn’t Work?
Totally normal! Every student is different.
- Try another context from the lists above.
- Shape it from “ah” or from L (only if their L is accurate). Preston et al. (2020) note these are often a good first try when you haven’t found a facilitating context yet.
- Give it time. Some students get a beautiful R in session one. Others need a few sessions, and that’s okay.
For more help, check out my R elicitation post and the R Cue Database.
Give Karla a Try!
Give it a go in your next speech therapy session and let me know how it goes! For more help with the R sound you can find me on Instagram or sign up for my VIP emails. You’ve got this!
Cheers,
Lindsey
References
Preston, J. L., Benway, N. R., Leece, M. C., Hitchcock, E. R., & McAllister, T. (2020). Tutorial: Motor-based treatment strategies for /r/ distortions. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 51(4), 966–980. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00012
Preston, J. L., Leece, M. C., & Storto, J. (2019). Tutorial: Speech motor chaining treatment for school-age children with speech sound disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 50(3), 343–355. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_LSHSS-18-0081
