Imagery of complex sounds: what is it for and how to use it?
The complex sounds of French — CH, GN, OI, OIN, ILL, EUIL — pose difficulties for many children, whether they are typically developing, learning to read, or receiving speech therapy. The DYNSEO imagery of complex sounds is a free visual support designed to work on them in a playful and effective way.
What is a complex sound in French?
Before even talking about the imagery, it is useful to pause on what makes a sound “complex.” In oral and written French, we traditionally distinguish simple sounds — like [a], [i], [m], [p] — which correspond to a letter or a unique articulatory gesture, and complex sounds that combine several elements.
Complex sounds in speech
In speech, a complex sound is a phoneme that requires more elaborate articulatory coordination. This is the case for [ʃ] (CH in “chat”), [ʒ] (J in “jardin”), [ɲ] (GN in “agneau”), or even [j] (YOD in “paille”). These sounds mobilize several articulatory zones at the same time — tongue, palate, jaw, lips — which explains why they appear later in speech development and are more frequently affected in articulatory disorders.
Complex sounds in writing
In writing, a complex sound is a grapheme that is written with several letters: CH, GN, OI, AU, EAU, OU, ON, AN, IN, UN, OIN, ILL, EUIL, OUIL, AIL. These complex graphemes are one of the biggest challenges of learning to read in French, a language with what is called “opaque” spelling — that is, where the same letter can be pronounced in several ways and the same sound can be written in several ways. A child learning to read must memorize that OI is pronounced [wa], that EAU is pronounced [o], that ILL is pronounced [ij], etc. This is considerable work.
Why do these sounds pose a problem?
Several factors make complex sounds difficult. Phonologically, they require fine auditory discrimination — knowing how to hear the difference between CHA and JA, between AN and ON, between OI and OUI. Articulatorily, they involve a coordination that the young child acquires gradually. Orthographically, they impose memorizing arbitrary correspondences between letters and sounds. Finally, in terms of working memory, they require maintaining several elements in mind to produce or decode a complete word. Therefore, targeted and structured work on these sounds provides a considerable return on investment.
🧠 Typical sound development in children
Simple sounds (vowels, plosives like P, T, K, M, N) are generally mastered by age 3. Complex sounds come later: CH and J around age 4, GN around 4-5 years, fricatives S and Z around age 5, and vibrating sounds (R) sometimes until 5-6 years. A significant delay compared to these benchmarks may indicate an articulatory or phonological disorder that warrants a speech therapy assessment.
DYNSEO's complex sounds picture book: presentation
Imagery of complex sounds
A complete visual support to work on the sounds CH, GN, OI, OIN, ILL, EUIL and other difficult phonemes. Clear images, thoughtful progression, free use in practice, classroom or home. Accessible online, 100% free.
Access the imagery of complex sounds →The imagery of complex sounds DYNSEO is a structured visual tool around the main difficult phonemes of French. Each sound is associated with a series of images representing words that contain it, organized pedagogically. The tool aims to be both linguistically rigorous (compliance with speech therapy references) and immediately usable by professionals as well as families.
What does the imagery contain?
The imagery covers the major families of complex sounds in French. On the consonant side, it includes the sounds CH [ʃ], J [ʒ], GN [ɲ], the liquid sounds L and R in combination, and consonant clusters (BL, PL, CR, TR…). On the vowel side, it features the nasal vowels AN, ON, IN, UN, the diphthongs OI, OU, UI, and the semi-consonants ILL, UILL, AIL, EUIL. For each sound, several images illustrate words where the sound appears in initial, medial, or final position — a classic progression in speech therapy that allows working on the sound in all its configurations.
Why images instead of lists of words?
The image is a fundamental support for non-readers or children learning to read. It allows working on oral sound without going through writing, avoiding the "I recite" effect and maintaining engagement. It is also essential for aphasic patients who struggle to find a word but can recognize it visually. The image offers a neutral anchor point, accessible to all ages and levels of language mastery.
A design thought out for pedagogical use
The illustrations in the imagery have been designed to be clear, recognizable, and culturally neutral. No superfluous details that distract, no references to a specific time or universe that would limit use. The colors are bright without being aggressive, in line with the DYNSEO charter, which facilitates concentration even for children sensitive to visual overload.
Who is the imagery of complex sounds for?
The tool has been designed to be useful to a wide range of users, each in their own context.
Speech therapists
This is obviously the primary target audience. Speech therapists use the imagery in sessions for articulatory rehabilitation, phonological awareness work, auditory discrimination training, or aphasia rehabilitation in adults. The free access and online availability allow for immediate access without interruption of sessions, and the variety of sounds covered makes it a versatile tool that advantageously replaces several isolated supports.
Teachers and ATSEM
In kindergarten and CP-CE1, teachers work on phonological awareness and learning grapheme-phoneme correspondences. The imagery is an ideal support for these activities: identifying the sound, sorting words by sound, inventing stories that contain a target sound, searching for rhymes. ATSEM can also use it in guided workshops or autonomous corners.
Specialized teachers and AESH
Students in inclusion with learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysphasia) or intellectual disabilities particularly benefit from targeted work on complex sounds. Specialized teachers in ULIS, teachers in IME, and AESH who individually support students can use the imagery as a basic resource or as a complement to differentiated activities.
Families and caregivers
At home, the imagery can be used by parents for playful reinforcement — without replacing speech therapy work but extending the learning. Grandparents, uncles, and aunts involved in the life of a child receiving speech therapy can also take it up to propose rich and coherent activities. In the case of a parent supporting an aphasic relative after a Stroke, the imagery becomes a support for structured conversation.
Professionals in FLE and literacy
The complex sounds of French are a major challenge for non-native learners. The imagery can be integrated into French as a foreign language courses for children, literacy workshops, and UPE2A programs welcoming newly arrived students in France. The neutral images facilitate understanding even without a common language.
When and how to use the imagery?
The tool is designed for great flexibility of use. Here are the main contexts where it finds its place.
In speech therapy sessions
The classic framework. The speech therapist introduces a target sound, presents the images from the imagery, works on production (repetition, naming, sentences with the target word), then on discrimination (identifying the sound among others, contrasting the target sound with a similar sound). Progressing over several sessions allows for solidly anchoring each sound before moving on to the next.
At home with parents
Parents can propose short and playful "imagery moments": 10 minutes before dinner, a little before bedtime, during a trip (on a tablet). The important thing is to stay in the game: do not correct at the slightest mistake, value successes, and stage the activity. A parent accompanying their child receiving speech therapy can ask the speech therapist which sounds to prioritize to remain consistent with the rehabilitation.
In class
The imagery can serve as a collective tool (projected on the board) or individual (printed, on tablet). Teachers often organize activities by need group: one group works on the sounds ILL/UILL, another on nasal vowels, etc. The tool also serves as support for sound dictations, phonological sorting games, and short writing productions.
In therapeutic workshops or SESSAD
Multidisciplinary teams (speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychomotor therapists, educators) working in care services or SESSAD can use the imagery as a common support. A child working on the same sound in speech therapy and educational support consolidates their learning faster.
With aphasic adults
After a Stroke, a head injury, or in certain neurodegenerative diseases, adults may lose access to certain words or the production of certain sounds. The imagery then serves as a support for adapted rehabilitation: naming, reading, repetition, conversation around the images. The applications CLINT and MY DICTIONARY usefully complement this work for aphasic or non-verbal patients.
💡 Tip: the rule of three passages
For a complex sound to settle in durably, ideally three passages are needed: the discovery (I encounter the sound, I hear it, I see it), the practice (I repeat, I recognize, I manipulate) and the reinvestment (I find it in sentences, stories, free games). The picture book naturally accompanies these three stages thanks to the variety of situations it allows.
Recommended educational progression
The picture book lends itself to various progressions depending on age, disorder, and objective. Here are some useful guidelines.
For a typical child in kindergarten
In the last year of kindergarten, we start with the auditory discrimination of complex sounds already present in spontaneous language (CH, J, GN). We play to identify the sound in a word, to classify images according to whether they contain the target sound or not. We are not yet aiming for reading — just phonological awareness.
For a CP-CE1 student
We associate the sound with the grapheme. We work on each complex sound for its oral production, auditory recognition, and for the explicit learning of its writing. The images are used to manipulate the sound before moving on to reading and then writing under dictation. The progression can follow that of the textbook used in class, or a specific progression adapted to the student's difficulties.
For a child with articulatory disorder
The speech therapist targets the deficient sounds identified in the assessment. We first work on the isolated sound (precise articulatory gesture), then in syllables, then in simple words (this is where the picture book comes in), then in sentences, and finally in spontaneous conversation. The picture book provides the material for the "word" stage and allows for natural transitions to the sentence.
For a dyslexic child
Dyslexic children often have persistent difficulties with complex graphemes. The picture book allows for "multisensory" work: seeing the image, hearing the word, pronouncing the word, writing the word. This multisensory approach is one of the most effective documented in the rehabilitation of written language disorders.
For an aphasic adult
The speech therapist adapts to the patient's profile: some need to start with simple sounds, others have retained the production of isolated sounds but struggle with combinations. The picture book then becomes a support for naming and conversation. The tone and choice of words must remain suitable for an adult — neither infantilizing nor culturally out of place.
| Audience | Main objective | Type of activity | Recommended duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool (GS) | Phonological awareness | Discrimination, sorting, rhyme games | 10-15 min, 3-4x/week |
| CP-CE1 | Sound-grapheme correspondence | Reading, dictation, productions | 15-20 min, daily |
| Articulation disorder | Precise production | Repetition, naming, sentences | 20-30 min per session |
| Dyslexia | Complex graphemes | Multisensory, reinforcement | 15-20 min, 2-3x/week |
| Adult aphasia | Access to words, conversation | Naming, exchange | 20-40 min per session |
Possible activities with the picture book
The picture book is versatile: the same resource can support a wide variety of activities. Here are the main ones, classified by objective.
Working on auditory discrimination
Two images are shown to the child (for example "cat" and "ham") and they are asked which one starts with the sound [ʃ]. As the child progresses, finer oppositions are introduced (CH vs J, S vs Z, F vs V). This activity is the foundation of all phonological awareness.
Producing the sound in a word
An image is shown and the child is asked to name what they see, ensuring they pronounce the target sound correctly. For articulation work, the speech therapist can model the gesture and have it reproduced; for general work, success is encouraged and corrections are made kindly.
Sorting images by sound
Several images are laid out and the child must sort them based on whether they contain the target sound or which of two sounds they contain. This activity develops phonological awareness and auditory attention in a playful manner.
Constructing sentences from images
2-3 images are selected and the child is asked to invent a sentence that connects them. Excellent for oral language, syntactic construction, and the spontaneous reuse of the practiced sound.
Reading and writing words
Starting from CP, images and written words are systematically associated. The child can read the word under the image, write it from dictation, or complete the word with the missing grapheme. Transitioning to writing consolidates the learning of the sound.
Creating stories
Several images with target sounds are chosen and a story that incorporates them is invented. This more open activity stimulates creativity, working memory, and narrative language. It can be done orally or in writing depending on age and level.
Playing adapted board games
The picture book can serve as a basis for homemade games: sound memory (finding two images that contain the same sound), phonological bingo, riddles (I see a word with the sound ILL, it is yellow, it flies…). These games transform rehabilitation into shared enjoyment.
The picture book in context: concrete examples
In a speech therapy office
A speech therapist receives a 6-year-old child for an articulation disorder on the sound [ʃ]. She starts the session with a brief exchange, proposes a game with the picture book where the child must find the images whose name starts with "whisper". She introduces the articulation gesture ("the tongue sleeps on the bed"), has the isolated sound repeated, then in syllables (CHA, CHO, CHI), and then the words from the picture book. The child leaves with a few words to review at home with their parents, using the picture book available online.
In a GS class
A kindergarten teacher works on phonological awareness with the whole class. She projects a page from the picture book and asks the children to identify the words that contain the sound [j] (YOD). The children clap their hands when they hear the sound, a simple and engaging activity. Then in a guided workshop, she continues in a small group with sound sorting activities.
At home after a Stroke
A 68-year-old man is recovering from a Stroke with moderate aphasia. His wife, very involved, uses the picture book after weekly speech therapy sessions: they look at the images together, exchange words, and construct small sentences. The picture book structures their rehabilitation moments together, avoids the pressure of a "learning list," and maintains the pleasure of conversation.
In an ULIS class
A ULIS school teacher welcomes children with various learning disorders. He uses the picture book in differentiated activities: some work on discrimination, others on reading complex graphemes, and others on written production. The same resource supports multiple levels of objectives, simplifying pedagogical organization.
« Visual tools do not replace the expertise of the professional, but they multiply its effectiveness: they make tangible what is abstract and free up time for what matters — the relationship, the adjustment, the feedback. »
The complementary DYNSEO tools
The complex sounds picture book integrates into an ecosystem of DYNSEO tools designed for language and cognition. Used together, they cover all dimensions of rehabilitative and educational work.
To complement articulatory work
The Articulatory tracking chart allows for documenting a child's (or an adult's) progress on each sound worked on, session after session. Particularly valuable for speech therapists who follow multiple patients and for parents who want to visualize their child's progress.
For phonological awareness
The Phonological awareness cards deepen the work on the sound structure of the language: segmentation into syllables, localization of a sound in a word, manipulation of phonemes. They are used as a natural complement to the picture book, before or after depending on the chosen progression.
For comprehension and storytelling
The Image story sequencer transitions from word to sentence and to story. It supports the development of narrative language, a crucial dimension for school learning and social communication.
For vocabulary and categories
The Semantic categories bingo enriches vocabulary by working on the relationships between words (animals, food, clothing, etc.). An excellent complement for children with language delays and aphasic adults seeking to reorganize their lexicon.
The entire DYNSEO catalog also offers tools for executive functions, social communication, autism, written language, and memory.
The DYNSEO applications as a complement
Beyond printable tools, DYNSEO applications offer interactive cognitive games that effectively extend work on language.
📱 COCO — For children (5-10 years)
The COCO application offers language, memory, logic, and general knowledge games tailored for children. Several activities directly reinforce phonological awareness and vocabulary — a natural extension of the work with the picture book.
Discover COCO →📱 MY DICTIONARY — For profiles with specific communication
For non-verbal children and adults, autistic or aphasic, MY DICTIONARY offers a communication system using pictograms. Ideal as a complement to the picture book to allow the person to express themselves about what they recognize visually.
Discover MY DICTIONARY →📱 CLINT — For adults (Stroke, mental health)
The CLINT application offers more than 30 cognitive games, several of which touch on language (vocabulary, comprehension, verbal fluency). Particularly useful in post-Stroke rehabilitation, as a complement to speech therapy work with the picture book.
Discover CLINT →📱 SCARLETT — For seniors
The application SCARLETT supports seniors in maintaining their cognitive abilities, including language skills. In the context of an early neurodegenerative disease, it usefully complements speech therapy work.
Discover SCARLETT →Practical tips for effective use
Adapt to the child's level
One of the classic traps is wanting to go too fast. If a child struggles with the auditory discrimination of a sound, it is not the time to ask them to read and write it. The picture book allows staying in the oral phase as long as necessary before moving on to writing. The rule: you only move to the next step when the previous one is stable and automated.
Maintain pleasure and engagement
A bored child does not learn. Vary activities, introduce play, value progress, avoid overly long sessions. A lively 10-minute session is better than a heavy 30-minute session. For speech therapists, this also means accepting to "waste time" playing to better anchor learning.
Use spaced repetition
Reviewing a sound several times at intervals (for example, over several weeks) yields better results than hammering it in over a short period. Long-term memory is built through spaced repetition, not through short-term intensity. A picture book session once a week on the same sound, for 4-6 weeks, is often more effective than 5 consecutive sessions.
Involve multiple sensory channels
Seeing the image, saying the word, touching an object that represents it if possible, writing the word (at the appropriate age) — the more channels you engage, the stronger the anchoring. This is the principle of multisensory learning, particularly recommended for children with learning disorders.
Document progress
Whether you are a speech therapist, teacher, or parent, it is valuable to keep track of the sounds worked on and the successes. This prevents losing the thread from one session to another, motivates the child who sees their progress, and facilitates communication between interveners (if a child is being followed in parallel by a speech therapist and a specialized teacher, for example).
Points of vigilance
⚠️ What to avoid
The picture book is a wonderful tool, but it has its limits. It does not replace a speech therapy diagnosis in case of a proven disorder. It should not become an exam: too much pressure on perfect production can block a child. It should not be used as the only support — the variety of contexts and activities is essential for a lasting transfer of skills into spontaneous language.
When to consult a speech therapist?
If a child shows persistent difficulties with several sounds beyond the expected age (see benchmarks above), if they are poorly understood by others, if they have a significant vocabulary gap, or if they have difficulties in reading and writing despite regular learning, a speech therapy assessment is recommended. The treating physician or school doctor can provide guidance. The earlier the intervention, the more effective it is.
When to consult a doctor?
Some speech disorders may be linked to organic causes: hearing problems, short tongue tie, ENT pathology, neurological impairment. Before concluding a "simple" language disorder, it is wise to check hearing (ENT, hearing assessment) and ensure that no medical cause goes unnoticed.
The link with school learning
Working on complex sounds is not just an isolated rehabilitation exercise — it is a solid foundation for future school learning.
Link with reading
A well-known meta-analysis in pedagogy has shown that phonological awareness in kindergarten is one of the best predictors of reading success in first grade. Children who can identify sounds in words, manipulate them, and associate them with letters transition better into reading. The picture book is a tool for this phonological awareness, in its most concrete dimension.
Link with spelling
French spelling largely relies on the mastery of complex graphemes. A child who has not automated the fact that OI is written O-I and is pronounced [wa] will stumble in writing for years. Working on these correspondences with the picture book, as soon as the child begins to read, is a valuable investment.
Link with vocabulary
By manipulating the images and words from the picture book, the child enriches their vocabulary. They encounter words they would not spontaneously use, explore relationships between words (synonyms, antonyms, categories), and consolidate already known words. Vocabulary is one of the most discriminating factors for long-term academic success.
Link with written language in reading comprehension
Decoding a word is only half the journey — it must also be understood. Children with poor vocabulary decode without understanding, which blocks them in all subjects. Working on oral language with the picture book directly nourishes future written comprehension.
To go further: DYNSEO training
DYNSEO offers Qualiopi certified training for professionals and families who wish to deepen their support. Several themes directly or indirectly relate to language work: support for learning disorders, adapted communication, multisensory approaches. These trainings usefully complement the use of tools to build a coherent and effective practice.
In parallel, DYNSEO cognitive tests allow for the evaluation of different dimensions (memory, attention, logic, processing speed) that indirectly influence language. For a child with academic difficulties, combining approaches is often enlightening.
Classic mistakes to avoid
Confusing sound and letter
A sound and a letter are not the same thing. The word "chat" contains 4 letters but only 3 sounds ([ʃ], [a]). It is essential to distinguish the two levels, especially with young children who are beginning to read. The picture book, with its images associated with oral pronunciation, helps to clearly separate these two levels.
Over-correcting
Correcting the child at every mistake can block spontaneity and create anxiety. It is often more effective to positively reformulate (the child says "chabo" for "chapeau"; we respond "yes, a beautiful hat!") rather than pointing out the mistake. Explicit corrections have their place in a structured speech therapy session, not in daily conversation.
Sticking to one type of activity
Using the picture book in the same way all the time can bore the child and limit progress. Variety (games, sorting, storytelling, reading, writing) maintains engagement and works on sound in all its facets, which promotes transfer into daily life.
Forgetting about transfer
The goal is not for the child to succeed with the picture book — it is for them to speak correctly and spontaneously. It is essential to regularly reinvest the skills in conversation, storytelling, and school writing. A sound well produced in the picture book but not in conversation is not yet truly acquired.
A tool in service of a human vision of care
Behind a simple picture book lies a vision: that of human rehabilitation and pedagogy, accessible, which trusts professionals and families rather than forcing them into rigid protocols. DYNSEO designs its tools with speech therapists, teachers, and families, in the spirit that the best support is the one that adapts to each person.
Free access as a choice
Making the picture book free and accessible online is not trivial: it is a political choice for access to care and education. In many families, educational materials are a significant cost. In practices where professionals already invest heavily in continuing education and materials, a quality tool that is freely accessible is a breath of fresh air.
Digital accessibility
Being online allows the picture book to be available everywhere: in practice, in class, at home, in the car, in the hospital. For a child receiving speech therapy and attending a special school, it ensures that they find the same tool in both contexts — a valuable consistency.
Common misconceptions about sound work
False for some children. Some articulation disorders persist without intervention and become more difficult to correct later. Prolonged waiting can also harm self-confidence and reading learning. In case of doubt, a speech therapy assessment reassures or guides.
False. Speech therapy sessions are too spaced out to be sufficient on their own. Reinforcements at home, in coordination with the speech therapist, significantly accelerate progress. The picture book is an excellent support for this family reinforcement.
Widely demonstrated. Children who enter first grade with good phonological awareness learn to read more easily. The picture book directly contributes to this fundamental skill.
Confirmed. Engaging sight, hearing, touch, and motor production strengthens the brain's anchoring of learning. It is an approach recommended by many references in speech therapy and specialized education.
Testimonials and concrete uses
A private speech therapist
« I use the picture book several times a week. It has become a reflex: I open the online tool, I choose the sound I am working on with the child, and in a few seconds I have a ready-to-use support. The parents, to whom I send the link, can extend the work at home without me having to print anything. It changes the game in terms of continuity of care. »
A first-grade teacher
« For complex sounds, I have always struggled to find a support that is both rich and clear. The DYNSEO picture book meets this need exactly. I use it in the whole class to introduce a sound, then in differentiated workshops for students who need more time. »
An engaged mom
« My daughter is receiving speech therapy for an articulation disorder. Between sessions, I was unsure what to do. The speech therapist showed me the picture book. Now, we spend 10 minutes together two to three times a week. My daughter loves it — it has become our time together. And the progress is there. »
Conclusion: a simple tool for a central issue
The complex sounds of French are at the heart of language development and school learning. Working on them in a structured, early, and playful way is an investment whose benefits are felt throughout schooling and beyond. The DYNSEO complex sounds picture book provides a rigorous and immediately usable support for speech therapists, teachers, families, and caregivers, free and online. By combining it with other tools in the catalog and DYNSEO applications, you build a coherent, multisensory, and human support — commensurate with the challenges of language.
Access the picture book now →Want to learn more? Also discover the Articulation Tracking Table to objectify progress, and the Phonological Awareness Cards to complement the work.
FAQ
From what age should the complex sounds picture book be used?
From 4-5 years for oral work, from 6-7 years for the link with reading and writing. Aphasic or dysarthric adults can also benefit from it with a tone adaptation.
Do you need to be a speech therapist to use this tool?
No. Speech therapists, teachers, parents, AESH, educators can all use it in their own context. In case of persistent difficulties, a speech therapy assessment is still recommended.
Can the picture book help a child learning French as a second language?
Yes. Complex sounds are often a major obstacle for non-native speakers. The picture book integrates very well into a FLE approach for children.
How long should a session last?
10 to 20 minutes depending on age and attention. Short and frequent sessions are better than long weekly sessions. Regularity is more important than intensity.
Is the picture book really free?
Yes, completely free and accessible online without registration. DYNSEO provides many educational tools for professionals and families.
