How to Talk with a Lisp

How do you fix a lisp?

Practice the sounds yourself at home. One of the best ways you can work on your lisp is to just keep trying to say the sound over and over. Try looking in the mirror as you do this so you can see the way your mouth looks when you correctly make the sound. That may make it easier to remember how to hold your mouth when you're talking in a normal conversation. You can also ask someone else to give you feedback as you practice the sounds.

See a speech therapist for more help. If you've been trying to practice on your own and you're still struggling with a lisp, consider talking to a speech therapist. They'll be able to give you personalized treatment advice and help you understand what's causing you to lisp. They can also give you specific exercises based on your individual needs.

Try braces or dental surgery if the cause is structural. Rarely, you may lisp because of a malocclusion—or structural issue—in your jaw or palate. If that's the case, your orthodontist may recommend braces or orthodontic surgery to correct the problem. When it's corrected, your lisp may be, as well!

How can I improve my /s/ and /z/ sounds?

Practice saying the sound by itself. For instance, you might say "sssssss," as though you're hissing like a snake. To do this, blow air through your teeth, being sure to keep your tongue back away from the teeth. Do this several times, until it sounds like a clear /s/ sound. Pay close attention to where your tongue is in your mouth when you get the sound right. Then, try to place it there each time you say a word with the /s/ or /z/ sound.

Move to saying syllables and words that contain the sound. Try saying "saa," "see," "soo," "sie," and "sor." Then, try "zaa," "zee," "zoo," "zie," and "zor." Repeat them slowly at first, then more quickly, trying to maintain the correct /s/ and /z/ sounds. Then, move to words that have these sounds at the beginning, middle, and end. For instance, you might practice saying, "sand, master, keys" or "zap, pizza, bows." Listen to yourself as you say different words. If you notice that you're saying some of them correctly, pay close attention to where your tongue is while you're pronouncing the /s/ or /z/ sound.

Work on saying /s/ and /z/ in a sentence. When you feel comfortable saying individual words with those sounds, make it more challenging by moving to full sentences. Pick a sample sentence, then say it over and over until you hear yourself saying it correctly. Here are some you can try: The striped zebra made me sneeze. I eat spaghetti with a spoon. I see a sock. We saw the store.

What exercises can you do at home to improve a lisp?

Bite down, smile, and blow out air. Clamp your teeth together firmly so the bottom row rests just below the top row. Grin as widely as you can without opening your mouth, then blow out through your front teeth. You should hear a hissing "s" sound. This can help you learn to keep your tongue off the front of your teeth if you have an interdental lisp, and it can help you learn to blow the air out forward if you have a dental lisp. To practice /z/, do the same thing, vocalize in your throat instead of just blowing air.

Use a straw and blow bubbles to strengthen your oral muscles. If you have good oral-motor strength, it's easier to control your tongue and oral muscles while you're speaking. You don't need any weights to make these muscles stronger, though—it can be as easy as using a straw whenever you drink something. You could also try blowing air through a party horn or blowing bubbles.

Make an exploding /t/ sound if you're struggling with /s/. Start by repeating a /t/ sound several times, but on the last one, try imitating an explosion. It should sound like, "t...t...t...tsssss." Then, practice stopping the explosion and starting it again, like "tssss....ssss." This can help you get familiar with where your tongue should be while you're making the /s/ sound. Once you can do that, try saying words that end in "ts," like "eats," "cats," and "boats."

When should I correct my child's lisp?

See a speech therapist if your child is still lisping at age 7. Most children will outgrow a lisp by then, so there's usually nothing to worry about if they're younger than that and still speaking with a lisp. In the meantime, discourage them from sucking their thumb, and limit how much time they spend using a pacifier or bottle. If your child tends to drool or drop food out of their mouth when they eat, their tongue protrudes from their mouth, or they have trouble licking their lips, talk to their doctor sooner—they may have a structural issue that can be corrected.

Treat any sinus or allergy problems early. It's important that you see your pediatrician any time your child has an issue that makes it hard to breathe through their nose. If your child frequently breathes through their mouth, they may be more likely to experience tongue thrust, which can contribute to their lisp. Have your child's hearing and teeth checked regularly, as well. Avoid pointing out that your child lisps when it's happening—this probably won't help, and could damage their self-esteem.

Can braces fix a lisp?

Braces might help in some cases, but only rarely. Lisping can sometimes be affected by the position of your teeth. If that's the case, then braces might help. However, this isn't usually the main cause of a lisp, so you'll still probably need to try other exercises, like practicing the /s/ and /z/ sounds until you can say them correctly.

What are the most common types of lisps?

One common type is an interdental lisp. An interdental lisp, also known as a frontal lisp, happens your tongue is too far forward when you speak. This makes /s/ and /z/ sounds come out more like "th."

Dental lisps are also common. A dental lisp, or lateral lisp, also affects /s/ and /z/ sounds, but it happens because air slips out over the sides of your tongue, creating a slushy sound.

What causes someone to talk with a lisp?

There's no single cause for lisps, but tongue thrust may be a factor. Narrowing down the cause of a lisp can be difficult, but the issue is usually physical, not mental. It's thought that if your tongue sits too far forward in your mouth—an issue known as tongue thrust—you might be more likely to lisp, but this isn't always the case. Tongue thrust can be caused by thumb sucking and long-term pacifier or bottle use in early childhood. However, it can also be the result of chronic sinus or allergy problems that cause you to frequently breathe through your mouth. If you think tongue thrust might be contributing to your lisp, practice keeping your tongue off of your front teeth to correct the problem. You might also consult with a speech therapist, dentist, or orthodontist.

There may be other contributing factors, as well. Lisping could also be a result mild hearing loss, especially if you have trouble hearing high-pitched tones. Rarely, it could be caused by a structural problem with your teeth or palate. Some children start speaking with a lisp after they experience severe stress—this might be a kind of regression as a way of coping with trauma.