How to Say the Letter S (for People Who Have Lisps)

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Check whether you have a frontal lisp.

   A person with a frontal lisp presses the tongue forward against the front teeth when she makes an "s" or "z" sound.
   
   This may create a "th" sound if the tongue sticks out between the teeth (an "interdental" lisp), or a muffled "s" or "z" sound if the tongue presses against the back of the teeth (a "dentalized" lisp)If this doesn't sound like your speech impediment, skip down to the section below.
2. 2

   Step 2: Bite and smile.

   Bring your teeth together until they almost touch, in a natural biting motion.
   
   Part your lips in a small smile., Raise the sides of your tongue so they touch your upper teeth on the sides of your mouth.
   
   Bring the tip of your tongue up near the upper front of your mouth, but do not touch it against your teeth.
   
   This should form a groove down the center of your tongue, allowing air to flow.It may help to look in a mirror while trying to adopt this position. , Blow out gently and see what sound results.
   
   Pay attention to your tongue.
   
   Make sure the tip doesn't push forward against your teeth, and keep the sides touching your upper side teeth. , If you aren't getting an "s" sound yet, focus on the tip of your tongue.
   
   Move this slightly as you blow until you feel a current of air over it.
   
   When the tip of your tongue is close to the roof of your mouth, you'll likely hear an "s" or a sound close to it.
   
   Don't worry if you can't make an s sound on your first try.
   
   The steps below will help you adjust to the right position. , If you're not sure where to put the tip of your tongue, hold a t sound in one long breath instead: t-t-t-t-t-.
   
   Now blow air over your tongue as you make this sound.
   
   This should get you close to an s sound, and help you identify the difference in tongue position between the t and s sounds.If you're having trouble with this, try saying eeeeet instead.
   
   Extend the duration of the t sound until it becomes eeeeeet-t-t-t-s-s-s-s., The z sound uses exactly the same mouth position as an s.
   
   Just engage your vocal cords to turn it into a z.
   
   You can perform any of the exercises in this section with the z sound as well as the s. , Practice this sound daily until you can produce an s sound consistently, about 20 times in a row.
   
   If possible, practice with a supportive friend or relative who can warn you when your tongue is in the wrong position.
   
   Gradually move on to s sounds in more complex sounds and words, one step at a time:
   Short vowel syllables: ss
   - aa
   - ss
   - aa → sa sa sa (& so so so, etc.) Long vowel syllables: ss
   - ay
   - ss
   - ay → say say say Words with s in the beginning, middle, and end (one at a time): sold skateboard, hissing master, gross pass.
   
   Phrases with several s sounds, and eventually sentences.
   
   Work the s sound into conversation, starting in comfortable contexts. , Self treatment for speech problems has not been well studied, so it's difficult to estimate your progress.
   
   If you are not progressing as quickly as you would like, schedule an appointment with a speech language pathologist (also called a speech therapist).It will likely be very difficult to correct a lisp on your own if you have trouble hearing the difference between the correct and incorrect pronunciations.
3. 3

   Step 3: Place your tongue in the correct position.

4. 4

   Step 4: Blow to make an s sound.

5. 5

   Step 5: Move the tip of your tongue if necessary.

6. 6

   Step 6: Blow through a t sound.

7. 7

   Step 7: Turn it into a z sound.

8. 8

   Step 8: Practice this in increasingly long phrases.

9. 9

   Step 9: Visit a speech language pathologist for further assistance.

Detailed Guide

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