lisp

lisp — verb

1. to say the letters 's' and 'z' with a 'th' sound because of the way your tongue

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to say the letters 's' and 'z' with a 'th' sound because of the way your tongue is positioned when you speak

Example

Whenever Ryo said the word 'zebra,' he lisped and it came out like 'thebra.'

lisp + on specific words

The speech therapist praised Emre for practicing his 's' sounds without lisping.

collocation: without lisping

Common collocations
  • lisp when speaking
  • lisp on s sounds
  • begin lisping
  • stop lisping
  • lisp nervously
Synonyms
  • slur

    less specific — means to pronounce unclearly, not limited to s/z sounds

  • mumble

    different — speaking quietly or indistinctly rather than swapping specific sounds

Antonyms
  • enunciate

    to speak clearly and distinctly, the opposite of mispronouncing

Grammar Patterns

lisp + on [specific sound]

lisp + when [situation]

Usage Note

Frequently used in the continuous form (lisping) when describing a habitual speech pattern. Subject is usually a person, often a child or someone with a temporary dental condition.

Common Mistakes

He lisped the letter s.
He lisped when he said the letter s.
'lisp' is intransitive in standard English; you do not lisp something directly.

lisp — noun

Word family

  • lisper
    nounC1
  • lisping
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe difficulties with speaking, but they affect different parts of speech. A 'lisp' is a specific articulation issue — the 's' and 'z' sounds come out like 'th.' A 'stutter' (or 'stammer') involves repetitions or blocks: someone may repeat a sound like 'c-c-c-cat' or get stuck unable to produce a sound at all. 'Speech impediment' is a broad umbrella term that covers lisp, stutter, and any other condition that makes speech difficult to understand. For example, a child might have a lisp that is corrected by speech therapy, while an adult who stutters might use breathing techniques to speak more smoothly. A doctor might describe either condition as a 'speech impediment.'

speech impedimentstutterstammer

Common collocations

Nouns

  • lisp treatment
  • lisp therapy
  • lisp sound

Adverbs

  • slightly lisp
  • noticeably lisp

Phrases

  • speak with a lisp
  • have a lisp
  • correct a lisp
  • write in Lisp

Prepositions

  • with a lisp
  • in Lisp

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Old English 'wlisp' (stammering), which traces back to a Germanic root meaning 'to stammer.' Related words exist in other Germanic languages, such as Old High German 'lisp' and Dutch 'lisplen.' The computing name 'Lisp' was invented in 1958 by John McCarthy as a shortened form of 'LISt Processing,' because the language works by handling data organized as lists.