Added 9 October 2026
lisp
/lɪsp/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lisp at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
To pronounce the consonant ‘s’ imperfectly; to give ‘s’ and ‘z’ the sounds of ‘th’ (/θ/, /ð/). This is a speech impediment common among children.
Until the age of 10, Dominic would lisp, but this was fixed by a speech therapist.
- To speak with imperfect articulation; to mispronounce, such as a child learning to talk.
- To speak hesitatingly and with a low voice, as if afraid.
Origin
From Middle English lispen, lipsen, wlispen, from Old English *wlispian (attested in āwlyspian (“to lisp”)), from Old English wlisp, wlips (“stammering, lisping”, adjective), from Proto-Germanic *wlispaz (“lisping”), from Proto-Indo-European *wlis-, *wleys- (“rod”), from *wel- (“to turn, roll”). Cognate with Middle Low German wlispen (“to lisp”), Dutch lispen (“to lisp”), German lispeln (“to lisp”), Danish læspe (“to lisp”), Swedish läspa (“to lisp”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)