Speech Practice for Teens: Working on a Lisp or R at 13+
A lisp or a distorted R at 13+ is a residual speech error: a habit that stayed past childhood, not a deadline you missed. Teens can work on it with short daily practice, recording and listening back, and a speech-language pathologist to teach the placement if the sound won’t come. On SpeechStep, teens practise through a parent’s account.
The short answer: it’s a habit, not a deadline you missed
A lisp or a weak R at 13+ is what clinicians call a residual speech error: a sound that kept its childhood form after the years when most sound differences fade. Residual errors are mostly distortions of S and R, and reviews estimate that about 1–2% of young adults still have one.1
Two things follow. It probably won’t change on its own now. And it can still be worked on, because what’s different is a movement of the tongue, and movements can be learned at any age: first the placement, then enough practice that the new movement wins in fast speech.2,4
Free Lisp Test
A quick listening check of S and Z. A preliminary screen, not a diagnosis, and it never names a lisp type.
Step one: listen to what’s actually happening
For S, listen for a TH sound (“thun” for “sun”), a dull or muffled S, or a wet, slushy S with air escaping at the sides. A slushy S usually needs a speech-language pathologist, because you can’t easily hear or feel where the air goes. The free lisp test is a quick listening check; only an SLP can tell you what kind of lisp it is.2
For R, the question is whether you can make a correct R anywhere: a growl, “er”, one good word. If you can, practice spreads it. If no correct R comes yet, placement comes first, and that’s what an SLP teaches.2
- Do I have a lisp? — the self-check
- Can’t say R? — the R ladder
What practice looks like, and how teens use SpeechStep
- Record and compare: say the word, play it back, compare it with a clear example. Hearing your own sound is the core skill.
- Short daily blocks beat marathons: 5–10 minutes most days.
- Words by position (start, middle, end), then phrases, reading aloud and conversation: the same ladder an SLP uses.
Motor-learning research favours that kind of short, spread-out practice. In a review of treatment research for residual errors in teens and adults, more intensive schedules tended to work better.4,5
On SpeechStep, teens aged 13 to 17 practise through a parent’s account, and the practice itself is theirs. On S and Z, the AI catches swapped sounds, such as a TH where the S should be. On R, it tells you when it heard another sound, such as W, in place of R. When it isn’t confident about a recording, it asks you to try again. TH and L are practice with listen-and-compare.
Ask a parent to set up a free account, then practise on your own
Teens aged 13 to 17 practise through a parent’s account, and the practice itself is yours. SpeechStep is practice, not therapy, and it doesn’t diagnose.
Need a licensed professional? Where to find a speech-language pathologist
When to bring in a speech-language pathologist
See a speech-language pathologist if
Your S is wet or slushy; you can’t make the sound correctly in any context; six to eight weeks of regular practice haven’t changed it; or it’s affecting your confidence, class participation or interviews and you want it addressed efficiently. Speech-language pathologists work with people across the lifespan; teens are ordinary clients.
Online sessions with a licensed clinician are a recognised way to get speech services, school speech services may still apply while you’re in school, and in the U.S. ASHA’s ProFind lists certified clinicians.3,6,7
Frequently asked questions
Can a teenager get rid of a lisp?＋
Many teens can change how they make S and Z. A lisp at 13+ is a residual error, a habit rather than something you missed the window on, and it can be worked on at any age. The usual path is learning the tongue placement, ideally with a speech-language pathologist if the sound won’t come, then practising it into everyday speech.
Is 14 too old to work on an R?＋
No. The tongue position for R can be taught at 14 as at 7, and teens can follow detailed instructions and monitor their own speech. What changes is that the R won’t settle by itself now; it needs regular practice. Most of the treatment research on residual errors in teens and adults is about R.
Can I practise with an app on my own?＋
If you can already make the sound correctly some of the time, recorded practice can help make it automatic. If you can’t make it at all yet, or your S sounds wet or slushy, a speech-language pathologist can teach the placement first. On SpeechStep, a parent sets up the free account, and the practice itself is yours.
What does SpeechStep tell a teen about their R or S?＋
On S and Z, the AI catches swapped sounds, such as a TH where the S should be. On R, it tells you when it heard another sound, such as W, in place of R. When it isn’t confident about a recording, it asks you to try again. It doesn’t detect a lisp, name a lisp type, or give percentage scores.
Ask a parent to set up a free account, then practise on your own
Teens aged 13 to 17 practise through a parent’s account, and the practice itself is yours. SpeechStep is practice, not therapy, and it doesn’t diagnose.
Need a licensed professional? Where to find a speech-language pathologist
References
7 sources from authoritative bodies. Last reviewed October 2026.
- 1.Peer-reviewedFlipsen — Emergence and Prevalence of Persistent and Residual Speech Errors — Review (Seminars in Speech and Language), 2015.
- 2.ASHASpeech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology — Practice Portal page.
- 3.ASHAScope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology — Policy document.
- 4.AJSLP (ASHA)Maas et al. — Principles of Motor Learning in Treatment of Motor Speech Disorders — Tutorial/review, 2008.
- 5.Peer-reviewedShields & Hopf — Intervention for residual speech errors in adolescents and adults: A systematised review — Systematised review, 2023.
- 6.ASHATelepractice — Practice Portal page.
- 7.ASHAASHA ProFind — Find a Certified SLP — Clinician directory.