How to Pronounce the "S" Sound: A Speech-Language Pathologist's Guide for Children

One of the most difficult sounds to pronounce in French

The S sound is one of the most difficult phonemes in French to learn to pronounce. It's therefore not surprising that parents are often concerned about their child's acquisition of this particular sound.

Furthermore, along with its twin, the Z sound, it is often a bit mishandled when the tongue decides to get in the way: the child then starts to lisp or "speak with the tip of their tongue."

Since this minor articulation problem can be viewed negatively in society, many parents would like to eliminate it early in its acquisition to prevent it from persisting into adulthood.

The pronunciation of the S sound occurs quite early in a child's sound development. In fact, a child may begin to use this sound in jargon or in certain words even before the age of 2[1].

However, it is a sound that requires great precision in the placement of the tongue, teeth, and lips, which means it can be imprecise or transformed until a child reaches the age of 6-7.

It is therefore normal for several transformations to be observed between the ages of 2 and 7. Indeed, when a child is younger, they may replace the S sound with another sound (e.g., "soupe" becomes "toupe").

As they get older, it is mainly a simple imprecision that remains because the tongue is too far forward during pronunciation (between the teeth instead of behind them).

When to be concerned?

While it is necessary and prudent to allow the child time to develop the maturity needed to master the pronunciation of the S sound, it might be relevant to consult a speech therapist in these situations:

• If your child is over 3 years old and "blocks the air" when saying words with the S sound (e.g., almost always replaces S with T, as in the example above, where Soup becomes Toup)

• If they are over 5 years old and their tongue often stays between their teeth when saying the S sound and other sounds like T, D, N, and Z. In this case, your child may also be quite difficult to understand when speaking.

• If the S sound is still imprecise and pronounced "with the tip of the tongue" after the age of 7.

• If air seems to escape from the sides of the tongue when they pronounce their S, rather than creating friction between the teeth (somewhat like a serpent's hiss), at any age.

How to work on it?

Before consulting and to help you understand how to pronounce the S sound correctly, the Symbolicone team has put together a free sheet for you that simply explains 3 important things to know:

1. The phonetic characteristics of the S sound (placement of the mouth, lips, and teeth, vocal cord vibration, etc.)

2. A sound that can be associated with it

3. A gestural reminder

   … As a bonus, a list of illustrated words containing the S sound

Exercises to practice it:

Now that you know everything (or almost everything) about the S sound, you can do this little activity that we offer you for free. Take the opportunity to notice how your child pronounces the S, and if they do it correctly, don't hesitate to praise them!

Have fun!