A sibilant is a consonant sound characterized by a hissing or hushing noise of relatively high pitch and intensity. These sounds are produced by directing a stream of air through a narrow channel in the vocal tract toward the teeth. English examples include the fricatives /s/, /ʃ/, /z/, /ʒ/ and the affricates /tʃ/, /dʒ/. SLPs frequently address misarticulations of sibilants in therapy to improve speech clarity.
Encyclopædia Britannica. “Sibilant.” Britannica Academic. Accessed May 23, 2025.
Jongman, Allard, Ratree Wayland, and Sumiko Wong. “Acoustic Characteristics of English Fricatives.” Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 108, no. 3 (2000).
