Stammering | Stuttering
See also: Coping with StammeringStammering—or stuttering, as it is usually known in the US—is a communication impairment. It is when your speech gets stuck, and you can’t move it forwards. It is not a problem with knowing the word: generally, someone who stammers knows what they want to say, but can’t get the words out. It is relatively common in childhood, but can also persist into adulthood.
Stammering can be a barrier to effective communication, which can cause problems. It is also an issue because of how a stammer can make people feel, including embarrassed, nervous, ashamed or angry. These feelings can lead to lower self-confidence or self-esteem. It is therefore important to understand stammering and know what you can do to cope or manage it.
Understanding Stammering
Stammering means your words get stuck.
Michael Palin - Centre for Stammering
Stammering is the same as stuttering.
The term stammering is more common in the UK, and stuttering in the US. Speech therapists also use the term dysfluency, but they all mean the same thing.
Stammering affects about 5% of children, and about 1% of adults. Some children may spontaneously ‘grow out’ of their stammer. Others are able to move past a stammer if they get the right help, and some will retain a stammer into adulthood despite help.
Stammering can have different effects on speech. These include:
Repeating whole words (for example, “...and, and, and then he left”);
Repeating bits or parts of a word, such as a sound or a letter (for example, “C-c-c-come quickly!”);
Stretching out a sound (for example, “Sssssshe said it would be here”); and
A complete block, when no sound comes out.
People who stammer often tense up their face or body, as if they were trying to push out the word. They may also use behaviours such as stamping, blinking, or finger-tapping to try to get the word out, or do something to try to hide the stammer, such as putting a hand over their mouth.
It is also important to understand that stammering is variable.
It differs between individuals—but individuals’ stammering patterns also vary unpredictably. Some days, or on some occasions, they may be relatively fluent, and on other days, that is not the case.
The Stammering Iceberg
The signs of stammering (above) are very much only a small part of stammering.

Underneath the surface, there is a lot else going on. This includes negative thoughts about stammering, such as worrying about what people will think or how they will react, and concerns about your ability to speak or communicate more generally. This can spiral into negative self-talk (and for more about the effect of this, you may like to read our page on Managing Your Internal Dialogue).
People who stammer may also have strong feelings about it, including anger, frustration, embarrassment, nervousness, guilt, sadness or helplessness. These feelings may come and go, and be more or less severe. They may even cause people to avoid certain situations or activities.
To explain this, an American speech therapist called Joseph Sheehan coined a model called the Stammering Iceberg.
Causes of Stammering
A considerable amount of research has been carried out on stammering. Even with all this research, very little is really known about it or why it happens. However, we know that:
Stammering is linked to brain development, and how we process speech. This has become clear from brain imaging studies. However, it is not related to intelligence or cleverness.
There is a genetic component to stammering. People with relatives who stammer are more likely to have problems themselves. Stammering is therefore not caused by environmental factors, including trauma or parental behaviour.
Stammering is linked to speech speed. Adults who stammer have a less efficient ‘speech mechanism’. They tend to need a bit more time when talking. This means that when someone with a stammer talks faster, they are more likely to stammer. However, simply ‘slowing down’ or ‘taking a deep breath’ will not stop stammering.
Stammering can also be linked to language difficulties. Stammering is a speech problem—that is, it affects the way in which words are spoken or produced. It is not a language problem, which is an issue associated with finding or knowing the required word. However, someone who has, or has previously had, language difficulties may be more likely to stammer.
There are also some situations that make stammering more likely—but only in people who already have a stammer. These include any situations that put people under pressure, such as giving a presentation or speaking in class, being put ‘on the spot’, and feeling the need to make a good impression (for example, in an interview). Stammering can also be more likely when in a group where everyone is talking quickly and it is hard to get a word in.
People do not stammer because they are anxious or shy. People who stammer may be more anxious about social situations, but this is generally a result of their stammering, not a cause of it. However, many people who stammer are confident in themselves, and confident about how they speak.
Certain characteristics and traits may make people feel worse about having a stammer. For example, people who are very perfectionist or self-critical, or who worry about social situations, may find it hard to cope with having a stammer. However, these things do not cause stammering—they are about how people cope.
Effects of Stammering
Both the overt and hidden aspects of stammering can have effects on communication and self-view.
Stammering can be a direct block to communication. It can make it harder to understand what someone has said, and it can also break up the conversation. People who stammer may also use an alternative word that is ‘easier’ for them to say, even if it doesn’t quite convey their intended meaning.
Stammering can also make people less likely to want to speak. Children who stammer may, for example, avoid putting up their hand in class, or contributing during groupwork. They may not want to read out loud or talk much even to their friends.
It may affect both school and social situations. Teenagers report choosing particular subjects so that they will not have to speak as much. Many also say that they avoid social situations where they might have to speak, and particularly talking on the phone. They may ask friends to order for them if they are going out to eat, or to order a takeaway.
Stammering can also have psychological effects. It can affect self-view because people are worried about what other people will think or how they will react. This, in turn, can lead to a downward spiral in self-confidence, and affect feelings about overall ability.
Part of the problem is about societal views about stammering. This may have been worsened by an outdated (and incorrect) study that said that labelling people as ‘stammerers’ would make their stammer worse.
This is absolutely not true.
In fact, talking openly about stammering, and encouraging children to understand that their stammer is not ‘their fault’ is extremely helpful in overcoming negative self-belief about stammering.
A Final Thought
It is important for anyone with a stammer to remember that what you have to say is far more important than how you say it.
A stammer does not have any effect on intelligence or intellectual ability, or common sense. It is also very unlikely to affect your ability to cope with life in general—unless you let it do so. In the overall scheme of things, worrying about what people will think is generally far more damaging for you and your relationships than stammering itself.