Nasal Speech: Talking Through the Nose
Written by the Inclusive Developmental and Therapy Center therapy team — our Speech & Language Therapist, psychology and ABA staff. Clinical reviewer for this site: Dr Muhammad Suffyan, MB BS (GMC 8023727) · Updated August 2026; this page has changed since our last clinical review.
Nasal speech is a quality of the voice, not a personality. Two opposite problems get the same complaint from relatives: “he talks from his nose.”
- Too much air through the nose (hypernasal). Speech sounds thin, leaky, as if the nose is always involved. p, b, t, d, k, g may be weak. Sometimes a grimace as they try to hold air in the mouth. This is the cleft / palate-valve picture — cleft palate and speech.
- Not enough air through the nose (hyponasal / stuffed). They sound as if they have a permanent cold. m, n, ng come out more like b, d, g — “bubby” for mummy. This is often a blocked nose, adenoids, or a cold that never clears — mouth breathing.
A hoarse, rough voice is a different page: hoarse voice. Glue ear can travel with both — stuffed nose and muffled hearing together.
A cold, or something that stays?
A week of stuffed speech with a runny nose is a cold. Weeks or months of the same quality, with an open mouth at rest, snoring, or weak pressure sounds, is not “he will grow out of the accent.”
Ask:
- Was there a cleft, a submucous cleft (a gap you might not see), or surgery on the palate?
- Do they snore, sleep with the mouth open, or breathe only through the mouth by day?
- Is hearing in doubt — “haan?”, television loud, unclear word endings?
- Did it start after adenoid surgery? (Rarely, removing adenoids can unmask a leak. That is an ENT conversation, not a blame conversation.)
Who goes first
ENT and hearing if it is stuffed, snoring, open mouth, or they sound blocked for months. Speech drills will not shrink adenoids.
Cleft / palate specialist if there was a cleft, or if speech is leaky and pressure sounds are weak even when they are well. We will describe what we hear. We will not date an operation.
Speech therapy for the sounds they can actually make once the plumbing is known: articulation, a clearer model, a way to be understood. We will not promise to “close the nose” with exercises if the valve cannot close.
Do not let anyone sell a course of “oral motor” that ignores a leak or a blockage. If air cannot stay in the mouth, the child is not being lazy with their tongue.
Inclusive Developmental and Therapy Center, Model Town, Multan. A consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes. A short video of ordinary talking — not a recitation — is useful. We will tell you whether this sounds stuffed, leaky, hoarse, or unclear for another reason, and who should see them next.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my child sound like they always have a cold?
That is usually not enough air through the nose — a blocked nose, adenoids, or glue ear sitting with congestion. It is the opposite of leaky, extra-nasal speech. See ENT if it lasts beyond a cold. Mouth breathing and glue ear sit next to this.
What is the difference between nasal and a lisp?
A lisp is S and Z with the tongue in the wrong place. Nasal speech is about the nose valve — too open or too blocked. They can travel together if the mouth sits open, but they are not the same error.
Can speech therapy stop air coming through the nose?
Not if the palate cannot close. Exercises do not stitch a gap. After a surgeon has done what they can, we work on the sounds that are possible. We will not sell hours instead of a review they need. See cleft and speech.
They had a cleft repaired. Why is speech still nasal?
A repaired lip or palate does not always mean the valve at the back is sealing. Hearing and a specialist look at closure come before more drills. Bring operation notes if you have them.
Is this an accent or a disorder?
An accent is consistent in a language community. A leak or a blockage is a quality that makes p, b, m or n hard for everyone to follow, including the family. If strangers cannot understand them, it is worth a listen, not a wait for an accent to fade.
Should we see you or ENT first?
If they snore, mouth-breathe, or sound stuffed for months, ENT and hearing first. If there is a known cleft or leaky pressure sounds when they are well, we can listen and still send you on. A consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes.