Sibilant describes a hissing sound, like the “s” in “snake” or the “sh” in “hush.” When you say these sounds, air rushes through a narrow space between your tongue and the roof of your mouth, creating that distinctive hiss. Try saying “ssssss” and you'll hear exactly what makes a sound sibilant.

You might hear it used to describe someone's way of speaking: “Her voice had a soft, sibilant quality.” Poetry and tongue twisters often play with sibilant sounds. “She sells seashells by the seashore” packs in so many s-sounds that your mouth can barely keep up with all that hissing.

Writers use the word to describe sounds beyond speech too. A teacher might hear the sibilant whispers of students passing notes. A detective in a story might listen to the sibilant sound of a snake moving through the grass. The word captures any sound that shares that breathy, hissing quality, whether it comes from a person, an animal, or even wind moving through pine needles.

When you want to describe a sharp, whispery hissing sound, sibilant is the perfect word.