Practice and retention for nonwords were studied in 20 adults who do and do not stutter (n=10). Participants repeated nonwords varying in phonological properties and tested twice with one hour gap between sessions. The AWS showed a significantly lower probability of correct responses with increase in nonword length and complexity. Differences were noted between the AWS and the control group in movement variability at the different levels of nonword length. Implications for speech motor control and phonemic encoding processes in speech production are discussed.