The sounds of s and z can be confusing for people who are trying to improve their spoken American English. Here are a few tips for pronouncing these sounds correctly.

Tongue position

The s and the z are made with the same tongue position. The tip of the tongue is behind your upper gum ridge. The tongue is pointed and slightly curved up.

Voicing

The difference is that s is a voiceless sound. Your vocal chords are relaxed when you make the s sound. The z is a voiced sound. Your vocal chords vibrate when you make the z sound.

Spelling

Here are some common spellings for the s sound.

s: some, yes, must
ss: class, discuss
c: cent, city, nice, place
sc: science, scenery
x: next, taxi (the x sounds like ks)

Here are some common spellings for the z sound.

z: size, prize, quiz
zz: dizzy, blizzard
s: busy, because, easy, visit
se: these, cause, lose
s: plays, goes, does, girl's

Notice that an "s" often has the z sound!

Practice Phrases

Here are some phrases you can use to practice pronouncing the z and the s sound.

In these phrases the "s" in each word has a z sound.

1. goes away
2. close the door
3. noisy neighborhood
4. doesn't he?
5. easy does it
6. use these
7. always late
8. comes early
9. popular music
10. early riser

In these phrases the "s" in each word has the s sound.

1. six sisters
2. ask her
3. this summer
4. stop sign
5. good price
6. my place
7. recent event
8. exercise daily
9. nice city
10. eats rice

Pronouncing these phrases will help you reduce your accent as you practice the sounds of z & s in American English.

Susan Ryan is an American English pronunciation and accent reduction instructor in Washington, D.C. Visit her Accent Reduction Classroom to learn more strategies for improving your pronunciation. Or join the thousands of learners who have taken her free online Accent Reduction Course.