How to tell /s/ and /z/ apart
Practice the difference between the voiceless fricative /s/ and the voiced fricative /z/.
/s/
Voiceless S
sip /sɪp/
A voiceless fricative made with the tongue near the ridge, no voice.
Common mistake: Learners may voice /s/, making sip sound like zip.
/z/
Voiced Z
zip /zɪp/
A voiced fricative with the same tongue position as /s/, voice on.
Common mistake: Learners may devoice /z/, making zip sound like sip.
- •/s/ is voiceless: sip, sue, ice.
- •/z/ is voiced: zip, zoo, eyes.
- •Same tongue position for both.
- •Touch your throat — /z/ vibrates.
Minimal pairs
sip/sɪp/
zip/zɪp/
sue/suː/
zoo/zuː/
ice/aɪs/
eyes/aɪz/