How to tell /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ apart
Practice the difference between the voiceless fricative /ʃ/ and the voiced fricative /ʒ/.
/ʃ/
Voiceless SH
shop /ʃɒp/
A voiceless fricative, the "sh" sound, made with no voice.
Common mistake: Learners may confuse /ʃ/ with /s/ or /tʃ/.
/ʒ/
Voiced ZH
vision /ˈvɪʒn/
A voiced fricative, the "zh" sound, common in the middle of words.
Common mistake: Learners may replace /ʒ/ with /ʃ/, /z/ or /dʒ/.
- •/ʃ/ is voiceless: shop, she, ocean.
- •/ʒ/ is voiced: vision, pleasure, measure.
- •Same mouth shape for both sounds.
- •Touch your throat — /ʒ/ vibrates.
Minimal pairs
Confucian/kənˈfjuːʃn/
confusion/kənˈfjuːʒn/
dilution/dɪˈluːʃn/
delusion/dɪˈluːʒn/
pressure/ˈpreʃə/
pleasure/ˈpleʒə/