/ʒ/ — the /ʒ/ sound
the /ʒ/ sound
Consonants · Fricatives
This sound hasn't been scored yet.
How to make it
Like /ʃ/, but voiced. Rare, and usually in the middle of a word: vision, measure.
Pairs with /ʃ/ — same mouth shape, only the voicing differs.
Watch a native speaker say it
See the mouth and tongue before you record — hearing a sound rarely tells you where the tongue goes.
Rachel's English · English Sounds - SH [ʃ] and ZH [ʒ] Consonants - How to make the SH and ZH Consonants Watch on YouTube
More videos
Words with this sound
Tap the speaker to hear a native speaker say it.
jean
/d͡ʒiːn/
page
/peɪd͡ʒ/
garage
/ɡəˈrɑːʒ/
jeans
/d͡ʒiːnz/
sausage
/ˈsɔsɪd͡ʒ/
usual
/ˈjuːʒuəl/
changed
/t͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒd/
usually
/ˈjuʒu(ə)li/
jeep
/d͡ʒiːp/
jog
/d͡ʒɑɡ/
jug
/d͡ʒɐɡ/
measure
/ˈmeʒər/
Minimal pairs
Two words that differ by exactly one sound. Listen until you can tell them apart, then say them yourself.
- ʒ
composure
/kəmˈpoʊʒɚ/
zcomposer
/kəmˈpoʊzər/
- ʒ
seizure
/ˈsiːʒər/
dcedar
/ˈsiːdər/
- ʒ
brazier
/ˈbɹeɪʒɚ/
kbreaker
/ˈbɹeɪkɚ/
- ʒ
closure
/ˈkloʊʒɚ/
vclover
/ˈkloʊvɚ/
- ʒ
leisure
/ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/
slesser
/ˈlesə(r)/
- ʒ
treasure
/ˈtreʒər/
mtremor
/ˈtremər/
- ʒ
jug
/d͡ʒɐɡ/
rdrug
/drʌɡ/
- ʒ
gel
/d͡ʒɛl/
wdwell
/dwɛl/
Test yourself on this sound
Read these 8 words in one recording. The AI scores every sound and tells you whether your /ʒ/ came out right.