/z/ — the /z/ sound
the /z/ sound
Consonants · Fricatives
This sound hasn't been scored yet.
How to make it
Like /s/, but voiced — it should buzz.
Pairs with /s/ — 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 - S [s] and Z [z] Consonants - How to make the S and Z Consonants Watch on YouTube
More videos
Words with this sound
Tap the speaker to hear a native speaker say it.
as
/æz/
eyes
/aɪz/
his
/əz/
is
/ɪz/
zoo
/zu/
cheese
/tʃiːz/
choose
/tʃuːz/
days
/ˈdeɪz/
guys
/ɡaɪz/
hers
/ˈhɝz/
high
/ˈhaɪz/
hours
/ˈaʊɚz/
Minimal pairs
Two words that differ by exactly one sound. Listen until you can tell them apart, then say them yourself.
- z
his
/əz/
sus
/əs/
- z
rise
/ɹaɪz/
ðwrithe
/ɹaɪð/
- z
czar
/zɑː(ɹ)/
dʒjar
/dʒɑːr/
- z
as
/æz/
papp
/ˈap/
- z
zoo
/zu/
bboo
/buː/
- z
as
/æz/
tat
/æt/
- z
as
/æz/
dadd
/æd/
- z
as
/æz/
kact
/æk/
Test yourself on this sound
Read these 8 words in one recording. The AI scores every sound and tells you whether your /z/ came out right.