"S" or "Z"?

The letter "S" can be pronounced two ways: "s" or "z". Both pronunciations require that your teeth are together and your lips are apart.

"s" is a voiceless (unvoiced) sound (made by forcing air out through your teeth--like the hiss of a snake.)

"z" is a voiced sound (made by using your vocal chords to make a sound like a bee.)

Sometimes, the way you pronounce the "s" can completely change a word's meaning.

For example, when "close" is pronounced with the "s" sound (klohs), it's an adjective, indicating distance.

When it's pronounced with the "z" sound (klohz), it's a verb.

How on earth do you know which way to pronounce it in different words?

Pronounce "S" like "s" when:

"s" starts a word (be careful not to say "e" before the "s" at the beginning of the word.)

Spain (spayn)

score (skor)

slick (slihk)

small (smahl)

sneak (sneek)

steak (stayk)

sweet (sweet)

sunny (SUH nee)

"s" followed by an unvoiced consonant sound.

best (behst)

task (task)

first (furst)

missed (mihst)

lisp (lihsp)

"s" follows voiceless word endings (in voiceless consonants (like "t", "k", "p", "th", and "f").

cats (cats)

lips (lihps)

blocks (blahks)

coats (kohts)

walks (wahk)

laughs (lafs)

breaths (brehths)

words include "sc." They can be pronounced as "s" OR "sk":

Usually (but not always) pronounced as "s" sound when in the middle of a word

muscle (MUH suhl)

descend (duh SEHND)

bioscience (BAI yoh sai yuhns)

However, they can also be pronounced as "z" (so be careful)

scream (skreem)

score (skor)

scare (skair)

Pronounce "S" like "z" when:

"s" comes between two voiced consonant sounds.

has to (HAZ too)

as a (az uh)

laser (LAY zur)

nasal (NAY zuhl)

easel (EE zuhl)

wasn't (WUH shunt)

"s" follows a voiced word sound (consonant or vowel) at the end of a word.

(In words that end in a silent "e", the "e" is not pronounced, so the pronunciation depends on the last pronounced sound in the word.)

frogs (frahgz)

friends (frehndz)

hers (hurz)

he's (hihz)

bills (bihlz)

blues (blooz)

because (bee KUHZ)

goes (gohz)

pies (paiz)

follows (FAH lohz)

days (daiz)

boys (boyz)

Voiced consonants: "b", "d", "g", "v", "l", "m", "n", "ng", "r".

Vowels: "a", "e", "i", "o", "u" and sometimes "y".

"s" follows words that end in sibilant sounds "s", "z", "sh", "zh, "ch", "j"), the plural of that word must be the additional syllable: "uhz".

buses (BUH suhz)

buzzes (BUH zuhz)

bushes (BU shuhz)

rouges (ROO zhuhz)

hutches (HUH chuhz)

budges (BUH juhz)

"s" is located between two vowel sounds, it's more likely to be pronounced "z".

wiser (WAI zur)

visit (VIH zuht)

busy (BIH zee)

Location within words: There aren't a lot of rules to help you know which sound to use, so if you aren't sure, a dictionary or online pronunciation guide will help you learn the correct pronunciation.