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Z
The Z sound is a voiced alveolar fricative. It is made in the same mouth position as the S sound, but with the vocal cords vibrating.
The mouth position is identical to the S sound: Bring the tip or blade of your tongue close to the alveolar ridge (the bumpy part behind your upper front teeth), but don't touch it. Create a narrow groove in the center of your tongue. Force air through this channel. The key difference is that your vocal cords must vibrate, creating a buzzing sound.
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Example Words
/zu//zɪp//bʌz//ˈizi//roʊz//ɪz//wʌz/ or /wəz/Pronunciation Practice
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/zɪp//sɪp//bʌz//bʌs//zil//sil//praɪz//praɪs/Tongue Twister
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