Consonant

SH

The SH sound is a voiceless postalveolar fricative. It is made by bringing the blade of the tongue close to the area just behind the alveolar ridge and forcing air through, creating a hushing sound.

Phonetic System (Merriam-Webster):ʃ

Watch the Sound

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Example Words

Main Example

she

Phonetic: /ʃi/

Common Words

she/ʃi/

ship/ʃɪp/

fish/fɪʃ/

nation/ˈneɪʃən/

sure/ʃʊər/ or /ʃɔr/

push/pʊʃ/

special/ˈspɛʃəl/

Pronunciation Practice

8 words

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Quick Practice

3-5 essential words

Full Practice

All 8 words

Minimal Pairs

Listen and compare similar sounds

ship

/ʃɪp/

Compare with

sip

/sɪp/

sheet

/ʃit/

Compare with

seat

/sit/

mash

/mæʃ/

Compare with

mass

/mæs/

shore

/ʃɔr/

Compare with

sore

/sɔr/

Tongue Twister

She sells seashells by the seashore. (Note: This actually contrasts /ʃ/ and /s/)

Try it yourself

Practice saying this tongue twister

Technical Details

CategoryConsonant
VoicingVoiceless (Placeholder)
Place of ArticulationPost-alveolar (Placeholder)
Manner of ArticulationFricative (Placeholder)
Mouth PositionRound your lips slightly. Raise the blade (the part just behind the tip) of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth, just behind the alveolar ridge (the bump behind your upper teeth). Don't let your tongue tip touch the ridge. Keep the sides of your tongue touching the upper side teeth. Push air out through the channel created, without vibrating your vocal cords.