Back to all sounds
Consonant
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.
Phonetic
zVoicing
VoicedPlace of Articulation
AlveolarManner of Articulation
FricativeMouth Position
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.
How to Make This Sound
Articulation video not available
Watch the Sound
Click the video to watch in fullscreen mode
Example Words
zooMain Example
/zu/zip
/zɪp/buzz
/bʌz/easy
/ˈizi/rose
/roʊz/is
/ɪz/was
/wʌz/ or /wəz/Pronunciation Practice
8 words
Speak the words aloud to get instant feedback on your pronunciation
Quick Practice
3-5 essential words
Full Practice
All 8 words
Minimal Pairs
Listen and compare similar sounds
z
zip
/zɪp/Compare with
Z
sip
/sɪp/z
buzz
/bʌz/Compare with
B
bus
/bʌs/z
zeal
/zil/Compare with
Z
seal
/sil/z
prize
/praɪz/Compare with
P
price
/praɪs/Tongue Twister
Practice: Consonant
“Zany zebras zigzagged through the zoo zones.”
Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation