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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.
ʃ
Phonetic System (Merriam-Webster):
ʃWatch 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/Minimal Pairs
Listen and compare similar sounds
ʃ
ship
/ʃɪp/Compare with
S
sip
/sɪp/ʃ
sheet
/ʃit/Compare with
S
seat
/sit/ʃ
mash
/mæʃ/Compare with
M
mass
/mæs/ʃ
shore
/ʃɔr/Compare with
S
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.