/s/ /z/ /ʃ/ /ʒ/
The S, Z, SH and ZH sounds
The sibilants are the hissing family. /s/ and /z/ are a narrow, focused hiss; /ʃ/ (sh) and /ʒ/ (measure) are broader and further back with rounded lips. They are also where most lisps live.
Who this is for: Anyone with a lisp, speakers who merge /s/ and /ʃ/, and learners tackling English plural and -s endings.
38 words with IPA · minimal pairs · sentence ladders · free, no signup
Where to put your tongue
- 1For /s/, put the tongue tip just behind the top teeth without touching them, and aim a thin stream of air down the centre groove of the tongue.
- 2Keep the teeth close together. If the tongue pokes through, you get a lisp (a 'th' sound).
- 3/z/ is exactly the same shape with the voice switched on.
- 4For /ʃ/ (sh), pull the tongue slightly back, flatten the groove, and round the lips.
- 5/ʒ/ (measure, vision) is /ʃ/ with the voice on — it never starts an English word.
Common mistakes
- Frontal lisp: the tongue pushes between the teeth so 'sun' becomes 'thun'.
- Lateral lisp: air escapes sideways, producing a wet, slushy /s/.
- Merging /s/ and /ʃ/, so 'see' and 'she' sound identical.
- Missing the /ʒ/ in words like measure, usual and decision by saying a hard 'z' or 'sh'.
Word list
IPA plus a plain respelling — capitals mark the stressed syllable. Read each column slowly first, then at speaking pace.
S sound
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| sun | /sʌn/ | SUN |
| specific | /spəˈsɪf.ɪk/ | spuh-SIF-ik |
| statistics | /stəˈtɪs.tɪks/ | stuh-TIS-tiks |
| scissors | /ˈsɪz.ɚz/ | SIZ-urz |
| necessary | /ˈnɛs.ə.sɛr.i/ | NESS-uh-sair-ee |
| sixth | /sɪksθ/ | SIKSTH |
| asterisk | /ˈæs.tɚ.ɪsk/ | ASS-tur-isk |
| suspicious | /səˈspɪʃ.əs/ | suh-SPISH-uhs |
| consists | /kənˈsɪsts/ | kuhn-SISTS |
| costs | /kɔːsts/ | KOSTS |
Z sound
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| zoo | /zuː/ | ZOO |
| busy | /ˈbɪz.i/ | BIZ-ee |
| easy | /ˈiː.zi/ | EE-zee |
| please | /pliːz/ | PLEEZ |
| cousins | /ˈkʌz.ənz/ | KUZ-uhnz |
| clothes | /kloʊz/ | KLOHZ |
| resume | /rɪˈzuːm/ | rih-ZOOM |
| exhausted | /ɪɡˈzɔːs.tɪd/ | ig-ZAWS-tid |
| boxes | /ˈbɑːk.sɪz/ | BOK-siz |
| choose | /tʃuːz/ | CHOOZ |
SH sound
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| she | /ʃiː/ | SHEE |
| sure | /ʃʊr/ | SHOOR |
| machine | /məˈʃiːn/ | muh-SHEEN |
| ocean | /ˈoʊ.ʃən/ | OH-shuhn |
| special | /ˈspɛʃ.əl/ | SPESH-uhl |
| official | /əˈfɪʃ.əl/ | uh-FISH-uhl |
| conscious | /ˈkɑːn.ʃəs/ | KAHN-shuhs |
| negotiation | /nɪˌɡoʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/ | nih-goh-shee-AY-shuhn |
| anxious | /ˈæŋk.ʃəs/ | ANGK-shuhs |
ZH sound /ʒ/
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| measure | /ˈmɛʒ.ɚ/ | MEZH-ur |
| vision | /ˈvɪʒ.ən/ | VIZH-uhn |
| usual | /ˈjuː.ʒu.əl/ | YOO-zhoo-uhl |
| decision | /dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/ | dih-SIZH-uhn |
| garage | /ɡəˈrɑːʒ/ | guh-RAHZH |
| treasure | /ˈtrɛʒ.ɚ/ | TREZH-ur |
| casual | /ˈkæʒ.u.əl/ | KAZH-oo-uhl |
| leisure | /ˈliː.ʒɚ/ | LEE-zhur |
| beige | /beɪʒ/ | BAYZH |
Minimal pairs
Say each pair out loud, three times. If the two words sound identical, the sound is not landing yet.
sip vs ship
narrow /s/ vs broad /ʃ/
sea vs she
the core sibilant contrast
sue vs shoe
watch the lip rounding on /ʃ/
sink vs think
catches a frontal lisp
peace vs peas
unvoiced /s/ vs voiced /z/
Caesar vs seizure
/z/ vs /ʒ/
Sentence ladders
Start with the single word, then add length. Never move up a rung until the one below is clean.
scissors
sharp scissors
Six sharp scissors sit on Sasha's shelf.
measure
measure twice
The usual measure was a casual decision.
specific
a specific statistic
She cited a specific statistic on the sixth slide.
shoes
shiny shoes
Sure, Sue's shiny shoes seem seriously special.
Tongue twisters for this sound
Practise these with your microphone and get an instant accuracy score.
She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
medium · practise with the mic →
I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop. Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.
hard · practise with the mic →
Mrs. Smith's Fish Sauce Shop.
hard · practise with the mic →
Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
medium · practise with the mic →
Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.
medium · practise with the mic →
Smelly shoes and socks shock sisters.
medium · practise with the mic →
A ten-minute daily routine
- 1. Two minutes on the mouth position, in front of a mirror.
- 2. Three minutes reading the word list aloud, slowly.
- 3. Two minutes on minimal pairs, three times each.
- 4. Two minutes climbing one sentence ladder.
- 5. One minute on a tongue twister — slow first, fast last.
- 6. Record yourself once a week and compare.