Pronunciation and decoding exercises: \s\ vs \z\

The only difference betwen **/s/** and **/z/** is that /s/ is unvoiced and /z/ is voiced. See Voiced and unvoiced sounds.

The letter "s" is used to spell most words with /z/ and many words with /s/. Many students who are able to pronounce correctly both sounds may struggle with decoding written words. For example, they may not be aware that *goose* doesn't rhyme with *choose*.

More detail can be seen in Advanced decoding exercises: /s/ vs /z/.

## /s/

**IPA consonants**

* with initial /s/:

* with "c": ceiling - cent - cinema - city
* with "s": sad - sale - same - say - scar - school - sea - seat - second - see - sell - send - sense - service - set - several - side - sign - since - sing - sink - sit - ski - sky - sleep - small - smile - sneeze - soap - social - some - song - soon - sort - sound - speak - spend - squeeze - staff - stand - start - stay - stop - strong - study - suggest - suit - sun - swim - swing - symbol - system
* with "sc": scene - scent - science

* with final /s/:

* with "ce": advice - choice - dance - nice - once - twice
* with "s": bus - gas - this - yes

as morpheme “-s” for words ending in /f/, /k/, /p/, /t/, and /θ/:
* plurals: chiefs - ducks - cups - students - months
* third person singular: laughs - thinks - helps - gets
* possessives: staff's - Mike's - troop's - Egypt's - Edith's

* with "se": dense - goose - house - loose - mouse - promise - release - tense
* with "ss": boss - class - kiss - mass - miss

* in mid-position:

* with "c": cancel - concern - decide - receive - recent - society
* with "s": analysis - awesome - basic - fantasy - nuisance
* with "ss": assign - assume - lesson - missing - necessary - possible

* homophones: C - sea - see; cell - sell; cent - scent - sent; cite - site - sight; scene - seen;

## /z/

* with initial /z/: zapping - zebra - zoo;
* with final /z/:

* with "s": as - does - has - his - is - was

morpheme “-s”
* plurals: bugs - churches - dens - keys - phones - shoes - toys
* third person singular: comes - drives - gives - knows - tells
* possessives: Alice's - Bob's - Carol's - Dave's - Ethiopia's - Finland's - Germany's

* with "se": advise - browse - cheese - choose - lose - please - these - use - wise
* with "zz": buzz - jazz
* with "ze": breeze - freeze - sneeze

* in mid-position:

* with "s": busy - cousin - desert - easy - houses - music - poison - present - president - prison - reason - visit
* with "ss": dessert - scissors
* with "z": crazy - lazy - razor
* with "zz": dizzy

* homophones: browse - brows; nose - knows; size - sighs

## Minimal pairs

### At the beginning of the word

* seal - zeal; sue - zoo; sync (shortening of "synchronize") - zinc;

### In mid position

* lacy - lazy; precedent - president; racer - razor;

### At the end of the word

* advice - advise; bus - buzz; face - phase; hiss - his; grace - graze; loose - lose; price - prize; race - raise; rice - rise;

* second word is plural: ace - A's; arse - R's; base - bays; case - K's; cease - seas/C's; decrease - decrees; dense - dens; dose - doughs; else - L's; force - fours; ice - eyes/I's; juice - Jews; lice - lies; niece - knees; once - ones; peace/piece - peas/P's; race - rays; since - sins; spice - spies; tense - tens; trace - trays; versus - verses;

* second word is third person singular: dice - dies; false - falls; gross - grows; lice - lies; place - plays; sacrifice - sacrifies; scarce - scares;

* Only in BrE: brass - bras

* Only in AmE: loss - laws

### Heteronyms

* Noun is pronounced with /s/, verb is pronouced with /z/: abuse - excuse - house - use

* close *(adj.)* - close *(v.)*

See also next section.

### Devoicing

When two words are often pronounced together one of their consonants may influence the other. For example voiced /z/ and unvoiced /t/ become /s t/ where /z/ is devoiced.

* The verb *suppose* normally is /səˈpəʊz/ and its past tense normally is /səˈpəʊzd/. However *suppose to* and *supposed to* often are devoiced as /səˈpəʊs tə/ and /səˈpəʊst tə/.

* *Has to* can be pronounced /hæs tə/.

* Care should be taken to distinguish between "used to" and the past tense of the verb "to use":

* Used to /juːst tə/ (modal verb); when something was repeated in the past. *I used to live in France.*
* Used /juːzd/ (past tense of the verb "use"): *I used a desktop PC when I was a student.*
* /juːzd tə/ ("used" as above + "to"): *This machine is used to make ice.*

* The word *newspaper* would normally be pronounced like *news* and *paper* /ˈnjuːzpeɪpər/ or /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/. Due to devoicing it can also be pronounced /ˈnjuːspeɪpər/ or /ˈnuːspeɪpər/.

## Some curious contrasts

The first word is pronounced with /s/ and the second with /z/.

* abusive - abuser; a**ss**ess - po**ss**ess; abyss - abysmal; crisi**s** /ˈkraɪsɪs/ - crise**s** /ˈkraɪsiːz/; divisive - divisor; exhibition /ˌeksɪˈbɪʃən/ - exhibit /ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/; it's - he's, she's; louse - lousy;

These words don't rhyme
* case - phase; goose - choose; geese - cheese; precise - exercise; promise /ˈprɒmɪs/ - compromise /ˈkɒmprəmaɪz/; Arkan**s**as /ɑrːkənˌsɔː/ - Kan**s**as /ˈkænzəs/; lease - please; purpose - pose;

## Variant pronunciations

/s/ or /z/

* opposite - transaction

/s/*AmE* or /z/*BrE*

* blouse - erase - parse

/s/*BrE* or /z/*AmE*

* asthma /ˈæsmə,*BrE* ˈæzmə*AmE*/

## Anticipated pronunciation difficulties depending on L1

### Spanish

Most Spanish speakers cannot pronounce the /z/ sound. They won't even hear the difference between /s/ and /z/. See IPA phoneme /z/ § Spanish L1.

### Other Romance languages

In most Romance languages "s" between vowels is pronounced [z]. For example Portuguese *básico* is pronounced [ˈbaziku], French *basique* is [bazik] and Italian *basico* is [ˈbaziko].

## References

1. ↑ John C. Wells. close, 27 August 2012. See also comments by Beatrice Portinary on 27 August 2012 at 10:55, and Lazar Taxon at 19:31 and 22:01.
2. ↑ John C. Wells. close, 27 August 2012. Comment by John Wells on 27 August 2012 at 20:2.

## See also

* Advanced decoding exercises: /s/ vs /z/
* Decoding the letter S
* Decoding exercises: "ss"
* Decoding exercises: "trans"
* Homophones
* Silent e