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LISTEN |
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/z/.../z/.../z/.../z/...
zoo...these...pens...lazy... |
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The sound /z/ is a voiced, alveolar fricative.
The sound /z/ can be in these clusters.
The sound /z/ is a voiced, alveolar fricative.
- Touch your alveolar ridge (the hard space behind your upper teeth) with the tip of your tongue.
- Breathe out and let air escape your mouth. This should create a buzzing sound.
- Your vocal cords should vibrate.
The sound /z/ can be in these clusters.
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Beginning of a Syllable
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End of a Syllable
<
>
(none)
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/zd/ ("sed") - teased
/gz/ ("gs") - begs /bz/ ("bs"/"bes") - rubs, robes /rbz/ ("rbs") - barbs /dz/ ("ds" / "des") - lids, rides /ldz/ ("lds") - holds /rdz/ ("rds") - cards /vz/ ("ves") - loves /ðz/ ("ths" / "thes") - cloths, breathes /rz/ ("rs"/"res") - bars, tires /mz/ ("ms"/"mes"/"mbs") - seems, homes, climbs /lmz/ ("lms") - calms /rmz/ ("rms") - harms /nz/ ("ns" / "nes") - means, phones /lnz/ ("lns") - kilns /rnz/ ("rns") - horns /ŋz/ ("ngs") - rings |
Spelling:
- "z" - zip, zoo
- "zz" - sizzle, buzzer
- "ze" - maze, realize
- "s" - bags, losing
- "se" - these, rise
- "es" - loves, clothes
Grammar Tip:
The "-s" ending is used to mark plural nouns, possessive nouns, and present tense 3rd person singular verbs. The "-s" ending is pronounced /z/ after a vowel or voiced consonant.
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COMPARE |
Compare /z/ with /s/:
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/z/.../s/.../z/.../s/.../z/.../s/...
These sounds are both alveolar, fricative consonants. However, /z/ is a voiced consonant and /s/ is a voiceless consonant. If you are pronouncing /z/, your vocal cords should vibrate. At the end of a word, the vowel before /z/ will be longer than the vowel before /s/. |
You can hear the difference between /z/ and /s/ in these words.
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1. A. zeal, B. seal
2. A. lies, B. lice 3. A. falls, B. false 4. A. scares, B. scarce 5. A. raising, B. racing 6. A. disease, B. decease |
Practice recognizing words with /z/ and /s/ by taking the quiz below.
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/z/.../dʒ/.../z/.../dʒ/.../z/.../dʒ/...
These are both voiced alveolar consonants. However, /z/ is a fricative and /dʒ/ is an affricate. If you are pronouncing /dʒ/, the air in your mouth should stop before it is released (creating a “harder” sound). |
You can hear the difference between /z/ and /dʒ/ in these words.
You can hear the difference between /z/ and /dʒ/ in these words.
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1. A. zest, B. jest
2. A. buzz, B. budge 3. A. raise, B. rage 4. A. ways, B. wage 5. A. zoos, B. Jews 6. A. chains, B. change |
Practice recognizing words with /z/ and /dʒ/ by taking the quiz below.
Practice recognizing words with /z/ and /dʒ/ by taking the quiz below.
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PRACTICE |
Listen and repeat these words:

words_with_-z-.mp3 | |
File Size: | 786 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
1. zone
2. zoom 3. zipper 4. zombie 5. please 6. as 7. tries 8. jobs 9. begs 10. bores |
11. bronze
12. crazy 13. easy 14. resume 15. reason 16. music 17. because 18. criticize 19. amazing 20. hazardous |
Now, practice /z/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
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1. size - shoes - does
What size of shoes does he wear? 2. kids - visit - zoo The kids want to visit the zoo. 3. composer - pieces - music That composer wrote many famous pieces of music. 4. friend's - pleasant - surprise My friend's arrival was a pleasant surprise. 5. checkers - always - lose If I play checkers with my sister, I always lose. 6. viruses - cause - diseases Viruses can cause different diseases. |
To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
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USE IT! |
Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.
Prepare:
When you choose to listen to music, you can choose from many types:. Think about how you choose the music you listen to.
Record:
Imagine you are giving advice on how to choose music to enjoy. In your recording, describe 3 different types of music and how they influence a person's mood.
©2018-2021, Christine Wingate
Prepare:
When you choose to listen to music, you can choose from many types:. Think about how you choose the music you listen to.
- Classical music
- Jazz music
- Blues music
- Country music
- Rock music
- Hip-hop music
- Rap music
Record:
Imagine you are giving advice on how to choose music to enjoy. In your recording, describe 3 different types of music and how they influence a person's mood.
©2018-2021, Christine Wingate

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