/z/ is a voiced fricative consonant sound.
So you should feel some friction or vibration between the tip of your tongue and the gum ridge.
You make the /z/ sound by raising the tip of your tongue toward the gum ridge, but not touching.
You should feel a vibration and buzzing between the tongue and the gum ridge.
/z/
One of the most common mistakes in making the /z/ sound is devoicing and turning it into a /s/ sound.
This usually happens at the end of a word.
So the word like "knees" ends up sounding like "niece".
By the way, you should be aware that the /z/ sound is sometimes spelled with a letter 'Z' in English, but it is often spelled with a letter 'S'.
So this can certainly be confusing.
Let's work together and develop the energy we need for the /z/ sound.
D, N, Z.
D, N, Z.
D, N, Z.
Now, add the vowel e.
Dee, Nee, Zee.
Dee, Nee, Zee.
Great! Now, let's try some words comparing /s/ and /z/ endings.
Peas, Peace.
His, Hiss.
Pays, Pace.
Plays, Place.
Fleas, Fleece.
Great! Now, let's try some words that are spelled with the letter 'S' but end with the /z/ sound.
Remember, if the sound before the letter 'S' is voiced then the 'S' is pronounced like /z/.
Trees.
Beds.
Maids.
Leagues.
Hums.
Pays.
Sneezes.
Make sure to try some more practice on EnglishCentral and good luck.
