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English Pronunciation: How to Pronounce S 

This practice page is for people who struggle with the regular S sound. Read about English pronunciation of S and Z sounds.

The S Sound:  Make the S by lightly placing your tongue near the top of your mouth on the ridge behind your front teeth. The air should pass over the top of the tongue in an even way. The tongue is relaxed. While making the sound, do not press or tense the tongue--let it naturally lower slightly as air passes over. Sometimes people develop a whistle or slight lisp on S because the tongue is not even.

Everyone's mouth is different, and the position of your teeth can also affect your S sound by forcing your tongue to be off center. You may have to practice until you find the position that works for you.

The S sound is all about the free flow of air over the tongue. Record yourself and listen to see if the sound seems blocked. This can mean that your tongue is too tense, that it's pushing up on the top of your mouth (which stops the air) or that it is touching  your front teeth. The tongue should be in a relaxed, neutral position toward the top of the mouth.


Practice for the S Sound

The S sound is about positioning. You have to practice regularly in order to teach your body the new physical position.

1. Breathe in deeply and then breathe out slowly through your mouth. The S sound is created by the movement of air--first you want to make sure your air is flowing.

2. Say "ssssssss" for as long as you can. Make the sound loudly so that you can really feel the position of your tongue. Notice any "blocked" or "whistling" sound and correct your position until the S sound is smooth and clear. Then repeat "sssssssss" several times to teach your body the position.

3. Use the list below of common S words to repeatedly practice the sound.

4. After using the list, read from a book and concentrate on holding your correct S position while reading S words inside sentences.


sack
 serve
 system
 solar
 spring
 accept
sad
 set
 sit
 soil
 spree
 access
saddle
 six
 school
 soldier
 sprain
 process
safe
 simple
 sketch
 soy
 street
 procedures
sail
 silver
 skill
 song
 stay
 stations
salt
 sincere
 so
 soothe
 star
 stains
sand
 single
 soft
 soon
 cent
 smells
same
 sink
 some
 soup
 city
 senses
sell
 sister
 sofa
 suit
 success
 sleeps


To make the Z sound, you want to use the same position, but the tongue is a little tense which creates the vibration, like a buzzing  bee.
Continue Learning


S and Z Story

More S and Z Practice

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