LoginHow to Pronounce the /ʃ/ Sound
Explore the /ʃ/ sound, a key phoneme in English phonology. Learn its articulation, auditory features, and role in distinguishing words.
In this lesson, we are going to learn all there is about how we can produce the /ʃ/ sound using the appropriate articulatory organs.
What Type of Sound Is /ʃ/?
/ʃ/ is a consonant in the English language.
How to Produce /ʃ/?
Mouth and Vocal Tract Configuration for /ʃ/
As you can see in picture (b), the tongue plays a major part in the production of this sound. In order to produce this sound, the middle part of the tongue raises and gets close to the roof of the mouth. The sides of the tongue touch the roof of the mouth. The tip of the tongue is directed downwards and it is just behind the back of the front teeth. Note that the uvula has blocked the air passing through to the nose. If you pay attention to the throat, the circle is grey indicating that we do not need to use our vocal cords. So, it is voiceless.
As you can see in picture (a), the lips are parted and the teeth are slightly touching. Note that when we are producing this sound, the corners of the lips are directed downwards a bit.
In picture (c), you can see where exactly the sides of the tongue touch the roof of the mouth. It is right behind the upper front teeth.
Which Letters are Pronounced as /ʃ/?
The sound /ʃ/ is represented by the following letters:
Pie Chart of the Letters that Make the /ʃ/ Sound
- sh:
- t:
na
par
cau
- ch:
- c:
o
so
suffi
- ss:
a
i
ti
- s:
expan
/ʃ/ Sound in the Most Common World Languages
In the table below, you can see that several of the most common world languages have this sound. Check it out:
| Language | Existence | Example |
|---|---|---|
| *Mandarin | ✔ | 是 (shì) |
| Spanish | X | - |
| Hindi | ✔ | शक |
| Bengali | ✔ | সব |
| Portuguese | ✔ | xamã |
| *Russian | ✔ | шар |
| *Japanese | ✔ | しろ |
| Vietnamese | X | - |
| Turkish | ✔ | güneş |
| French | ✔ | cher |
| German | ✔ | schön |
| Italian | ✔ | fasce |
| Persian | ✔ | شاه |
| Arabic (Standard) | ✔ | شمس |
| *Korean | ✔ | 시 |
| Indonesian | ✔ | syak |
| Filipino | ✔ | siyempre |
| Hungarian | ✔ | segítség |
| Dutch | ✔ | sjabloon |
| Polish | ✔ | siano |
| Romanian | ✔ | șefi |
| Swedish | ✔ | kjol |
| Czech | ✔ | kaše |
| Greek | ✔ | ασσιήμια |
| Ukrainian | ✔ | шахи |
| Urdu | ✔ | شکریہ |
* The sound is similar, but it is not identical.
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