How to Pronounce the /z/ Sound

alveolar sounds consonant sounds fricative sounds voiced sounds

In this lesson, we're going to learn about the details of the /z/ sound. Even if you do not have it in your mother tongue, it's alright.

In this lesson, we are going to learn about how we can produce the /z/ sound using the articulatory organs properly.

What Type of Sound Is /z/?

/z/ is a consonant sound in the English language.

How to Produce /z/?

how to pronounce /z/

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 tongue raises a bit upwards and its sides slightly touch the back side of the front teeth. The tip of the tongue is just behind the front teeth. Note that it does not touch the back of the teeth. Also, the uvula is blocking the air passing through the nose. So, the air comes out of the mouth. As it is clear in picture (b), the circle in the throat is red which indicates that we do need to vibrate our vocal cords. So, it is voiced.
In picture (a), the lips and teeth are slightly parted so as to let the air out.
In picture (c ), you can clearly see where exactly the tongue is put. The sides of the tongue must make contact with the roof of the mouth, just behind the front teeth. Below, there are the letters that represent this sound:

[z](bamooz://Course/920?ownerSegmentId=GrammarSegment.6b171040-1bc9-11ed-b420-559927faa0ef):

Zebra /ziː.brə/

Zenith /zen.ɪθ/

Zealot /zel.ət/

Zoo /zu:/

Sometimes when s comes after a voiced consonant, or a vowel: z

Series /sɪr.iːz/

Understands /ʌn.dɚˈstændz/

Pizzas /piːt.səz/

Warning!

Note that we cannot say that everytime we see an '-s' after a vowel or a voiced consonant, it is pronounced /z/. Look:

Thus /ðʌs/

/z/ Sound in 17 Most World Languages

As you can see in the table below, /z/ is commonly used in most of the prevalent languages in the world. However, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Marathi and Korean do not have it. We have provided enough information for you above. So, if you practice a bit, you can quickly learn to produce it like a native speaker. Look:

The Languages	Do You Have It?	Examples
Mandarin	x	-
Spanish	✔	comunismo/mismo
Hindustani	✔	ज़मीन/زمین
Bengali	✔	নামাজ
Portuguese	x	-
Russian	✔	заезжать
Japanese	✔	全部
Vietnamese	✔	da
Marathi	x	-
Turkish	✔	göz
French	✔	zèbre
German	✔	sauber
Italian	✔	caso
Persian	✔	روز
Arabic (Standard)	✔	زائِر
Korean	x	-

Listening

Below, there is an audio file that helps you learn the proper pronunciation of the /z/ sound:

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