The Letter S

"S" is the nineteenth letter in the English alphabet. It is a consonant.

Consonants are the letters that are produced by stopping the letter from flowing easily.

Uppercase Form	S
Lowercase	s
Name	ess (pronounced /ˈɛs/)
Common Sounds	/s/, /z/, /Ø/

Pie Chart of "s" Pronunciation in American English

The Letter S: Sounds

The letter "s" has three common sounds:

Common Sounds

Sound 1: /s/

"s" mainly sounds /s/:

sun /sʌn/

skeleton /ˈskelɪtn/

mouse /maʊs/

oscar /ˈɑskɚ/

Sound 2: /z/

"s" can also sound /z/:

is /ɪz/

music /ˈmjuːzɪk/

mosaic /moʊˈzeɪ.ɪk/

Sound 3: /Ø/

Sometimes, the letter "s" is silent, mostly in loanwords:

isle /aɪl/

island /ˈaɪlənd/

bourgeois /ˌbʊrˈʒwɑː/

apropos /ˌæprəˈpoʊ/

Other Sounds

Sound 4: /ʒ/

"s" after "ure," "ual" sounds /ʒ/:

casual /ˈkæʒuəl/

measure /ˈmeʒər/

treasure /ˈtreʒər/

Asia /ˈeɪʒə/

Sound 5: /ʃ/

The letter "s" also sounds /ʃ/:

sugar /ˈʃʊɡər/

expansion /ɪkˈspænʃn/

dimension /dɪˈmenʃn/

tension /ˈtenʃn/

The Letter S: Multigraphs

Letter "s" can also appear in combinations with other letters (mainly consonants):

ss

"ss" commonly has three sounds:

/s/
/z/
/ʃ/

1. "ss" sounds /s/:

dress /dres/

princess /ˈprɪnses/

compass /ˈkʌmpəs/

2. "ss" also sounds /z/:

scissors /ˈsɪzərz/

dessert /dɪˈzɜːrt/

possess /pəˈzes/

3. "ss" also sounds /ʃ/:

assure /əˈʃʊr/

issue /ˈɪʃuː/

sh

"sh" sounds /ʃ/:

ship /ʃɪp/

shark /ʃɑːrk/

fish /fɪʃ/

sc

"sc" sounds /s/, it means "c" is silent:

muscle /ˈmʌsl/

science /ˈsaɪəns/

scent /sent/

sci

"sci" in the middle of words sound /ʃ/:

conscious /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

luscious /ˈlʌʃəs/

conscience /ˈkɑːnʃəns/

si

"si" in "sion" at the end of words sounds /ʃ/:

propulsion /pɹəˈpʌlʃən/

pension /ˈpɛnʃən/

ssi

"ssi" in the middle of words sounds /ʃ/:

passion /ˈpæʃən/

expression /ɪkˈspɹɛʃən/

Russia /ˈɹʌʃə/

st

"st" in the middle of words sounds /s/ and "t" is silent:

castle /ˈkæsl/

Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/

whistle /ˈwɪsl/

Tip!

"sth" sounds /s/ in the word asthma, in other words "th" is silent; however, in American English, "sth" sounds /z/:

asthma /ˈæsmə/ /ˈæzmə/

ps

"ps" at the beginning of words sound /s/:

psychology /saɪˈkɑːlədʒi/

psyche /ˈsaɪki/

psychopath /ˈsaɪkəˌpæθ/

es

–es (suffix) is the usual mark of plural nouns. It is also the regular ending of English third-person present tense verbs. It is mainly pronounced /ez/ if the word ends in "sh," "ch," "z," "y," etc.:

wishes /wɪʃez/

witches /wɪtʃez/

boxes /bɑːksez/

varies /ˈværiz/

The Letter S: Uses

"S" can be used as:

The mark of plural nouns, like "books"
The regular ending of English third person present tense verbs; like "she works"
The possession 's that shows "belonging to", like "Sam's shoes"
The abbreviation of the size "small"
The abbreviation of "south/ southern"

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