The /z/ Sound: Pronunciation Guide and Examples

The consonant sound /z/ is everywhere in English — in words like zoo, noise, and buzz. It’s a voiced sound, meaning your vocal cords vibrate when you say it. Although it’s often spelled with a “z,” it can also appear with “s” or even “se” at the end of words. Learning to recognize and pronounce /z/ correctly can greatly improve your speaking and listening skills.

Consonant Sound /z/

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What Is the Consonant Sound /z/?

The /z/ sound is a voiced alveolar fricative in English. It is made by placing the tongue close to the alveolar ridge (just behind your upper front teeth) and allowing air to pass through while your vocal cords vibrate. This sound is common in many English words and is often spelled with the letters z, s, or zz.

Key Features of /z/

• Voiced: Your vocal cords vibrate when producing the sound (unlike /s/, which is voiceless).
• Alveolar: Your tongue is close to the ridge behind your upper front teeth.
• Fricative: Air flows continuously through a narrow space, creating a buzzing sound.

Pronunciation Tip

• Start with the /s/ sound (like a snake: ssss)
• Add voice by vibrating your vocal cords: zzzz

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Below is the pronunciation of the /z/ sound along with an example: zoo.

Try this minimal pair to feel the difference:

• sip /sɪp/ vs. zip /zɪp/
• rice /raɪs/ vs. rise /raɪz/

Words with Consonant Sound /z/

Words with Beginning Sound /z/

Words with Middle Sound /z/

Words with Ending Sound /z/

Tongue Twisters with the /z/ Sound

• Zany zebras zigzagged through the zoo zone.
• Lazy lizards lounge and laze in the blazing sun.
• Buzzing bees busy themselves in the buzzing bushes.
• Zoe’s zipper zipped too fast and zigged to the side.
• Zero zebras zipped past Zane’s zigzagging van.
• Fuzzy wasps buzzed as the breeze breezed by.
• Zelda’s zesty pizza sizzled and fizzed in the oven.
• Zippers zip, buzzers buzz, and lasers blaze.
• Busy bees buzzed by the buzzing bazaar.
• Zach zealously zapped the buzzing bugs with zest.