/z/

consonant · voiced

The Z Sound

as in zoo

How to make the /z/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Same position as S, voice on.
  2. 2Feel the buzz — a bee sound.
  3. 3Plural S after voiced sounds is actually Z: "dogs" = "dogz".

⚠ The most common mistake

Devoicing to S, so "eyes" sounds like "ice".

Especially tricky for speakers of: Spanish, Cantonese, Thai.

Train your ear: /z/ vs /s/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying zoo, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with /z/

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More consonants

See all 44 sounds of English →