The /z/ Sound: English Pronunciation Practice Made Easy

What is the /z/ Sound?

First, let's look at a few examples of words with the English /z/ sound:

• zoo
• zebra
• lazy
• dozen
• quiz
• size

According to Baruch College's Tools for Clear Speech, the /z/ sound is made by doing the following:

"Place the blade of your tongue (just behind the tip) very close to the roof of your mouth, behind your teeth. There should be a little space between your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Now, vibrate your vocal cords and push the air between your tongue and the roof of your mouth. You will feel some resistance."

If you need more help articulating the /z/ sound, check out this video to learn the correct tongue and mouth placement.

Practicing the /z/ Sound

Everything you need to pronounce the English /z/ sound correctly is on this page. Just follow the instructions.

What do you have to do?

Practice for 5 minutes a day for 7 days.

That’s it.

Your goal is to pronounce the /z/ sound clearly and easily by the end of day 7.

Let’s do it!

This guide to the American English /z/ sound is full of useful information. Click the link below to jump to the part you are looking for:

• Day 1 of the /z/ sound
• Day 2 of the /z/ sound
• Day 3 of the /z/ sound
• Day 4 of the /z/ sound
• Day 5 of the /z/ sound
• Day 6 of the /z/ sound
• Day 7 of the /z/ sound
• Additional /z/ sound resources
• PDF download of the /z/ sound

Day 1: The /z/ Sound

If you are ready, let’s start with the practice for day one.

It’s pretty simple.

Watch the video and follow along.

Listen and repeat.

🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version

Minimal Pairs

Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /z/ sound and similar sounds like /ð/ or /s/.

• with - whizz
• bathe - bays
• once - ones
• race - raise

Vowel Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.

• zone - zane - zeen - zen
• fuzz - fizz - fees - faze

Syllable Stress Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.

• zipper
• Brazil
• zucchini
• sunrise

Reduced Sounds Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.

• Do you prefer a jacket with a zipper?
• Have you visited Brazil? No, not yet.

Tongue Twister Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.

• Zizzi's zippy zipper zips.
• Zithers slither slowly south.
  
  

Day 2: The /z/ Sound

Just like day one, except simpler.

Watch the video and follow along.

Listen and repeat.

🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version

Minimal Pairs

Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /z/ sound and similar sounds like /s/ or /ʤ/.

• rice - rise
• price - prize
• page - pays
• wage - ways

Vowel Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.

• breeze - bruise - braze
• peas - pose - pairs

Syllable Stress Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.

• fingers
• headcheese
• hazard
• razor

Reduced Sounds Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.

• Please give me two zucchinis.
• Can you see the sunrise from here?

Tongue Twister Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.

• Zealously zany zapping zebras.
• Disagree with a dinosaur and a dozen disasters will develop in days. 
  
  

Day 3: The /z/ Sound

Today will be the last day you only listen and repeat.

Tomorrow, you will have to start to speak.

But let’s focus on today.

Just like yesterday, watch the video and follow along.

Listen and repeat.

🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version

Minimal Pairs

Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /z/ sound and similar sounds like /ʤ/ and /ð/.

• change - chains
• rage - raise
• lathe - laze
• then - zen

Vowel Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.

• rise - rose - ruse - raise
• plays - ploys - please

Syllable Stress Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.

• zookeeper
• zombie
• crazy
• turkeys

Reduced Sounds Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.

• Where did you find that kind of razor?
• I believe in zombies because I have to be prepared.

Tongue Twister Collection

Your Goal: To practice the /z/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.

• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
• This is a zither. Is this a zither?
  
  

Day 4: The /z/ Sound

Time to speak.

You will notice that these are the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day one.

Today, your job is different.

Open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing and speak.

Watch the video to see how it works.

• with - whizz
• bathe - bays
• once - ones
• race - raise

• zone - zane - zeen - zen
• fuzz - fizz - fees - faze

• zipper
• Brazil
• zucchini
• sunrise

• Do you prefer a jacket with a zipper?
• Have you visited Brazil? No, not yet.

• Zizzi's zippy zipper zips.
• Zithers slither slowly south.
  
  

Day 5: The /z/ Sound

Let’s revisit the words, phrases, and sentences you practiced on day two.

Just like yesterday, open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing, and get ready to speak.

Let’s do it!

• rice - rise
• price - prize
• page - pays
• wage - ways

• breeze - bruise - braze
• peas - pose - pairs

• fingers
• headcheese
• hazard
• razor

• Please give me two zucchinis.
• Can you see the sunrise from here?

• Zealously zany zapping zebras.
• Disagree with a dinosaur and a dozen disasters will develop in days.

TIP*** Are there some words that the computer does not understand no matter how many times you say them? No worries, just skip it and move on. No one is perfect.

Day 6: The /z/ Sound

You are so close to day 7.

Be proud that you have made it this far :)

In today’s lesson, let’s circle back to the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day three and practice saying them aloud.

Again, open up a Google Doc and let’s get started.

• change - chains
• rage - raise
• lathe - laze
• then - zen

• rise - rose - ruse - raise
• plays - ploys - please

• zookeeper
• zombie
• crazy
• turkeys

• Where did you find that kind of razor?
• I believe in zombies because I have to be prepared.

• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
• This is a zither. Is this a zither?
  
  

Day 7: The /z/ Sound

Congratulations!!!

You have made it to the very last day of this /z/ sound practice course.

Do you feel like your pronunciation of this sound is improving?

Let’s finish with a simple, but challenging exercise.

Just like you did on days 4, 5, and 6, open up a Google Doc and enable voice typing.

This time, try to get the technology to recognize these six tongue twisters.

• Zizzi's zippy zipper zips.
• Zithers slither slowly south.
• Zealously zany zapping zebras.
• Disagree with a dinosaur and a dozen disasters will develop in days.
• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
• This is a zither. Is this a zither?

Now, turn voice typing off and try to say each tongue twister as fast as possible.

Watch the video to learn how to go through this exercise.

Additional Resources: The /z/ Sound

Words with the /z/ sound

Minimal Pair Collection

Minimal Pair /ð/ and /z/ with whizz

with - whizz

bathe - bays

lathe - laze

then - zen

breathe - breeze

soothe - sues

bathe - baize

clothe - close

teething - teasing

loathe - lows

Minimal Pair /ʤ/ and /z/ page pays

page - pays

wage - ways

binge - bins

jag - zag

change - chains

rage - raise

strange - strains

gip - zip

wage - ways

budge - buzz

Minimal Pair final /s/ and /z/ bus buzz

ice - eyes

bus - buzz

once - ones

race - raise

Rice - rise

price - prize

peace - peas

gross - grows

place - plays

false - falls

Vowel Collection

zone - zane - zeen - zen

fuzz - fizz - fees - faze

breeze - bruise - braze

peas - pose - pairs

rise - rose - ruse - raise

plays - ploys - please

Syllable Stress Collection

1.  zipper
2. Brazil
3. zucchini
4.  sunrise
5.  fingers
6.  headcheese
7.  hazard
8.  razor
9.  zookeeper
10.  zombie
11.  crazy
12.   turkeys

Reduced Sounds Collection

1. Do you prefer a jacket with a zipper?
2. Have you visited Brazil? No, not yet.
3. Please give me two zucchinis.
4. Can you see the sunrise from here?
5. Where did you find that kind of razor?
6. I believe in zombies because I have to be prepared.

Tongue Twister Collection

• Zizzi's zippy zipper zips.
• Zithers slither slowly south.
• Zealously zany zapping zebras.
• Disagree with a dinosaur and a dozen disasters will develop in days.
• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
• This is a zither. Is this a zither?

Additional Resources

• Tools for Clear Speech /z/ profile
• Rachel’s English Video on the /z/ sound
• American English Pronunciation consonant sound /z/
• TEFLpedia /z/ sound

Additional Activities for All Sounds

Practice Three Words

Answer the following question:

What do you like to do in your free time?

Pick one, two, or three words from the word bank and include them in your response. If it helps, you may write out the example sentences with the word in context first.

Youglish Research 

Visit the Youglish website. Pick a word or phrase you would like to practice. Enter it into the Youglish search bar. Find three examples of the word or phrase in context to shadow.

Teacher Time 

During your next English speaking practice session with a teacher or conversation partner, have a list of three to five words you would like to use. Give yourself a point every time you use the word correctly in context and it is understood. Aim to score 5 points within the first 10 minutes (so the rest of the time you focus just on communicating).

Voice Typing 

Write out three sentences with challenging words or phrases. Use Google Docs or any other software with the ability to turn speech to text. Read these sentences aloud and check to see if your pronunciation is correct.

***There are a ton of possibilities. These are just a few ideas. Use the word bank, tongue twisters, example sentences, and other resources on this page to continue to work on this sound.

If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments below. I read and respond to all of them.