/z/

The /z/: the /s/ with voice

The /z/ is made just like /s/, but with the vocal cords vibrating: it's a buzz, not a hiss. Spanish has no separate phoneme for it, which is why we tend to pronounce it as /s/ — an error that changes whole words.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: slightly open, teeth nearly together, as for /s/.
• 👅 Tongue: close to the alveolar ridge, with a narrow channel.
• 🔊 Voice: voiced — put a hand on your throat and feel the buzz.

You hear it in: zoo · buzz · music · is · because

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: pronouncing it as /s/. That makes eyes sound like ice, peas like peace, and strips almost every plural of its correct sound.

By the end you'll be able to: voice the /z/ and keep pairs like eyes / ice and peas / peace apart.