Lips
Spread your lips slightly, like a small smile. Bring your teeth almost together, leaving just a tiny gap.
Voiceless consonants
/s/as in see
Voiceless. Tongue near the ridge, hiss the air.
Example words: see, bus, city, sister, house
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /s/ sound?
Tongue
Raise your tongue tip close to the ridge behind your top teeth. Do not touch it. Leave a narrow groove down the middle for the air.
Video lesson
Try it
- Spread your lips slightly and bring your teeth almost together.
- Raise your tongue tip close to the ridge, leaving a narrow channel.
- Push air through the gap to make a sharp, steady hiss. No voice.
- Hold the hiss for two seconds, then say: see, bus, city.
Check
Say "sss" with a hand on your throat. Feel no buzz, only air. If it buzzes, you have slipped into /z/.
Common trap
Do not let your voice buzz. Put a hand on your throat: for /s/ you should feel nothing, just air. If you feel a buzz, you are making /z/ instead.
Practice: /s/
Words
seesˈi
busbˈʌs
citysˈɪɾi
sistersˈɪstəɹ
househˈaʊs
Sentences
I see the bus outside the house.ˌaɪ sˈi ðə bˈʌs ˌaʊtsˈaɪd ðə hˈaʊs.
My sister lives in a small city.mˌaɪ sˈɪstəɹ lˈɪvz ɪn ɐ smˈɔl sˈɪɾi.
Please pass me some salt.plˈiz pˈæs mˌi sˌʌm sˈɔlt.
She sat on the seat next to us.ʃˌi sˈæt ˌɔn ðə sˈit nˈɛkst tʊ ˌʌs.
This song is so nice.ðˌɪs sˈɔŋ ɪz sˌoʊ nˈaɪs.
Words
seesˈiː
busbˈʌs
citysˈɪti
sistersˈɪstə
househˈaʊs
Sentences
I see the bus outside the house.ˌaɪ sˈiː ðə bˈʌs ˌaʊtsˈaɪd ðə hˈaʊs.
My sister lives in a small city.mˌaɪ sˈɪstə lˈɪvz ɪn ɐ smˈɔːl sˈɪti.
Please pass me some salt.plˈiːz pˈɑːs mˌiː sˌʌm sˈɒlt.
She sat on the seat next to us.ʃˌiː sˈat ˌɒn ðə sˈiːt nˈɛkst tʊ ˌʌs.
This song is so nice.ðˌɪs sˈɒŋ ɪz sˌəʊ nˈaɪs.
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Sounds in the same group
Is /s/ one of yours?
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