Pronunciation · Minimal pairs · high functional load
/s/ vs /z/: price vs prize
In short
The voiceless /s/ and voiced /z/ separate ice/eyes, peace/peas and advice/advise, and /z/ carries English grammar: most plural -s and third-person -s endings are actually /z/. This contrast carries a HIGH functional load, confusing these two sounds frequently turns one real word into another, which is what actually damages intelligibility (Munro & Derwing 2006 found one high-load error hurts comprehensibility more than three low-load errors combined).
How to hear (and make) the difference
Same tongue position, different engine: /z/ buzzes like a bee. Touch your throat; it must vibrate on 'prize', 'plays', 'dogs'. Devoicing final /z/ blurs your grammar as well as your sounds.
Most challenging for Mandarin, Cantonese, German, Turkish, Vietnamese, Thai speakers.
8 minimal pairs with audio
- pricepraɪsprizepraɪz
- iceaɪseyesaɪz
- peacepiːspeaspiːz
- adviceədˈvaɪsadviseədˈvaɪz
- placepleɪsplayspleɪz
- riceraɪsriseraɪz
- looseluːsloseluːz
- coursekɔːscausekɔːz
Test your ear
Listening drill
/s/ vs /z/: price vs prize
Same tongue position, different engine: /z/ buzzes like a bee. Touch your throat; it must vibrate on 'prize', 'plays', 'dogs'. Devoicing final /z/ blurs your grammar as well as your sounds.
The contrast in sentences
What a great price!
What a great prize!
The ice surprised me.
The eyes surprised me.
Keep exploring
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between price and prize?
price /praɪs/ uses the /s/ sound while prize /praɪz/ uses /z/. Same tongue position, different engine: /z/ buzzes like a bee. Touch your throat; it must vibrate on 'prize', 'plays', 'dogs'. Devoicing final /z/ blurs your grammar as well as your sounds.
Which learners find the /s/ vs /z/ contrast hardest?
It is most challenging for Mandarin, Cantonese, German, Turkish, Vietnamese, Thai speakers, whose first languages don't separate these two sounds.