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    The /s/ sound: s as in see

    • Consonant
    • Voiceless
    • Medium priority

    Hear it

    in see

    Lips
    Relaxed
    Tongue
    Tip on the ridge behind the top teeth
    Voice
    Off: only air
    Air
    Squeezed through a narrow gap

    The sound on its own: recording by Peter Isotalo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. Credits

    How to make /s/

    1. 1

      Bring your tongue close to the ridge behind your top teeth without touching.

    2. 2

      Force air through the narrow gap, a sharp hiss.

    3. 3

      Keep the tongue behind the teeth, never between them.

    /s/ vs /ʃ/: see vs she

    Every pair

    For /ʃ/ pull the tongue slightly back and round your lips a little, like shushing a child. /s/ keeps the lips spread and the tongue further forward; feel the hiss move.

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    Which word do you hear?

    How /s/ is spelled

    • s
    • ss
    • c
    • sc

    The usual mistake

    Adding a vowel before s-clusters ('school' → 'eschool', common for Spanish and Farsi speakers) or lisping it towards /θ/.

    Hardest for speakers of

    Words to practise

    Say it and get scored

    Read see, listen, bus, study, possible aloud. Free, no account.

    Check my /s/

    Questions

    How do you pronounce the /s/ sound?
    Bring your tongue close to the ridge behind your top teeth without touching. Force air through the narrow gap, a sharp hiss. Keep the tongue behind the teeth, never between them.
    What is the most common mistake with /s/?
    Adding a vowel before s-clusters ('school' → 'eschool', common for Spanish and Farsi speakers) or lisping it towards /θ/.
    Which spellings make the /s/ sound?
    Common spellings include “s”, “ss”, “c”, “sc”, as in see /siː/, listen /ˈlɪsən/, bus /bʌs/.
    Does /s/ matter for IELTS?
    It matters moderately. Errors are noticeable but only sometimes affect understanding. Fix the high-priority vowel contrasts and final consonants first, then polish this one.