Pronunciation · consonant
The /ʒ/ sound: s as in usually
In short
/ʒ/ is a voiced postalveolar fricative, the consonant you hear in usually, television, pleasure. It is voiced: your vocal cords vibrate while you make it. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.
How to pronounce /ʒ/
- 1Same position as /ʃ/ 'sh'.
- 2Switch your voice on, a soft buzzing 'zh'.
- 3It is rare and almost always mid-word: usually, television, pleasure.
Sounds like: the s in 'vision', a voiced sh
/ʒ/ in words, with audio
Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.
- usuallyˈjuːʒuəli · sound is medial
- televisionˈtelɪvɪʒən · sound is medial
- pleasureˈpleʒə · sound is medial
- decisiondɪˈsɪʒən · sound is medial
- genreˈʒɒnrə · sound is initial
The mistake almost everyone makes
Replacing it with /z/ or /dʒ/ so 'pleasure' sounds like 'pledger'. It never starts native English words except loanwords like 'genre'.
Spellings of /ʒ/
These letter patterns commonly spell /ʒ/: s(ion) s(ure) g(e) z(ure). English spelling is unreliable; trust the IPA, not the letters.
Words that drill /ʒ/
Each has a full breakdown, audio in both accents and a recording drill. Practising a sound inside a real word transfers better than practising it alone.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce the /ʒ/ sound?
Same position as /ʃ/ 'sh'. Switch your voice on, a soft buzzing 'zh'. It is rare and almost always mid-word: usually, television, pleasure.
What is the most common mistake with /ʒ/?
Replacing it with /z/ or /dʒ/ so 'pleasure' sounds like 'pledger'. It never starts native English words except loanwords like 'genre'.
Which spellings make the /ʒ/ sound?
Common spellings include “s(ion)”, “s(ure)”, “g(e)”, “z(ure)”, as in usually /ˈjuːʒuəli/, television /ˈtelɪvɪʒən/, pleasure /ˈpleʒə/.
Does /ʒ/ matter for IELTS?
It is a polish-level sound: errors are audible but rarely stop a listener understanding you. IELTS scores intelligibility, not perfection; prioritise the contrasts that change word meaning.
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