7 – Pronunciation – Final ‘s’ as /s/ or /z/

The final ‘s’ on plural nouns and singular verbs in English is often difficult for non-native speakers. One reason is that the ‘s’ can either sound like /s/ or /z/. Listen to the following words. Repeat each word after the speaker, paying attention to how you pronounce the final ‘s.’

If the ‘s’ follows a voiceless sound (f, k, p, t, gh), it sounds like /s/. When the final sound is voiced (b, d, g, j, l, m, m, r, v, w, z) or a vowel, the ‘s’ sounds like /z/. Listen to the statements below from the monologue. Circle the bolded nouns and verbs that end in /s/. Underline the bolded nouns and verbs that end in /z/. The first statement has already been done. Click “next” at the bottom of the page to check your answers.