The German Consonant 's'
When it comes before a vowel, the German consonant 's' is pronounced like English 'z' in words such as 'zinc' or 'zoo', although the German sound is not as strongly voiced. Native English speakers often therefore experiences difficulties in distinguishing between the letters 's' and 'z', particularly when they occur at the start of a word. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words which display the distinction between the two German sounds. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation:
Sounds 1: The German letters 's' and 'z' in initial position |
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Seile
(ropes) |
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Zeile
(line) |
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sang
(sang) |
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Zange
(pliers) |
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Sumpf
(morass) |
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zum
(to the) |
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sinken
(to sink) |
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Zink
(zinc) |
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But when the letter 's' appears at the end of a word, it is always articulated in the same way as English 's' in words such as 'sink' or 'sue'. This means that German 's' at the end of a word must be distinguished from the /z/ sound made at the end of English words such as 'homes', 'towns' or 'roads'. To practise the difference in pronunciation required when the German letter 's' appears at the middle and the end of a word, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four pairs of German words containing the letter 's' in medial and final position. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 2: 's' in medial and final position |
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Reise
(journey) |
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Reis
(rice) |
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Preise
(prices) |
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Preis
(price) |
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Gläser
(glasses) |
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Glas
(glass) |
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Lose
(lots) |
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Los
(lot) |
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The letters 'ss' and 'ß'
A double 's' (written 'ss' or 'ß') is always pronounced as an unvoiced English 's' in words such as 'seal' or 'self'. This sound is written 'ss' when the preceding vowel in a word is short. It is written 'ß':
- after a long vowel e.g. 'Fuß', 'Maß', 'Spaß'
- after a diphthong e.g. 'weiß', 'heiß', 'heißt'
To practise the sound written as 'ss' or 'ß', click either here or on the sound icon on the left. The six words spoken are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 3: The letters 'ss' and 'ß' |
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Schloss
(castle) |
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wissen
(to know) |
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weiß
(white) |
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dreißig
(thirty) |
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Strauß
(ostrich) |
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größer
(bigger) |
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To distinguish between the different sounds articulated when a single 's' and a double 'ss/ß' appear in the middle of a word, click either here or on the sound icon on the left. In the first word of each of the three pairs, the 's' is articulated as a /z/ phoneme. In the second word in each pair, an /s/ phoneme is required.
Sounds 4: 's' and 'ss/ß' in medial position |
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weisen
(to point) |
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weißen
(to whitewash) |
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reisen
(to travel) |
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reißen
(to tug) |
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Gleise
(train tracks) |
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gleißen
(to glimmer) |
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How to pronounce the German 'sch' sound
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