Native English teachers: When do you use the / z / sound for words with / s /?

Question

What are the basic rules and exceptions when using / z / instead of / s /? For instance, IS is pronounced with a /z/ while HOUSE is just /s/.

Thank you in advance!

I am often confused especially with words I don't usually use. Also, how about the / x / letter, when should we use it as a /gz/ sound (i.e. example -- is it eGZample or just eKSample?)

Answer 1

Typically S is pronounced as /Z/ between two vowel sounds (rose, these), in endings after a vowel or voiced consonants or Y (bees, sends, days).
In short functional words there's no special rules but, since these words are not numerous, they can be remembered (is - /Z/, this - /S/)
There are exceptions, of course, but all of them are well-known words like HOUSE.

In some words the sound depends on the part of speech - the word USE has /z/ when it's a verb but /s/ when it's a noun.


Concerning X:
it's pronounced /z/ in the beginning of a word - XEROX
it's pronounced /gz/ before a stressed vowel - exAmple, exAm, exActly.
/ks/ in all the other cases - exit, excitement

Answer 2

easy simple rule: usually when the "s" is preceeded by a voiced sound it will become "z"(all vowels are voiced and the following consonants b/d/g//j/l/m/n/r/v/w/y/z, the rest are voiceless)ie. desert --- same with the "x" but with the x in the frontal position it's always "gz" because it's followed by a voiced vowel. ie. xerox, xenophobia, xylophone... In the word 'exam' the ex is preceeded by a vowel (voiced) so it becomes 'egzam' Hope this helps. I would suggest you google a diagram of the Pronunciation Matrix and a Sami (which will show you the place of articulation (in the mouth) for every sound and the manner of articulation (how it's made - ie. using lips, palate, voiced or voiceless) It's a wonderful tool for any teacher and especially for ESL teachers. I hope this helps. Good Luck

Answer 3

English is a strange language - it is going to depend on what accent (Southern, Northern, Mid western)you are using and the actual word. Some people do pronouse "house" as "houz"