Pronunciation: the letter s and the letter z in Italian

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Pronunciation: the letter s and the letter z

The letter s and the letter z are sometimes similar in their pronunciation, and both can be pronounced in two different ways. Listen to the difference:

  • Sole VS Rosa
  • Terzo VS Zaino

The letter s, which generally has a hissing sound that isn't as strong as a z, can be pronounced as follows:

  • with a soft sound (close to an English “s”) in words like these:

Sole ; rosso ; corso

  • with a sound in which you can hear more of the speaker's voice (closer to an English “z”) in words like these:

Rosa ; uso ; slitta

The letter z, which generally has a harsher, stronger sound than an s, more like “ts” or “dz”, can be pronounced as follows:

  • With a relatively softer “ts” sound in words like these:

Calza ; pazzo ; alzare

  • with a sound in which you can hear more of the speaker's voice (“dz”) in words like these:

Zero ; azoto ; zaino


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