/s/

The /s/: the voiceless hiss

The /s/ is a voiceless consonant made by pushing air through a narrow channel between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. It's practically identical to the Spanish s, so you already have it. The work here isn't producing it — it's not letting it creep in where /z/ or /θ/ belongs.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: slightly open, teeth nearly together.
• 👅 Tongue: close to the alveolar ridge, leaving a very narrow channel.
• 🔊 Voice: voiceless — air only, no vibration in the throat.

You hear it in: see · sun · bus · class · nice

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: adding an e in front when a word starts with s + consonant. Spanish isn't Espanish, and that extra vowel is very audible.

By the end you'll be able to: start words directly on the /s/, and stop confusing it with /z/ at the end of a word.