Sibilants are sounds that make a hiss or a buzz. They can be either voiced or voiceless.
The following consonants are voiceless sibilants in English:
/s/,/∫/, & /ʧ/
The following consonants are voiced sibilants in English:
/z/, /ʒ/, & /dʒ/
In addition to have correct pronunciation of these individual consonants, sibilants are important because they tell you how to pronounce the final s in English.
If a word ends in a sibilant, you need to pronounce the plural as /Iz/. This adds another syllable to the word. For example the word class is one syllable, but if you make it plural, classes, it is now two syllables: /klæs Iz/
Here are some examples for you.
dances- /dæns Iz/
washes- /wɑ∫ Iz/
languages- /læŋ gwɪdʒ Iz/
relaxes-/rə læks Iz/
James’- /dʒæmz Iz/
If you want more sibilant practice, you can check out these links.
Pronunciation Meg's first sibilant lesson
Pronunciation Meg's second sibilant lesson
Pronunciation Meg's third sibilant lesson
About Me
- Teresa
- Davis, CA
- I've been teaching English for over 30 years. I've taught in Taiwan, China, Japan, Vietnam, and along the West Coast of the US. I've taught students from the age of 7 to 70. I've taught Reading, Writing, Grammar, Listening and Speaking, Culture, Pronunciation, Teacher Training, Business English, Public Speaking, Current Events, Media, and Critical Thinking. Classes have ranged in size from 7 to 150 with most being around 15. I've taught all levels of English proficiency from beginning to advanced.
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