The Z sound is confusing for many foreign speakers. The main reason is because of how words are spelled. In a lot of cases, the letter “S” is pronounced as a Z sound. For instance, the word because is pronounced becauz, is sounds like iz, and was is said, waz.
In English, we add S to nouns to show generality or to make plurals, possessives, and contractions. An S is added to verbs to ensure subject-verb agreement with a singular subject. Sometimes, the S is pronounced S but other times it is pronounced Z.
To correct this mistake, you have to do two things:
- Determine which words use the Z sound when spelled with S (do this by listening or using a dictionary)
- Learn when to use S or Z to end plurals and possessives, and contractions
Good luck…people will notice the difference.