Pronunciation of Z

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1. Lesson 1

12 questions

2. Lesson 2

10 questions

3. Lesson 3

11 questions

Explanation

Quick Answer

The letter zin Spanish is pronounced in two different ways depending on the area:

In Latin America and parts of Spain, the z is pronounced like the English s in sapphire. Compare the sound of the s in sapphire and the sound of the z in its Spanish translation zafiro. Please select the Latin America pronunciation option.

In central and northern Spain, the z is pronounced like the English th in threat. Compare the sound of the th in threat and that of the z in its Spanish translation amenaza. Please select the Spain pronunciation option.

The Sound of the Letter “Z”

“Z” Is a Consonant

The letter z represents the Spanish consonant sounds or phonemes /s/ and /θ/. When a consonant sound is uttered, the flow of air out of the mouth is partially or completely blocked at some point.

The name of this letter is pronounced zeta.

The /s/ sound, pronounced like the English s in sing, is used throughout Latin America and is widespread in two regions of Spain: Andalusia and the Canary Islands. Conversely, the /θ/ sound, which is pronounced like the English th in thing, is used in the rest of Spain, that is, the central and northern regions.

"Z" in Latin America and Parts of Spain

How to Pronounce It

This z is alveolar, which means it is pronounced with the tip or front part of the tongue touching or near the gums of the upper teeth, so that the air is uninterruptedly expelled through a small gap in between. To describe this constant flow of air in a consonant, linguists use the term fricative, or fricativain Spanish.

Additionally, the vocal cords do not vibrate when uttering z, so linguists classify it as voiceless, or sordain Spanish. Check out how it is pronounced in the Latin American pronunciation option of these words: zapato(shoe), zona(area), azul(blue), rezar(to pray), trenza(braid), and actriz(actress).

"Z" in Central and Northern Spain

How to Pronounce It

This sound of the Spanish z is interdental, which means it is pronounced with the tongue between the teeth, leaving a narrow opening to let the air out and make a buzzing sound. It’s also a fricative, or fricativa, because of the way the air flows out uninterruptedly.

The vocal cords do not vibrate either, so it’s also classified as voiceless, or sorda. You may check the way it is pronounced in the same words mentioned above, but this time, make sure to select the Spain pronunciation option.

Is the Spanish "Z" Similar to the English "Z"?

Not really, and they shouldn’t be mistaken. The English z is a voiced consonant, or sonorain Spanish, so the vocal cords vibrate while you’re uttering it. Both of the Spanish z’s are voiceless, or sordas.

So, What Is “Seseo”?

Seseois the term linguists use to refer to the pronunciation of the letter z like an /s/ in Spanish. As mentioned above, this is the standard pronunciation in Latin America and the south of Spain, and it’s a perfectly correct pronunciation. Be prepared to hear native speakers from Seville, Havanna, and Santiago de Chile pronounce zapato(shoe) as /sapáto/. Only parts of Spain—the center and the north—use the alternative /θ/ (th) sound, where zapatosounds like /θapáto/. You can read more about the Spanish c, z, seseo, and ceceo here.

Spelling Problems: Minimal Pairs

It’s important to be aware of seseo and the areas where it’s used because there are Spanish words that are spelled nearly the same, but changing an s for a z, or vice versa. These words are bound to sound the same in certain regions! Linguists call these pairs of words minimal pairs, or pares mínimosin Spanish. For example, the words casa(house, home) and caza(hunting, hunt) are pronounced exactly the same in Latin America, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands: /kása/. However, central and northern Spaniards pronounce these two words differently.

Examples

Let’s look at some examples of words containing the letter z in different word positions and letter combinations. Please note that the two pronunciations discussed above may be heard by selecting either the Latin American or Spain pronunciation options.

Spanish	English	Position-Combination
zanahoria	carrot	beginning of word + vowel
zepelín	zeppelin	beginning of word + vowel
zigzag	zigzag	beginning of word + wowel
zorro	fox	beginning of word + vowel
zumo	juice	beginning of word + vowel
bautizo	christening	inside word + between vowels
cazador	hunter	inside word + between vowels
pezuña	hoof	inside word + between vowels
calzado	footwear	inside word + beginning of syllable
panza	belly	inside word + beginning of syllable
pobreza	poverty	inside word + beginning of syllable
juzgar	to judge	inside word + end of syllable
llovizna	drizzle	inside word + end of syllable
mezcla	mixture	inside word + end of syllable
actriz	actress	end of word
honradez	honesty	end of word
paz	peace	end of word