The "z" sound — /z/
As in zip. Tap play to hear the sound, see the mouth shape, and hear 15 example words.
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Grapheme — the letters
z
What a child sees written down and writes by hand.
Phoneme — the sound
/z/
What a child hears and says out loud — written in IPA, the standard notation for sounds (not letter names).
Mouth shape
Like 's' but voice it
Gesture
Pretend to zip up a jacket and say zzzzz
Also spelled
The /z/ sound is also written “zz” — same sound, different letters, usually at the end of a short word.
Words to read now
Every letter in these has been taught by this point in the teaching order, so your child can sound them out.
- zip
- zap
- zig
- zag
- buzz
- fizz
- jazz
Words to listen for the sound
You say these, your child listens for /z/. They use letters or spellings not taught yet, so they’re not for reading.
- zoo
- zebra
- zero
- zoom
- zone
- zest
- zigzag
- quiz
Teach the “z” sound: free printables
Two free PDFs made for this sound. Print them, or use the full lesson online with audio and games.
“z” practice sheetFor your child: trace, find the sound in pictures, read and match. Name & date on top. Download PDF
“z” lesson planFor you: a 10-minute lesson with what to say, the answer key and common mix-ups. Download PDFCompare: /z/ vs /s/
Same hissing mouth shape — /z/ just adds a buzz from your voice box.
Learn the “s” sound →How to teach the “z” sound
- Hear it first. Tap Play three times. Have your child watch your mouth while you copy the sound — no letter name yet, just the pure phoneme /z/.
- Do the gesture. Pretend to zip up a jacket and say zzzzz— kids remember sounds 2× faster when there’s a physical action attached.
- Find it in words. Say a few example words aloud slowly, stretching the /z/ sound: “z–i–p”.
- Spot it around the house. “Can you find something that starts with /z/?” Aim for 3 wins in a row before stopping.
Related sounds in this unit
Turn this into a dated schedule
Pick a start date and a pace, and get all 44 sounds laid out as dated sessions — free to preview, downloadable as a calendar.
Teach phonics online — one short lesson a day
Sign in free and follow a plan that remembers where you are. Right here in your browser, on phone, tablet or computer — nothing to download.
- 92 step-by-step lessons, SATPIN first
- Big flashcards to show your child
- Games, checkpoints and progress for every sound
For little ones (2–6) there’s also our sound-play game on iPhone & iPad and Android.