Lessons Unit 3, lesson 2
s + vowels
The s beginning opening into every vowel it starts words with. Get the mouth ready for s, release straight into the vowel — no gap, no extra sound between them.
What do the marks mean?
Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.
ss as in see
Teeth close together, tongue just behind them, and hiss: sss — like a snake.
s + every vowel
One row per combination. Tap any word to hear it — every sheet comes straight from the tool.
| s æ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| s ɪ | |||
| s ɛ | |||
| s ʌ | |||
| s ɑ | |||
| s iː | |||
| s uː | |||
| s ɔː | |||
| s eɪ | |||
| s aɪ | |||
| s ɔɪ | |||
| s aʊ | |||
| s oʊ | |||
| s ɝ |
Shaping the hiss
Every word here opens with a steady, voiceless hiss — no buzz, no hum, just air squeezed through a narrow gap behind your teeth. Say sad, set, and sort back to back and check that the s stays identical each time; only the vowel should change.
Before uː, your lips start rounding early, so soon and super feel a little different in the mouth than see or sad — the tongue position for s doesn't move, but the lips get ahead of themselves and round before the hiss even ends.
Where it gets tricky
The r-colored vowel in sir, serve, and surf trips up a lot of learners because the tongue wants to bunch back for the r too early, turning s into something closer to sh. Keep the s crisp and alveolar, then glide into the r-sound only after the hiss is done. Read down one column, say each word, then cover the page and say the column again from memory — the goal is one consistent s no matter what follows it.