Lessons Unit 1, lesson 21

s as in see

One consonant, on its own page. Hear it, watch where it sits in each word's sheet, then say the words yourself.

What do the marks mean?

ˈriːdread Stressed part — say it louder & longer.

təto Weak word — say it quickly & softly.

∅e Silent letter — don’t pronounce it.

θth Underline — these letters spell one sound.

wa·ter Dot · — a syllable break.

go‿on Linked — blend the words together.

?↗︎↘︎ Arrows — voice rises ↗︎ or falls ↘︎.

ˈsɛvən7 Number — how to say it aloud.

read² ² mark — has a second pronunciation.

guess? ? mark — a best guess; double-check it.

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.

see

sun

bus

sat

Now say it yourself

Read each word from its sheet, out loud, three times. Where there's a play button, listen first and copy what you hear. Slow is fine — speaking clearly matters more than speaking fast. Tap a word's microphone to record yourself and see which sounds landed.

sip

six

say

sit

The voicing trick

s is just air — a steady hiss with no buzz in your throat. Its voiced twin is z, made in the exact same mouth position, so the only difference is whether your voice is switched on.

The common slip is letting s pick up a little voicing at the end of a word. Say us and bus and check with a hand on your throat — there should be no buzz at all, just hiss.

Common mistakes

Because s is a long, held sound rather than a quick stop, don't chop it off. In see and sat, let the hiss run for a moment before the vowel starts.

If your s sounds thick or whistly, your tongue may be too far back. Bring the tip close behind your top teeth, almost touching, and aim a thin stream of air — like the word sun sizzling.