2.14: The Consonant Sound [z]

Overview of the Consonant Sound [z]

Three ways to spell [z] are <s>, <z>, and <zz>. 

Three ways to spell [s] are <s>, <c>, and <ss>.

The letter that sometimes spells [z] and sometimes spells [s] is <s>.

Examples

You can hear the sound [z] at the beginning and end of zebras.

Review

1. Underline the letters that spell [z] in each of these words. It is spelled three different ways:

   \begin{align*} &\text{always} && \text{mothers} && \text{zipper} && \text{has}\\ &\text{these} && \text{music} && \text{follows} && \text{zoo}\\ &\text{those} &&\text{prize} && \text{surprise} && \text{buzz}\end{align*}

2. Use the twelve words above to complete the following statements:
   Way #1: [z] is spelled ______ in eight of the words.
   Way #2: [z] is spelled ______ in three of the words.
   Way #3: [z] is spelled ______ in one of the words.
3. Sort the words into these three groups:

   Words with [z] spelled ...

   Way #1:		Way #2:
   always	music	prize
   these	follows	zipper
   those	surprise	zoo
   mother	has

4. The word with [z] spelled Way #3 is _______.

Show Answer

1. \begin{align*}& alway\underline{s} && mother\underline{s} && \underline{z}ipper && ha\underline{s} \\& the\underline{s}e && mu\underline{s}ic && follow\underline{s} && \underline{z}oo \\& tho\underline{s}e && pri\underline{z}e && surpri\underline{s}e && bu\underline{zz}\end{align*}
2. Way #1: [z] is spelled <s> in eight of the words.
   Way #2: [z] is spelled <z> in three of the words.
   Way #3: [z] is spelled <zz> in one of the words.

3. Words with [z] spelled ...

   Way #1:		Way #2:
   always	music	prize
   these	follows	zipper
   those	surprise	zoo
   mother	has

4. The word with [z] spelled Way #3 is buzz.

Explore More

Each of the strings of letters below can be unscrambled to spell a word containing the sound [s] or [z]. We've told you in each case whether the word contains [s] or [z]: 

\begin{align*} &\text{wasaly} && \text{_______} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{heets} && \text{_______} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{swollof} && \text{_______} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{ziper} && \text{_______} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{dakes} && \text{_______} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{cone} && \text{_______} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{locdest} && \text{_______} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{glines} && \text{_______} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{shoet} && \text{_______} && \text{[z]}\\ \end{align*}

Show Answer

\begin{align*} &\text{wasaly} && \underline{always} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{heets} && \underline{these} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{swollof} && \underline{follows} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{ziper} && \underline{prize} && \text{[z]}\\ &\text{dakes} && \underline{asked} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{cone} && \underline{once} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{locdest} && \underline{coldest} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{glines} && \underline{single} && \text{[s]}\\ &\text{shoet} && \underline{those} && \text{[z]}\\ \end{align*}

Spelling [z]

Most of the time [z] is spelled <s> or <z>. It is difficult to write any clear-cut rules for telling when [z] should be <s> and when it should be <z>. But here are three useful observations:

1. The <s> spelling of [z] does not occur at the beginnings of words; the <z> spelling does.
2. The <s> spelling is much more common than is the <z> spelling.
3. The <s> spelling is most common in longer words that come from Latin because <z> was rarely used in Latin.

Examples

You can hear the sound [z] at the beginning and end of the word zebras.

Review

1. Underline the letters that spell [z] in the following words. Do not underline any silent final <e>s.
   \begin{align*} &\text{procedures} && \text{zealous} && \text{president} && \text{closet}\\ &\text{positive} && \text{criticize} && \text{gymnasium} && \text{observe}\\ &\text{quiz} &&\text{pajamas} && \text{lizard} && \text{wisdom}\\ &\text{dozen} &&\text{abuse (verb)} && \text{waitresses} && \text{presents}\\ &\text{divisible} &&\text{hesitate} && \text{residence} && \text{squeeze}\\ &\text{seized} &&\text{citizen} && \text{recognize} && \text{phase}\end{align*}
2. Sort the words into these two groups.

   Words with [z] spelled <s>

    

   Words with [z] spelled <z>

Show Answer

1. \begin{align*}& procedure\underline{s} && \underline{z}ealous && pre\underline{s}ident && clo\underline{s}et \\& po\underline{s}itive && critici\underline{z}e && gymna\underline{s}ium && ob\underline{s}erve \\& qui\underline{z} && pajama\underline{s} && li\underline{z}ard && wi\underline{s}dom \\& do\underline{z}en && abu\underline{s}e (verb) && waitresse\underline{s} && pre\underline{s}ents \\& sei\underline{z}ed && citi\underline{z}en && recogni\underline{z}e && pha\underline{s}e\end{align*}

2. Words with [z] spelled <s>

   procedures	abuse (verb)	waitresses	wisdom
   positive	hesitate	residence	presents
   divisible	president	closet	phase
   pajamas	gymnasium	observe

    

   Words with [z] spelled <z>

   quiz	zealous	lizard
   dozen	criticize	recognize
   seized	citizen	squeeze

Explore More

The Homophones phase and faze

Phase is most often used as noun that refers to a stage in a process or the various appearances that a person or thing may have, as in “He's in his rebellious phase.” It comes from the Greek word ϕα´σ∣ς, phasis, which meant “appearance.” Our word phase is closely related to words like phantom, phenomenon, and emphasis, all of which come from that same Greek phasis and have the same <ph>, representing the Greek letter phi, ϕ.

Faze is most often used as a verb that means “to disturb or upset someone,” as in “His insult didn't faze her one bit.” Faze comes from the Old English word fēsian, “to drive away.” It is not related to any other modern words, but there is at least a spelling connection with words like daze, craze, and amaze, all of which deal with disturbances to the mind of one kind or another.

So remember faze, craze, daze, and amaze to help with the <aze> spelling in faze. And remember phase, phantom, and phenomenon to help with the <ph> spelling in phase.

[z] Spelled <zz> or <ss>

There are several rare spellings of [z], including <ss> and <zz>.

Examples

The sound [z] is spelled <ss> only rarely, and the <ss> is always in the middle of the word like scissors.

The <zz> spelling of [z] like in blizzard is also rather rare. It is sometimes due to twinning and sometimes due to the VCC pattern, and it occurs between short vowels and <le>.

Review

1. Underline the letters that spell [z] in the following words.
   \begin{align*} &\text{blizzard} && \text{whizzed} && \text{quizzing} && \text{grizzly}\\ &\text{sizzle} && \text{scissors} && \text{possess} && \text{brassiere}\\ &\text{dessert} &&\text{puzzles} && \text{dizzy} && \text{possession}\\ &\text{dissolve} &&\text{fezzes} && \text{dazzle} && \text{embezzle}\end{align*}
2. Sort the words into these two groups.

   Words with [z] spelled...

   <zz>		<ss>

3. The words in which <zz> is due to twinning are: ________, ________, and ________.
4. The words in which <zz> is between a short vowel and <le> are: ________, ________, ________, ________, and ________.
5. The words in which <zz> is in a VCC pattern are: ________, and ________.
6. The words in which <zz> is spelled <s> are: ________, ________, and ________.

Show Answer

1. \begin{align*}& bli\underline{zz}ard && whi\underline{zz}ed && qui\underline{zz}ing && gri\underline{zz}ly \\& si\underline{zz}le && sci\underline{ss}ors && po\underline{ss}ess && bra\underline{ss}iere \\& de\underline{ss}ert && pu\underline{zz}les && di\underline{zz}y && po\underline{ss}ession \\& di\underline{ss}olve && fe\underline{zz}es && da\underline{zz}le && embe\underline{zz}le\end{align*}

2. Words with [z] spelled...

   <zz>		<ss>
   blizzard	quizzing	dessert	possess
   sizzle	dizzy	dissolve	brassiere
   whizzed	dazzle	scissors	possession
   puzzles	grizzly
   fezzes	embezzle

3. The words in which <zz> is due to twinning are:
   \begin{align*}& whizzed && fezzess && quizzing\end{align*}
4. The words in which <zz> is between a short vowel and <le> are:
   \begin{align*}& sizzle && dazzle && embezzle \\ & puzzles && grizzly\end{align*}
5. The words in which <zz> is in a VCC pattern are:
   \begin{align*}blizzard && dizzy\end{align*}
6. The words in which <zz> is spelled <s> are:
   \begin{align*}& scissors && puzzles && fezzes\end{align*}

Explore More

A few other rare spellings of [z] are as follows.

In the Russian word czar, [z] is spelled <cz>. Another way of spelling this word is tsar, in which [z] is spelled <ts>.

In the word asthma [z] is spelled <sth>.

Finally, the letter <x> at the beginning of words normally spells [z], such as in these words:

\begin{align*} &\text{xerography} && \text{xenon} && \text{xylophone} && \text{xenophobia}\end{align*}