Tongue Twisters With S and Z

Press the button for ten S and Z tongue twisters, with the S and Z words named under each.

Tongue Twisters With S and Z

Show all 40
  1. Those mice chose cheese, these mice chose rice.Ends in S: mice, rice. Ends in Z: those, chose, cheese, these.
  2. Seven zebras sat in a zigzag by the sand.Starts with S: seven, sat, sand. Starts with Z: zebras, zigzag.
  3. Flutes and drums, harps and bells, pipes and horns.Ends in S: flutes, harps, pipes. Ends in Z: drums, bells, horns.
  4. Three cats ran from two dogs, four ducks and five hens.Ends in S: cats, ducks. Ends in Z: dogs, hens.
  5. Zest sometimes surprises the laziest sailors.S and Z in one word: zest, sometimes, surprises, laziest, sailors.
  6. Bees buzz by this bus.Ends in S: this, bus. Ends in Z: bees, buzz.
  7. Seasons, sardines, sandals, stanzas and Sundays.S and Z in one word: seasons, sardines, sandals, stanzas, Sundays.
  8. Sometimes Susan sneezes at sunrise.S and Z in one word: sometimes, Susan, sneezes, sunrise.
  9. Zak said zero, Sal said seven.Starts with S: said, Sal, seven. Starts with Z: Zak, zero.
  10. Boots and shoes, hats and gloves, socks and scarves.Ends in S: boots, hats, socks. Ends in Z: shoes, gloves, scarves.

Next step Drill S on its ownNext pair: the two Th sounds

How it works

These tongue twisters with S and Z set the hiss against the buzz. There are 40, written for this site, in four groups: at the start of a word, at the end, in plural endings, and both in one word.

Read the full guide

Same place, voice off or on

S and Z are made in one place, with the tongue at the ridge behind the top teeth. S is breath alone; for Z the vocal cords vibrate. Hold a long sss with two fingers on your throat, then change it to zzz and feel the buzz start. Then say "Sip and zip, sap and zap, sing and zing."

The plural that buzzes

A plural is spelled with s and often said with Z. After p, t, k, f and th the ending is S, as in cats and books. After other consonants and after vowels it is Z, as in dogs and bees. After a hissing sound, as in buses and dishes, it is an extra syllable that ends in Z.

Questions and answers

What are some tongue twisters with S and Z?

Try "Zoe sips soda at the zoo." or "Nice price, wise prize, twice the size." For plural endings, "Ants on plants, bees on trees, frogs on logs." For both sounds in one word, "Sausages sizzle while the citizens snooze."

Why does S sometimes sound like Z?

English spells both sounds with the letter s: is, his, has, these, please, noise and cheese all end in the Z sound. The S sound can also hide in the letter c, as in nice, price and circled.

Why is the Z sound hard for some English learners?

Many languages have no Z. The PHOIBLE database of the world's sound systems lists Z in about 3 in 10 of them and S in about two thirds, so for many learners Z is the new one of the pair.

Are there tongue twisters with only S?

Yes. The S tongue twisters page keeps to the hiss: S at the start, in blends, at the end and beside Sh. All of these lines are practice, not speech therapy; for a child's speech, ask a speech-language pathologist.

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All 40 tongue twisters

S and Z at the start 10

  • A zany seal circled the zone in sixty seconds. Starts with S: seal, circled, sixty, seconds. Starts with Z: zany, zone.
  • Sam zips a suit, then zooms to the sea. Starts with S: Sam, suit, sea. Starts with Z: zips, zooms.
  • Seven zebras sat in a zigzag by the sand. Starts with S: seven, sat, sand. Starts with Z: zebras, zigzag.
  • Sip and zip, sap and zap, sing and zing. Starts with S: sip, sap, sing. Starts with Z: zip, zap, zing.
  • Sue zoomed in, Zed zoomed out, Sid sat still. Starts with S: Sue, Sid, sat, still. Starts with Z: zoomed, Zed.
  • Sunny Zara sold zinnias on the south side. Starts with S: sunny, sold, south, side. Starts with Z: Zara, zinnias.
  • Zak said zero, Sal said seven. Starts with S: said, Sal, seven. Starts with Z: Zak, zero.
  • Zelda saw a zeppelin sail south. Starts with S: saw, sail, south. Starts with Z: Zelda, zeppelin.
  • Zesty soup, zingy salad and a sour zucchini. Starts with S: soup, salad, sour. Starts with Z: zesty, zingy, zucchini.
  • Zoe sips soda at the zoo. Starts with S: sips, soda. Starts with Z: Zoe, zoo.
Show all 40 tongue twisters (30 more)

S and Z at the end of a word 10

  • A voice makes noise, but a kiss is his choice. Ends in S: voice, makes, kiss, choice. Ends in Z: noise, is, his.
  • Bees buzz by this bus. Ends in S: this, bus. Ends in Z: bees, buzz.
  • Liz and Jess miss the jazz class. Ends in S: Jess, miss, class. Ends in Z: Liz, jazz.
  • My niece will freeze in this breeze. Ends in S: niece, this. Ends in Z: freeze, breeze.
  • Nice price, wise prize, twice the size. Ends in S: nice, price, twice. Ends in Z: wise, prize, size.
  • Peace and peas, pace and pays, place and plays. Ends in S: peace, pace, place. Ends in Z: peas, pays, plays.
  • Race to raise the lace on the maze. Ends in S: race, lace. Ends in Z: raise, maze.
  • Roz says yes, Russ says please. Ends in S: yes, Russ. Ends in Z: Roz, says, please.
  • This fuzz makes a fuss on the bus. Ends in S: this, makes, fuss, bus. Ends in Z: fuzz.
  • Those mice chose cheese, these mice chose rice. Ends in S: mice, rice. Ends in Z: those, chose, cheese, these.

Plural endings: S or Z 10

  • Ants on plants, bees on trees, frogs on logs. Ends in S: ants, plants. Ends in Z: bees, trees, frogs, logs.
  • Boots and shoes, hats and gloves, socks and scarves. Ends in S: boots, hats, socks. Ends in Z: shoes, gloves, scarves.
  • Buses, boxes, dishes and roses all end in a buzz. Ends in Z: buses, boxes, dishes, roses, buzz.
  • Chips and beans, nuts and peas, grapes and plums. Ends in S: chips, nuts, grapes. Ends in Z: beans, peas, plums.
  • Cups and bowls, forks and spoons, plates and pans. Ends in S: cups, forks, plates. Ends in Z: bowls, spoons, pans.
  • Flutes and drums, harps and bells, pipes and horns. Ends in S: flutes, harps, pipes. Ends in Z: drums, bells, horns.
  • Kites and balloons, tops and marbles, bats and balls. Ends in S: kites, tops, bats. Ends in Z: balloons, marbles, balls.
  • Pack the books with the pens and the maps with the bags. Ends in S: books, maps. Ends in Z: pens, bags.
  • Ships and trains, bikes and cars, jets and planes. Ends in S: ships, bikes, jets. Ends in Z: trains, cars, planes.
  • Three cats ran from two dogs, four ducks and five hens. Ends in S: cats, ducks. Ends in Z: dogs, hens.

S and Z in one word 10

  • A sneezy citizen seized the scissors. S and Z in one word: sneezy, citizen, seized, scissors.
  • Sausages sizzle while the citizens snooze. S and Z in one word: sausages, sizzle, citizens, snooze.
  • The season's noisiest sunrise surprised Suzy. S and Z in one word: season, noisiest, sunrise, surprised, Suzy.
  • Seasons, sardines, sandals, stanzas and Sundays. S and Z in one word: seasons, sardines, sandals, stanzas, Sundays.
  • Sometimes Susan sneezes at sunrise. S and Z in one word: sometimes, Susan, sneezes, sunrise.
  • Squeeze and sneeze, snooze and seize, size and sizzle. S and Z in one word: squeeze, sneeze, snooze, seize, size, sizzle.
  • Squeeze the scissors and size up the surprise. S and Z in one word: squeeze, scissors, size, surprise.
  • Suppose Suzy supervised the exercise. S and Z in one word: suppose, Suzy, supervised, exercise.
  • The wisest, busiest salesman picked the easiest size. S and Z in one word: wisest, busiest, salesman, easiest, size.
  • Zest sometimes surprises the laziest sailors. S and Z in one word: zest, sometimes, surprises, laziest, sailors.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site in October 2026: all 40 tongue twisters are our own wording, and none is copied or reworded from a published collection. Compared with every other tongue twister page on this site (no line is on two pages and no run of five words is shared by two lines) and with the key phrases of about 80 well-known published twisters, none of which appears. The line under each twister says which of its words have the S sound and which the Z sound; every word named was checked against its pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict), or that of its base word, since English spelling does not show the difference. How the two sounds are made and how the plural ending is said follow Wikipedia (Voiceless alveolar fricative; Voiced alveolar fricative; English plurals), and how common each sound is follows the PHOIBLE database (phoible.org/parameters), both read on 8 October 2026. Licence: own work