/ˈaɪ.pə/

sː vs z

Voiceless Alveolar Sibilant Fricative vs Voiced Alveolar Sibilant Fricative

How these sounds differ

sː
Voiceless Alveolar Sibilant Fricative
Voicing
voiceless
Place
alveolar
Manner
sibilant fricative
Class
consonant
In languages
23 / 500
Full details →
z
Voiced Alveolar Sibilant Fricative
Voicing
voiced
Place
alveolar
Manner
sibilant fricative
Class
consonant
In languages
133 / 500
Full details →

Cross-linguistic distribution

23
Languages with sː
12
Languages with both
133
Languages with z

12 languages in our database contrast both sounds as distinct phonemes. Languages that have one but not the other tend to merge them into a single phoneme — meaning speakers of those languages often struggle to hear the distinction when learning a language that contrasts them.

Has sː, not z (11)

Mahas-Fiyadikka Nubian Zuni Language isolate Goajiro Arawakan Iraqw Afro-Asiatic Sa'ban Austronesian Chamorro Austronesian Wichita Caddoan Karok Language isolate Nepali Indo-European Sinhalese Indo-European Finnish Uralic

Has z, not sː (20)

Gbeya Atlantic-Congo Luvale Atlantic-Congo Ga Atlantic-Congo Dagbani Atlantic-Congo Kpelle Mande Awiya Afro-Asiatic Margi Afro-Asiatic Otomi Otomanguean Angas Afro-Asiatic Mazahua Otomanguean Dakota Siouan Navaho Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Chipewyan Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Kunimaipa Kunimaipan Malagasy Austronesian Karen Sino-Tibetan Burushaski Language isolate Kabardian Abkhaz-Adyge Lak Nakh-Daghestanian Songhai Songhay