Language
French
Unit
Consonnes
IPA
/z/
Practice words
5

Sample pronunciation audio — Open the full phoneme overview

Start with one sample audio file for fricatives - /z/.

Quick tip

Fricatives are made by forcing air through a narrow gap, creating friction.

Letters and IPA

Letters

z

/z/

Practice words

  • zéro

  • rose

  • zone

  • viser

  • voisin

Minimal pairs

How to produce this sound

Put the tongue close to the ridge behind the top teeth and let the air pass with voice on.

Common mix-ups

Closest comparison

zoo, zero, music, rose, busy

Hear "zéro" pronounced by French natives

Listen to native speakers and see real-world usage on these reference sites. Each link opens in a new tab.

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