Pronouncing -s endings

Look at the sound before the -s. If it hisses or buzzes, the ending becomes a syllable of its own. Otherwise it matches that sound's voicing: voiceless takes /s/, voiced takes /z/. It is the same logic as -ed endings, applied to a different ending.

After s, z, sh, zh, ch or j the ending has to become its own syllable, because two hissing sounds cannot run together. bus has one syllable; buses has two.

After p, t, k, f or a voiceless th. No extra syllable.

Everything else, which is most words. This is why the written s so often sounds like a z — dogs ends in a buzz, not a hiss.

This one pattern covers plural nouns ( cats ), third-person verbs ( works ), possessives (Rita's) and contractions (it's). Learn it once and four pieces of grammar stop being a pronunciation problem.

Some nouns ending in a voiceless th or f switch to voiced before the plural s, changing the stem sound rather than just adding one.

And a handful take no s at all: children , women , feet , teeth , mice .

Read slowly first. Pronounce each syllable deliberately before trying to blend them at full speed. Rushing hides the vowel and consonant shapes your ear needs to learn.

Record yourself. Most phones have a voice memo app — record a word, then compare it to the playback here. Hearing the gap between your version and the model accent makes targeted practice far easier.

Focus on one accent. Jumping between American, British and Australian in the same session creates confusion. Pick the accent you encounter most and stick with it until the patterns feel natural.

Every word above is a button. Set the accent and voice you want on the main screen, then come back — the guides use whatever you chose. To hear two accents against each other, use Compare; to test whether you can actually hear a contrast, use the listening quiz.