Pronouncing -s endings
The -s ending on plurals and third-person verbs is pronounced three ways. After a hissing or buzzing sound — s, z, sh, zh, ch or j — it adds a syllable and is said /ɪz/, as in buses and watches. After any other voiceless sound it is said /s/, as in cats and books. After any other voiced sound or a vowel it is said /z/, as in dogs and boys. English speakers apply this without thinking, which is why the written s misleads learners.
The rule in one line
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.
1. /ɪz/ — after a hissing or buzzing sound
After s, z, sh, zh, ch or j the ending has to become its own syllable, because two hissing sounds cannot run together. has one syllable; has two.
2. /s/ — after a voiceless sound
After p, t, k, f or a voiceless th. No extra syllable.
3. /z/ — after a voiced sound or a vowel
Everything else, which is most words. This is why the written s so often sounds like a z — ends in a buzz, not a hiss.
It is the same rule three times over
This one pattern covers plural nouns (), third-person verbs (), possessives (Rita's) and contractions (it's). Learn it once and four pieces of grammar stop being a pronunciation problem.
The plurals that ignore it
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: , , , , .
Keep going
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.
Last reviewed 2026-08-15 · Learn Pronounce