Technique
How to say it
- 1
For /s/, rest the tip of your tongue near the alveolar ridge behind your upper front teeth and blow a narrow stream of air with unrounded, spread lips.
- 2
For /ʃ/, draw your tongue slightly further back into the mouth and flare or round your lips gently to create a broader friction sound.
- 3
Check your mouth shape in a mirror to ensure your lips spread for /s/ and push slightly forward for /ʃ/.
- 4
Practise moving smoothly between both sounds without inserting an extra vowel sound between them.
7 pairs
Minimal pairs
Say each pair aloud. If the two words sound the same when you record yourself, slow down and go back to the steps above.
- seat/sheet
- save/shave
- sip/ship
- sock/shock
- sell/shell
- sign/shine
- fist/fished
12 sentences
Practice lines from IELTS-style answers
- 1
The chef served a special soup made with fresh sea salt.
special contains /s/ in 'sp' and /ʃ/ in 'ci'; /ʃ/ in chef, fresh; /s/ in served, soup, sea, salt
- 2
She showed me a short video about saving energy at home.
/ʃ/ in she, showed, short vs /s/ in saving
- 3
My sister bought some smart shoes from a shop in the city centre.
/s/ in sister, smart, city, centre vs /ʃ/ in shoes, shop
- 4
We should share some simple tips for reducing household waste.
/ʃ/ in should, share vs /s/ in some, simple, waste
- 5
The local fishmonger sells fresh fish and assorted seafood every Saturday.
/ʃ/ in fishmonger, fresh, fish vs /s/ in sells, assorted, seafood, Saturday
- 6
I decided to sign up for a short Spanish course this summer.
Spanish has /s/ initially and /ʃ/ finally; /ʃ/ in short; /s/ in decided, sign, summer, this
- 7
She suggested that we take a brisk walk along the seaside.
/ʃ/ in she vs /s/ in suggested, brisk, seaside
- 8
I felt a sudden sense of shock when the glass smashed on the floor.
/s/ in sudden, sense, glass vs /ʃ/ in shock, smashed
- 9
The sensational show received praise from several prominent fashion critics.
sensational contains /s/ at start and /ʃ/ in 'ti'; /ʃ/ in show, fashion; /s/ in sensational, several, critics
- 10
My flatmate washes the dishes while I sweep the sitting room.
/ʃ/ in washes, dishes vs /s/ in sweep, sitting
- 11
We walked to the central station to catch the six o'clock shuttle train.
station contains /s/ in 'st' and /ʃ/ in 'ti'; /s/ in central, six; /ʃ/ in shuttle
- 12
It is essential to stay calm and show confidence during a speaking test.
essential contains /s/ at start and /ʃ/ in 'ti'; /s/ in stay, speaking, test; /ʃ/ in show
Say it in a real answer
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Common mistakes
- →Replacing /ʃ/ with /s/, which turns everyday words like 'sheet' or 'ship' into 'seat' or 'sip'.
- →Failing to round the lips slightly for /ʃ/, resulting in a flat sound that lacks the correct postalveolar resonance.
- →Confusing words that contain both sounds, such as 'special', 'station', or 'sensational', by substituting one sound for all syllables.
In the exam: Flaring your lips slightly whenever you articulate /ʃ/ in words like 'should', 'share', or 'essential' prevents accidental slips into /s/, keeping your speech crisp and intelligible.
Frequently asked questions
How much does pronunciation count in IELTS Speaking?+
A quarter of your Speaking band. Examiners judge how easy you are to understand and how well you use features like stress, rhythm and intonation, not whether you sound British or American.
Do I need a native accent for Band 8?+
No. An accent is fine at every band. What matters is that individual sounds are clear, stress falls on the right syllables and your intonation helps the listener follow you.
How should I practise these lines?+
Read each line slowly, then at natural speed, then record yourself and compare. Say the sentences in a real answer next, because examiners hear your pronunciation while you think, not while you read.
Keep practising
More consonant sounds practice
- ch versus j (cheap / jeep)
- Consonant clusters at the end of words (texts, months)
- Consonant clusters at the start of words (street, spring)
- f versus p (fast / past)
- Final consonants that learners drop (want, hand, desk)
- h at the start of words (hair / air)
- r versus l (right / light)
- sh versus ch (share / chair)
- Silent letters (knee, listen, foreign)
- Silent r after vowels in British English (car, work)
- th versus d and z (they / day / zay)
- th versus s and t (thank / sank / tank)
- The ng sound /ŋ/ (sing, thinking)
- The voiced th sound /ð/ (this, mother)
- The voiceless th sound /θ/ (think, month)
- The /ʒ/ sound (measure, decision)
- v versus b (vote / boat)
- v versus w (vest / west)
- z versus s (rise / rice)
- All 59 pronunciation sets
- Part 1 topics
- Part 2 cue cards
- Part 3 questions
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