Fricatives
How to pronounce /ʃ/ SH as in she
sheoceanfinish
How to make it
Tongue back, lips forward, let a wide soft stream of air out. No voice.
- Tongue
- Body pulled back, wide channel
- Lips
- Pushed forward and rounded
- Voice
- Air only, no buzz
Watch the mouth
Push your lips forward and hush, air wide and soft.
Where learners slip
- Vietnamese speakersOften flattened into /s/ — she can land as see.
- Spanish speakersOften turned into /tʃ/ — she can land as chee.
- Korean speakersOften softened into /s/ before some vowels.
- Indonesian speakersOften flattened into /s/ — she can land as see.
Say it on real English. See if it lands.
Lang Shadow scores /ʃ/ every time you say it — in Shorts, in role plays and in your own words — and colours it next to the other 40 sounds.