Easys · sh· traditional
Tongue twisters · s · ʃ
S and sh
She sells seashells: a smile for s, a trumpet for sh.
- Age
- Ages 3–11
- Skill
- Speaking · Phonics
- Format
- Printable
Why this sound is hard
the Spanish trapMost Spanish has no sh at all, so children say s or ch instead: she becomes see and shoe becomes choo. (In Argentina and Uruguay the y of yo often sounds close to sh — a handy bridge.) Russian has ш, but it is harder, made with the tongue further back; the English sh is softer, with the lips pushed forward.
Where the mouth goes
S is a snake: teeth together, lips in a smile, a thin hiss. Sh is the quiet-please sound: push the lips forward like a trumpet and the hiss gets wider and softer. Smile for s, trumpet for sh.
The twisters, easy to hard
Listen slowly first, then at normal speed — then say it three times fast against the stopwatch. Dotted words open the picture dictionary.
Easys · sh
Sue's shoes are shiny.
Mediums · sh· traditional
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Mediums · sh
Hards · sh· traditional
Fresh fried fish, fish fresh fried, fried fish fresh, fish fried fresh.
Hards · sh· traditional
Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
One card per twister, no buttons — cut them apart for a twister jar.
Practise the same sound
Train the ear first with a listen-and-pick game, then read the sound in words.