American English sound
/ʒ/: how to pronounce the “zh” in vision, measure and usual
/ʒ/ is the sound in the middle of vision, measure and usual. It's made exactly like /ʃ/ in she, with your voice on.
It's the rarest consonant in English and is never written with its own letter: it hides in s (vision, measure), in su (usual) and in French words (beige, massage).
/ʒ/
the “zh” sound
How to make the sound
- 1Put your tongue as for “sh”: the blade close to the area just behind the gum ridge.
- 2Round your lips slightly and push them forward a little.
- 3Turn your voice on: you should feel a buzz.
- 4Keep the air flowing. Don't stop it with the tongue, or it becomes the “j” of jump.
- Tongue
- tip-palatal
- Lips
- rounded
- Voice
- voiced
Hear it in words
Tap a word to hear it.
At the start
/ʒ/ almost never starts an English word, except in French loans like genre.
In the middle
At the end
How it's spelled
- s in -sion after a vowel: vision, decision, television
- s before -ure: measure, pleasure, treasure
- su: usual, casual
- g in French words: beige, massage, genre
- z (rare): azure, seizure
Common mistakes
Saying /ʃ/: “vishun” for vision
Without voice, /ʒ/ becomes “sh”. Hum through it; you should feel the buzz.
Saying the “j” of jump: “mejure”
The tongue stops the air before releasing it. Keep a narrow gap so the sound flows continuously.
Saying /z/: “vizion”
The tongue tip is too far forward. Pull it back to the “sh” position and round the lips a little.
Who finds /ʒ/ hard
Speakers of these languages often replace it with a sound from their own language. Linked languages have their own accent traps page.
Often say /j/ instead
Spanish
Try it
“Usually we watch television for pleasure.”
Record a sentence and get a score for every sound, /ʒ/ included. Free, no account.
Questions
Why is /ʒ/ so rare in English?
It came from two sources: French loanwords (beige, genre, massage) and an s or z blending with a following y sound (vision, measure, usual). English never had a letter for it.
Is “garage” pronounced with /ʒ/?
Both are heard: Americans say garage with /ʒ/ (“ga-RAHZH”) or with the j of jump (“ga-RAHJ”). Either is fine.