The /ʒ/ as in VISION /ʒ/

One of the most common consonants in American English. Hear it in vision, measure, beige, garage.

IPA /ʒ/ Respell zh Category Consonant
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The /ʒ/ consonant, the zh sound in vision, measure, and beige, is the voiced twin of the SH sound. To make it, flare your lips, bring your teeth close together, and lift the middle of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth, letting air buzz through while your vocal cords vibrate. It's the rarest consonant in American English, mostly showing up in the middle of words or in French loanwords like garage and massage. Think of it as a heavy, buzzing SH.

How to make it

Three small adjustments.

Get them right and the sound takes care of itself.

Flare your lips and lift the mid-front tongue close to the roof of your mouth. Add vocal cord vibration.

Mouth position for /ʒ/ in vision

Mouth shape

/ʒ/ as in vision

Tongue

Lifts so the front-middle part is very close to the roof of the mouth but not touching it. The tongue tip points forward but doesn't touch anything.

Lips

Corners come in and lips flare.

Quick tips

Two things to remember.

Same mouth position as SH (/ʃ/) but with vocal cord vibration.

Keep the air flowing. If you stop the air, it will accidentally sound like the J in job (/dʒ/).

Hear it in words

16 everyday words.

Tap any word for its full breakdown — every reduction, every flap-T.

vision
VIH·zhuhn
decision
duh·SIH·zhuhn
measure
MEH·zher
pleasure
PLEH·zher
treasure
TREH·zher
leisure
LEE·zher
casual
KA·zhoo·uhl
visual
VIH·zhoo·uhl
garage
guh·RAHZH
beige
BAYZH
fusion
FYOO·zhuhn
conclusion
kuhn·KLOO·zhuhn
occasion
uh·KAY·zhuhn
version
VUR·zhuhn
precision
pruh·SIH·zhuhn
genre
ZHAHN·ruh
Hear it in sentences

In real conversation.

5 short sentences where this sound shows up. Tap to play; click the title for the full breakdown.

The television version was a visual delusion.

dhuh TEH·luh·vih·zhuhn VUR·zhuhn wuhz uh VIH·zhoo·uhl duh·LOO·zhuhn.

Usually, the casual decision is visually vague.

YOO·zhoo·uh·lee dhuh KA·zhoo·uhl duh·SIH·zhuhn ihz VIH·zhuh·lee VAYG.

Measure the leisure time with precision.

MEH·zher dhuh LEE·zher TAHYM wihth pruh·SIH·zhuhn.

The vision of the treasure was a pleasure.

dhuh VIH·zhuhn uhv dhuh TREH·zher wuhz uh PLEH·zher.

Conclusion of the occasion was casually done.

kuhn·KLOO·zhuhn uhv dhee uh·KAY·zhuhn wuhz KA·zhuh·lee DUHN.
FAQ

Common questions about /ʒ/.

What is the easiest way to pronounce the /ʒ/ sound?
Start by making a long, continuous SH sound like you're telling someone to be quiet. While holding that SH, simply turn your voice on so your throat vibrates. The mouth shape is exactly the same: your lips flare outward, your teeth are close together but not touching, and the middle of your tongue lifts close to the roof of your mouth. The only difference between pressure (SH) and pleasure (/ʒ/) is that vocal cord buzz.
Why is the /ʒ/ sound so hard to spot in English spelling?
English doesn't actually have a dedicated letter for /ʒ/, so it hides inside other spellings. You'll most commonly find it spelled with an S in the middle of words ending in -ion, -ure, or -ual, like vision, measure, and usual. You'll also hear it at the end of French loanwords spelled with -ge, like garage, massage, and beige. Those endings are the giveaway: when you see them, expect a /ʒ/.
What's the difference between /ʒ/ in "vision" and the J sound in "job"?
The /ʒ/ sound is a smooth, continuous buzz, while the J sound (/dʒ/) starts with a hard stop. For the J in job or judge, the tip of your tongue actually presses against the roof of your mouth to block the air before releasing it in a burst. For the /ʒ/ in lesion or beige, the air never stops flowing. If you say lesion but block the air, it accidentally sounds like legion.

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