z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
How to pronounce zebras in American English
ZEE·bruhz
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Americans pronounce zebras as ZEE-bruhz (/ˈzibrəz/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "Zebras in the zoo" or "The zoo was buzzing with lazy zebras" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "zebras".
2 syllables, 6 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
b/b/
Press your lips together, add vocal cord vibration, then release.
r/r/
Curl or bunch your tongue without letting the tip touch the roof of your mouth. Brace the sides of your tongue against your upper back teeth, and round your lips slightly.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch ZEE — keep everything else short and quick.
zee·BRUHZ→ZEE·bruhz
02
Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.
Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.
ZEE·BRUHZ→ZEE·bruhz
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "zebras" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "ZEE" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "ZEE-bruhz" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the second syllable in "zebras" reduce to "uh"?
Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "ZEE-bruhz" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
Is the American pronunciation of "zebras" different from British English?
American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "ZEE-bruhz" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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