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Rule 1
When an s follows a voiceless consonant, it is pronounced as /s/.
books, eats, stops, cats, makes, helps, likes, surfs
Rule 2
When an s is followed by a voiced consonant or a vowel, it is pronounced as /z/.
eggs, comes, beds, boys, lives, loans, cars, feels
Rule 3
Double s is pronounced as /s/.
boss, massive, less, lesson, success, essay
exceptions: possession, scissors, dessert (ss sounds like /z/)
Rule 4
An extra syllable is added to words that end with certain consonant sounds followed by s.
These include:
| sound: |
consonant: |
examples: |
| /ʤ/ |
g |
manages, changes |
| /ʃ/ |
sh |
washes, dishes |
| /ʧ/ |
ch |
churches, matches |
| /s/ |
s, ss, c |
bosses, faces |
| /ks/ |
x |
boxes, faxes |
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