The final /s/ voiced or voiceless

[angel-girl1]

Hi,

Is there a rule in received pronunciation to know whether the final /s/ of a word is voiced or voiceless?

Thanks.

 

[5jj]

Is there a rule in received pronunciation to know whether the final /s/ of a word is voiced or voiceless?

The third person -s and the plural suffix -s are pronounced /s/ when they follow an unvoiced sound and /-z/ when they follow a voiced sound.

 

[angel-girl1]

Thanks.

So, eggs is /egz/ But, in the following link it is pronounced as /egs/

Pronunciation of eggs - how to pronounce eggs correctly.

 

[5jj]

So, eggs is /egz/ But, in the following link it is pronounced as /egs/

Pronunciation of eggs - how to pronounce eggs correctly.

That is not a very natural pronunciation.

 

[angel-girl1]

The third person -s and the plural suffix -s are pronounced /s/ when they follow an unvoiced sound and /-z/ when they follow a voiced sound.

What if the final /s/ is preceded by a vowel?
Is it always pronounced as /z/?

 

[5jj]

Yes. Vowels are voiced sounds.

 

[BobK]

:up: In the terms of the OP, /s/ is always unvoiced. The letter 's' may sometimes be voiced; in that case it's not /s/, it's /z/.

b