Which word ends with the /z/ sound: 'cats', 'cat', or 'cab'?

Which word ends with the /z/ sound: 'cats', 'cat', or 'cab'?

• A. Cab
• B. Cat
• C. Cats
• D. Cap

Answer: (C)

Think about the ending sound and voicing. The /z/ sound is the voiced version of /s/. When a word takes the plural ending -s, the final sound can be /s/ or /z/ depending on the preceding sound; in many everyday pronunciations, the plural ending after a base that isn’t a voiceless stop can be realized as /z/. Among the options, the word that ends with that /z/ sound is the one formed with the plural -s in a way commonly heard as /z/. The other two end with different consonants: /t/ in cat and /b/ in cab. So cats ends with the /z/ sound.

Think about the ending sound and voicing. The /z/ sound is the voiced version of /s/. When a word takes the plural ending -s, the final sound can be /s/ or /z/ depending on the preceding sound; in many everyday pronunciations, the plural ending after a base that isn’t a voiceless stop can be realized as /z/. Among the options, the word that ends with that /z/ sound is the one formed with the plural -s in a way commonly heard as /z/. The other two end with different consonants: /t/ in cat and /b/ in cab. So cats ends with the /z/ sound.