German (Germany) minimal pairs

Minimal pairs: Zeit and seit

/ts/vs/z/

Hard for speakers of English, Spanish and French, who read the German z as their own z. In German, z is always “ts”, and s before a vowel is the buzzing sound English writes with z.

The difference. For z the tongue stops the air for a moment, then releases it into a hiss, as at the end of “cats”; for s before a vowel there is no stop, only a buzzing hiss.

Practice all pairs

7 word pairs

Say both words in each pair. If Tono colors one of them amber or red, that is the sound to work on.

Zeit seit Practice
Zoll soll Practice
Zehen sehen Practice
Zucht Sucht Practice
Zauber sauber Practice
Zahl Saal Practice
Ziege Siege Practice

Contrast sentences

Both sounds in one sentence: the real test of whether you can switch between them.

Seit wann hast du Zeit? Practice
Das Zimmer ist sauber wie durch Zauber. Practice
Du sollst den Zoll bezahlen. Practice

How to practice minimal pairs

Listen to both words in Tono first, one after the other, until you can hear the difference.
Say the pair slowly and exaggerate the difference. Check that both words come back green.
Say the contrast sentences at normal speed. That is where the mix-up usually comes back.

More minimal pairs

English minimal pairs Spanish minimal pairs French minimal pairs