Pronunciation exercises: /ʒ/ vs /ʃ/

/ʒ/ is a voiced consonant. /ʃ/ is an unvoiced consonant.

/ʒ/
If a word begins or ends with /ʒ/ then it must be a loanword or a foreign word. Also, most words that have /ʒ/ are enclosed in vowels.

Examples:
 * equation - usually
 * ending in "sion": conclusion - confusion - decision - division - occasion - provision - television - vision
 * ending in "sual": usual - visual
 * ending in "sure": exposure - measure - pleasure

Words derived from French: beige, genre, lingerie

/ʃ/
Since /ʒ/ normally doesn't appear at the beginning or end of the word, we will concentrate on the /ʃ/ sound in mid position.

At the beginning of the word: she, show

At the end of the word: wish, push

In the middle of the word:
 * as "sh": fashion, publisher, relationship
 * as "ss": assure, commission, discussion, expression, issue, mission, pressure, professional
 * as "ti": action, education, essential, function, partial, patience, rational, substantial
 * as "ci": efficient, musician, racial, special
 * as "ce": ocean
 * as "ch": machine
 * /kʃ/ as "x": anxious, complexion

/ʒ/ vs /ʃ/
There are very few minimal pairs /ʒ/ vs /ʃ/. One example is "measure" (a normal word) vs "mesher" (one who makes meshes, a word that doesn't appear in normal dictionaries).


 * These words don't rhyme
 * equation - location; exposure - kosher; measure - pressure; vision - mission;


 * These words don't end in the same syllables
 * visual - sensual

Decoding /ʒ/ and /ʃ/
In Latin derived words /ʒ/ is spelled with a single "s" (measure, vision). /ʃ/ on the other hand, is normally spelled with "sh" and often spelled with "ti", "ci", and "ssi". This means that spelling is a reliable way to tell apart and

In French loanwords /ʒ/ is "g", as in "genre", or seldom "j" as in " déjà vu" /ˌdeɪʒɑː ˈvuː/.

Spelling anomaly
 * "ti" as /ʒ/: equation

Variant pronunciations
Several words are pronounced either with /ʒ/ or with /ʃ/. In most cases the difference is regional, with General American preferring and Received Pronunciation preferring

Non regional: Asia, Asian

/ʃ/, /ʒ/ or /ʃ/
 * cashmere, coercion
 * ending in "rsion": aversion, conversion, dispersion, excursion, immersion, perversion, version

/gʒ/ or /kʃ/
 * luxurious, luxury

See Decoding exercises: "sion"

Spanish L1
See IPA phoneme /ʒ/ § Spanish.