Czech Letter Š (and S): The “Sh” Sound in Škola and Škoda

ByCzech Alphabet Editors Updated
FreeNative-speaker audioTap to hear
Letter nameeš (esh)
Sound[ʃ]
Sounds likethe 'sh' in 'shop'
Position30 of 42
Watch outSame sound as English sh, but always one letter
Pairs withŽ (voiced). Š is the voiceless version of the same sound
škola school šest six myš mouse
Quick answer

The Czech letter Š (š, named eš) sounds like the sh in “shop”, [ʃ]. Czech writes this sound with one letter, an S with a háček, where English needs two. Plain S is always the s in “sun”, never the z sound of English “rose”.

Czech letter Š sounds like sh in shop: šest, škola, Škoda

Š and S side by side

LetterSoundExamples
Šsh in “shop”šest six, škola school, šála scarf
Ss in “sun”sýr cheese, sestra sister, rosa dew (ro-sa, not ro-za)

Getting these right changes meaning: sál is a hall, šál a shawl; kos a blackbird, koš a basket.

The “šť” cluster and other combinations

  • šť = “shty”: štěstí happiness, luck (SHTYES-tyee), ještě still.
  • šk: škoda a pity (and the car brand), Škoda is SHKOH-dah, not “skoda”.
  • sch in Czech is s + ch: schody stairs is “s-khoh-dih”, not “shoh-dih”.

S never turns into z, but Š can come from Ž

English often voices s between vowels (rose, music). Czech doesn’t: rosa, musí keep a crisp s. The reverse happens with ž: at the end of a word ž is pronounced like š, so muž (man) and nůž (knife) end in a “sh” sound even though they’re spelled with ž. See Ž.

Š in names you’ll recognise

  • Škoda: SHKOH-dah. In Czech it also means “damage” or “what a pity”.
  • Tomáš: TOH-mahsh.
  • Lukáš: LOO-kahsh.
  • Šumava: SHOO-mah-vah, the forested mountains on the German border.

Practice words

šest sixškola schoolšpatně badlyštěstí luckvíš you knowpíšu I writekoš basketsýr cheesesestra sisterslunce sunles forestpes dog

Typing Š

  • Czech keyboard: the 3 key on the number row.
  • Mac: hold s and choose š.
  • Phone: long-press s.

Common mistakes

  1. Reading š as s. šest (six) becomes sest, which sounds like the start of sestra.
  2. Voicing s between vowels. Czech s is always crisp.
  3. Reading sch as “sh”. In Czech it’s s + ch.

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce š in Czech?

Like sh in “shop” or “fish”.

How do you say Škoda?

SHKOH-dah, with stress on the first syllable.

What is the letter š called?

Eš, or “es s háčkem” (s with a háček).

Keep going

Sources

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