How is ci different from cz?

ci is soft (ciasto — cake/dough). cz is hard (czas — time). Mixing them up is a common mistake.

Pronunciation

Soft si, ci, zi, dzi in Polish

Before i, the letters s, c, z, d make soft clusters — si, ci, zi, dzi. Not hard “see” and not “shch” — something in between, with a flat tongue at the lower teeth.

si · ci · zi

Typical mistake

English “see/chee” is harder, with the tongue higher. In cześć a Pole hears a foreign hard hiss — you need the soft Polish quality.

How to make the sound

01Press the tongue to the lower teeth — flat, not raised to the palate.
02ci is between “tsi” and “chee”; zi is softer than “zee”; si is softer than “see”.
03dzi is one sound, not “d” + “z” + “ee”.

Practice words

cześć
hi / hello
dzień
day
zima
winter
siostra
sister

Questions

How is ci different from cz?: ci is soft (ciasto — cake/dough). cz is hard (czas — time). Mixing them up is a common mistake.

Check si · ci · zi out loud

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