The letter S is pronounced the same as in English (“some, sing”).[1]
  • sandur, bless, sæll
The name of the letter is “ess”, same as in English
There are a few other sounds in Icelandic that to many foreigners sound like an S but aren’t. Those are:

The Þ sound: þannig, með

The breathy R sound: góður, hratt

The breathy L sound: vel, hlægja

References
  • 1. There is a slight difference that some students notice, but native speakers are unable to notice any difference, so you don’t have to worry about it. The tongue in the Icelandic S is a little bit more back than in English, and it touches the back of your premolar teeth, so it can sound a little bit like the sh in “shy” or a little bit whistle-like.
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