Variation in the Swedish sj-sound

The Swedish sj-sound can be pronounced with a retroflex alveolar pronunciation or with a velar one. In other words, one pronunciation is frontal and the other is dorsal. In southern Swedish, the dorsal pronunciation is common in all instances. However, in parts of Stockholm, western Sweden, northern Sweden and Finland, the frontal pronunciation is common in all instances. In Finland, the sj- sound is frontal, but it is not retroflex. Though many speakers use either the frontal or dorsal pronunciation exclusively, most Swedes use both sounds. They are used in different environments.

The dorsal sound is common before a stressed vowel. Examples include situation, sju (seven) and sked (spoon). Though these words are spelt differently, the sound is the same. 

The frontal sound is common word-finally. Examples include dusch (shower), garage and prestige. It is also common in words which consist of a word-initial fricative and consonant. Examples include schlager (musical hit), schnitzel and Schweiz (Switzerland).

In certain words, both variants are common. This is the case with chans (chance) and kanske (maybe). It is often the case that speakers use the same variant for both words.

Many speakers use two pronunciations for the Swedish sj-sound. This sound can be spelled in many ways, and the two pronunciations are in complementary distribution. In certain words, i.e., chans (chance) and kanske (maybe), both pronunciations are very common.