The pronunciation and spelling of these sounds constitutes a considerable difficulty to many native speakers. Their pronunciation has been discussed in Lesson 1. You are not expected to fully master this difference. However, it is useful to remember some situations where you use one or the other.
As far as the distribution of đ versus dž is concerned, it is worth remembering that almost all English loan words will be pronounced and spelled with dž, as in: džip 'jeep', džez 'jazz', džin 'gin', etc.
For the distribution of č and ć, it is worth remembering inflection forms and suffixes that go with one or another, for example:
| Sound | Category | Example |
| č | Suffixes -ač, -ič ' when designating a male performer or instrument' | vozač 'driver', vodič 'tour guide' |
| ć | Suffix -ać 'diminutive' | stolić 'small table or desk' |
| ć | Future tense auxiliary | ću 'I will', ćemo 'we will' |
| ć | Infinitive ending -ći | ići 'go', naći 'find' |