That’s kinda what I mean. Looks like I misunderstood what you meant, because “ts” is its own word on German, very similar to “tsk” in English. But it is pronounced differently (softer) than z. When used as part of words, z, tz and ts can definitely all sound identical.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_alveolar_affricate
It’s literally the same sound as in “cats”, which generally doesn’t have a clear “t” either if that’s what you mean.
That’s kinda what I mean. Looks like I misunderstood what you meant, because “ts” is its own word on German, very similar to “tsk” in English. But it is pronounced differently (softer) than z. When used as part of words, z, tz and ts can definitely all sound identical.