/θ/ /ð/
The TH sounds
TH is two sounds sharing one spelling. Unvoiced /θ/ (think, bath) is pure air; voiced /ð/ (this, mother) buzzes. Both need the tongue tip between or just behind the front teeth.
Who this is for: Almost every English learner, plus children with a frontal lisp or TH-fronting.
38 words with IPA · minimal pairs · sentence ladders · free, no signup
Where to put your tongue
- 1Let the tongue tip peek out lightly between the top and bottom front teeth.
- 2Keep the tongue soft and flat — do not press. Air must escape over it.
- 3For /θ/ (think), blow air with no voice. Your throat stays quiet.
- 4For /ð/ (this), keep the same position and switch the voice on. Your throat buzzes.
- 5Pull the tongue straight back into the next sound; do not add a 'd' on the way out.
Common mistakes
- Swapping in /s/ or /z/: 'think' becomes 'sink', 'those' becomes 'zose'.
- Swapping in /t/ or /d/: 'three' becomes 'tree', 'they' becomes 'day'.
- Swapping in /f/ or /v/: 'birthday' becomes 'birfday', 'brother' becomes 'bruvver'.
- Voicing the wrong one: 'bath' (unvoiced) versus 'bathe' (voiced) are different words.
Word list
IPA plus a plain respelling — capitals mark the stressed syllable. Read each column slowly first, then at speaking pace.
Unvoiced TH /θ/ — start
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| think | /θɪŋk/ | THINK |
| three | /θriː/ | THREE |
| thirty | /ˈθɜːr.ti/ | THUR-tee |
| thorough | /ˈθɜːr.oʊ/ | THUR-oh |
| theatre | /ˈθiː.ə.tɚ/ | THEE-uh-tur |
| thousand | /ˈθaʊ.zənd/ | THOW-zuhnd |
| thumb | /θʌm/ | THUM |
| thermometer | /θɚˈmɑː.mə.tɚ/ | thur-MAH-muh-tur |
Unvoiced TH /θ/ — middle & end
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| month | /mʌnθ/ | MUNTH |
| months | /mʌnθs/ | MUNTHS |
| sixth | /sɪksθ/ | SIKSTH |
| twelfth | /twɛlfθ/ | TWELFTH |
| strength | /strɛŋkθ/ | STRENGKTH |
| birthday | /ˈbɜːrθ.deɪ/ | BURTH-day |
| something | /ˈsʌm.θɪŋ/ | SUM-thing |
| healthy | /ˈhɛl.θi/ | HEL-thee |
| mathematics | /ˌmæθ.əˈmæt.ɪks/ | math-uh-MAT-iks |
| truth | /truːθ/ | TROOTH |
Voiced TH /ð/ — function words
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| this | /ðɪs/ | THISS (buzzing) |
| that | /ðæt/ | THAT (buzzing) |
| these | /ðiːz/ | THEEZ |
| those | /ðoʊz/ | THOHZ |
| they | /ðeɪ/ | THAY |
| them | /ðɛm/ | THEM |
| there | /ðɛr/ | THAIR |
| though | /ðoʊ/ | THOH |
| than | /ðæn/ | THAN |
| without | /wɪˈðaʊt/ | with-OWT |
Voiced TH /ð/ — content words
| Word | IPA | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| mother | /ˈmʌð.ɚ/ | MUTH-ur |
| brother | /ˈbrʌð.ɚ/ | BRUTH-ur |
| weather | /ˈwɛð.ɚ/ | WETH-ur |
| together | /təˈɡɛð.ɚ/ | tuh-GETH-ur |
| clothes | /kloʊz/ | KLOHZ |
| breathe | /briːð/ | BREETH (buzzing) |
| smooth | /smuːð/ | SMOOTH |
| northern | /ˈnɔːr.ðɚn/ | NOR-thurn |
| rhythm | /ˈrɪð.əm/ | RITH-uhm |
| either | /ˈiː.ðɚ/ | EE-thur |
Minimal pairs
Say each pair out loud, three times. If the two words sound identical, the sound is not landing yet.
think vs sink
tongue out /θ/ vs tongue behind teeth /s/
thin vs fin
/θ/ uses the tongue, /f/ uses the lip
three vs tree
air flow vs stop
they vs day
voiced /ð/ vs stop /d/
breath vs breathe
unvoiced noun vs voiced verb
bath vs bathe
same contrast, same trap
Sentence ladders
Start with the single word, then add length. Never move up a rung until the one below is clean.
thirty
thirty-three
Thirty-three thirsty thinkers thought thoroughly.
months
six months
The sixth and twelfth months both have thirty-one days.
mother
my mother's brother
My mother's brother and their father gathered together.
clothes
smooth clothes
Those clothes need smoothing in this weather.
Tongue twisters for this sound
Practise these with your microphone and get an instant accuracy score.
Thin sticks, thick bricks.
medium · practise with the mic →
Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks.
medium · practise with the mic →
I thought a thought. But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought.
hard · practise with the mic →
Vivid thistles thrive forever, giving various thieves feverish thoughts.
hard · practise with the mic →
A velvet thimble fails fast when thrust through fifty thin visors.
hard · practise with the mic →
Thumping five fat vines reveals thirty varied violet flowerbeds.
medium · practise with the mic →
A ten-minute daily routine
- 1. Two minutes on the mouth position, in front of a mirror.
- 2. Three minutes reading the word list aloud, slowly.
- 3. Two minutes on minimal pairs, three times each.
- 4. Two minutes climbing one sentence ladder.
- 5. One minute on a tongue twister — slow first, fast last.
- 6. Record yourself once a week and compare.