The th Sound

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

One of the most difficult consonant sounds for non-native speakers is the th or / / sound

and the /ð/ sound. Remember that for this sound the tip of your tongue should touch the

edges of your front teeth, and the tip of the tongue vibrates a bit while air flows out through

your tongue and upper teeth. It’s also acceptable to just touch the back of the front teeth as

long as the air is flowing through.

There are two th sounds in English: the voiced th as in that, and the voiceless th as in think.

Practice Words /θ/. (voiceless th)

anything earth nothing Thursday
author ninth thank wealthy
both health thing

Word Pairs for /θ/. (voiceless th)

with nothing both methods
ninth birthday third month

Practice Words for /ð/ (Voiced th)

although father this they
breathe mother the those
clothing rather then weather

Word Pairs for /ð/

that clothing neither brother
this weather mother and father

Word Contrasts for Practice

Note the difference between the words with t and those with
the voiceless th or /θ/.
1. bat bath 4. tank thank
2. boat both 5. team theme
3. mat math 6. True threw
Note the difference between the words with d and those with
the voiced th or /ð/.
/d/ /ð/ /d/ /ð/
1. breeding breathing 4. Dan than
2. dare their 5. day they
3. doze those 6. Wordy worthy
1. Her thirty-third birthday is on the third Thursday of this
month.
2. Those three things are worth thousands of dollars.
3. I think that Kenneth is Ethan’s father.
4. That new theology doesn’t threaten the faithful Catholics.
5. You can buy anything and everything in that clothing store.
6. There are those that always tell the truth.
7. I think that the south has more warmth than the north.
8. I’d rather have this one than that one.
9. Although they’re rather thin, they’re very healthy.
TH initial sentences
1) My thumb was pricked by a thorn on Thursday.
2) I sat in the third row at the movie theater.
3) The thunder scared my dog, Theo.
4) I was thankful my coffee was in a thermos.
5) He threw to third base in a hurry.
6) The king sat at his throne while he ate Thanksgiving dinner.
7) This frozen dinner will take thirty minutes before it thaws out
completely. freeze
8) I used thread to sew up those pants.
9) My throat hurts so I need a thermometer.

TH final sentences

1) Don’t try to give a sloth a bath.

 2) The phone
3) is just north from here.
4) Today we have a math quiz and I am ready for it.
5) You are supposed to brush your teeth twice a day.
6) Make sure you have a toothbrush and toothpaste.
7) I followed the path until I found the blacksmith.
8) I saw a wooly mammoth taking a bubble bath.
9) The toll booth is just south of here.
10) I forgot to put the wreath on the door last Thursday.
11) Meredith could see her breath because it was so cold
outside.

TH medial sentences

1) The athlete had a moth in his house.

2) I try to use mouthwash after I brush my teeth.
3) What is the weather going to be like on Martin Luther King Day?
4) We need to make a birthday cake for the tooth fairy.
5) Everyone was fine after the earthquake yesterday.
6) The wealthy author has written many famous books.
7) The orthodontist had a pet python.
8) I love going through the drive-thru at McDonalds.
9) My grandpa uses a toothpick after eating dinner.
10) I saw a flame thrower at the circus last month.
11) I got a bathrobe for my birthday.
12) Make sure you put mothballs in your attic if you want to
keep moths away.
13) The basketball player made the free throw shot and the
team won.
14) The boy was very truthful when telling the teacher what
happened.
15) I found thirty feathers on the pathway.
16) I hope my father’s toothache gets better. Ache
backache stomachache
17) The view at the top of Plymouth Rock was breathtaking.
18) Do not talk with your mouth full of birthday cake.
19) I saw a panther at the zoo and it was his 19th birthday.
20) The bathmat needs to be replaced in the upstairs bathroom.