How to pronounce the TH sound
Put the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth and push air through the gap. Without voice this gives the TH of “think” /θ/; add voice and you get the TH of “this” /ð/. The tongue does not press and the air never stops.
Say the TH words
Press Listen, then Say it. Green means the word was understood.
- think/θɪŋk/
- three/θri/
- thank/θæŋk/
- thought/θɔt/
- month/mʌnθ/
- both/boʊθ/
- this/ðɪs/
- that/ðæt/
- they/ðeɪ/
- mother/ˈmʌðɚ/
- weather/ˈwɛðɚ/
- breathe/brið/
Runs in your browser with its built-in speech recognition (Chrome, Edge, Safari). Nothing is installed and no account is needed.
Step by step
- Open your mouth slightly and let the tongue tip show between the upper and lower teeth.
- Blow air over the tongue. You should feel it on a finger held in front of your lips. That is /θ/ as in “think”.
- Keep the same position and switch on your voice. You should feel a buzz on the tongue. That is /ð/ as in “this”.
- Pull the tongue back for the next sound: “th-ink”, “th-is”.
Two TH sounds: when to use which
| Sound | Voice | Where it appears | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| /θ/ | no | Content words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, numbers | think, three, thing, bath, month |
| /ð/ | yes | Grammar words, and between vowels | the, this, that, they, then, mother, other |
A useful rule: if the word starts with TH and is a small grammar word (the, this, that, these, those, they, them, there, then, than, though), the TH is voiced. Other words that start with TH are voiceless.
Common mistakes
- S or Z instead of TH (“sink”, “zis”): the tongue stays behind the teeth. Bring it forward until it shows.
- T or D instead of TH (“tink”, “dis”): the tongue stops the air. Keep a gap and let the air flow.
- F or V instead of TH (“fink”, “bruvver”): the lower lip touches the teeth. Keep the lip out of it.
These swaps create real words, so listeners hear something else: think / sink, three / tree, then / den, mouth / mouse.
Questions people ask
Is it rude to show the tongue?
No. It shows for a fraction of a second and native speakers do the same. In fast speech the tongue only touches the back of the upper teeth.
How do I say TH after S, as in “months” or “sixths”?
Natives simplify: “months” is usually said “mons” or “munts”, and “clothes” is said like “close”.
Which TH is in “with”?
Both are used. American English prefers the voiceless /θ/, British English often the voiced /ð/.
Related
- Minimal pairsA listening game with 24 word pairs that differ by one sound: ship or sheep?
- The R soundThe tongue touches nothing: how to make the English R, with a voice check.
- The NG soundOne sound, no G: sing, thing, running, and when the G does come back.
- Russian accent test8 sentences built on the sounds that give Russian speakers away.