Echo سایهHow to pronounce th in English: θ and ð
English has two th sounds, and most languages have neither. Here's exactly where your tongue goes, how to tell the two apart, and how to practise until think stops sounding like sink.
The two th sounds
The letters th spell two different sounds. They use exactly the same mouth position; the only difference is whether your voice is on.
| Sound | Voice | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| /θ/ voiceless | Air only — throat silent | think, three, thank, bath, month, health, birthday |
| /ð/ voiced | Throat vibrates | this, that, the, they, mother, weather, breathe |
Tongue position, step by step
- Relax your jaw and open your mouth slightly.
- Put the tip of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower front teeth. Only the very tip should show — a few millimetres is enough.
- Blow air gently between your tongue and upper teeth. You should hear a soft hiss, like a quiet "fff" without the lip. That's /θ/.
- Now switch your voice on without moving anything. Put your hand on your throat: you should feel it buzz. That's /ð/.
- Pull your tongue back smoothly into the next sound. Don't bite the tongue or press hard — the contact is light.
θ or ð? Spelling clues
English spelling doesn't mark the difference, but these patterns cover most words:
- Small grammar words use ð: the, this, that, these, those, they, them, there, then, than, though.
- Most content words starting with th use θ: think, thing, thank, three, thousand, Thursday, theory, thumb.
- th between vowels is usually ð: mother, father, brother, other, weather, together, rather.
- Final -th is usually θ, final -the is ð: bath / bathe, breath / breathe, cloth / clothe, teeth / teethe.
- Plural -ths is tricky: months /mʌnθs/ keeps θ, while mouths is often /maʊðz/.
- think/θɪŋk/
- three/θriː/
- health/hɛlθ/
- month/mʌnθ/
- this/ðɪs/
- mother/ˈmʌðər/
- weather/ˈwɛðər/
- breathe/briːð/
Common mistakes
- θ → s or t: think becomes sink or tink. Typical for Persian, Arabic, Turkish, French and many Asian-language speakers. The tongue is behind the teeth instead of between them.
- ð → d or z: this becomes dis or zis. Same fix, plus voice.
- θ → f: three becomes free. Your lip is doing the work — keep the lip away and let the tongue touch the teeth.
- Dropping th in clusters: months becomes mons, sixth becomes six. Say every consonant: mun-θ-s.
Minimal pairs to train your ear and mouth
Say each pair slowly, then quickly. If they sound the same, go back to the mirror check.
| th | s / t | th | d / z |
|---|---|---|---|
| think | sink · tink | they | day |
| thank | sank · tank | then | den · zen |
| three | tree | those | doze · zones |
| path | pass | breathe | breeze |
| mouth | mouse | though | dough |
| thin | sin · tin | worthy | wordy |
Tongue twisters (slowly first): "Thirty-three thousand thoughtful thinkers." · "The other brother's mother is smoother than the weather."
A 7-day practice plan
- Day 1: Mirror work. 20 slow repetitions of /θ/ on its own, then think, three, thank.
- Day 2: Voice on. Alternate /θ/–/ð/ with a hand on your throat; then this, that, they, those.
- Day 3: Minimal pairs from the table — record yourself and listen back.
- Day 4: Final th: bath, month, health, both, tooth, north.
- Day 5: th between vowels: mother, other, weather, together.
- Day 6: Clusters: months, sixth, fifths, clothes, strengths.
- Day 7: Sentences at normal speed: "I think there are three things to thank them for."
Echo's θ and ð lessons give you over a thousand words and thousands of sentences with th — and turn the th red the moment it slips back to s.
Download on theApp StoreFAQ
Should my tongue really stick out?
Just the tip, and just a little. Some speakers touch the back of the upper teeth instead, which also works. What matters is that the air passes between the tongue and the teeth, not that the tongue is far out.
Is it a problem if I say d instead of ð in "the"?
Listeners usually still understand you, but it's one of the most noticeable features of a foreign accent and appears in almost every English sentence. Fixing it makes your speech sound clearer very quickly.
How long does it take to fix th?
Most learners can produce both sounds correctly in a few minutes. Using them automatically in fast speech usually takes a few weeks of short daily practice, especially in clusters like months and sixth.