English Pronunciation, Lesson 30 - TH Consonant Sounds (2024)

EnglishPronunciation, Lesson 30

In English,the TH consonant soundsare studied together because they share the same spelling and are madein the same part of the mouth. There are two TH consonant sounds.One is voiced,and the other is unvoiced.In this lesson, you will learn and practice the differences betweenthese two English sounds.

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

How to pronounce the TH consonantsounds

The TH consonant soundsare the only pair of sounds in English that share the same spelling.They also take the same mouth shape.

The voiceless (unvoiced)THsound(IPAsymbol:θ)can be found in English words such as think, thing, teeth, birthday, bath, and both.

The voiced THsound(IPAsymbol: ð)can be found in English words such as the,them,those, father, together, brother, and breathe.

What are voicedand voicelesssounds? Let's review.

In the English language, we use many voicedsounds.That meansthat the vocal cordsvibrate to make the sound.

These are some of the voicedsounds in English:

• Vsound
• Dsound
• Zsound
• Gsound
• Jsound

When a sound is voicelessor unvoiced, the vocalcords do not vibrate when you make the sound. Instead,you release air out of your mouth to make the sound.

These are some of the voicelesssounds in English:

• Fsound
• Hsound
• Tsound
• Ssound
• Ksound
• CHsound

To make the voiced and unvoiced THsounds, place the tip of yourtongue between your top and bottom teeth. It should not stick out veryfar. Then blowair through the space between your tongue and your top teeth. You alsoblow air through the top teeth. This makes the unvoicedTH sound(IPAsymbol:θ). It is a naturalsound.

When you add your voice, youmake the voiced TH sound(IPAsymbol: ð).It is a buzzing sound similar to the Zsound but with a different tongue position.

Sometimes your tongue will not stick through your top and bottom teethto make the voiced THsound. When linking words together,your tongue issometimes placed right behind your top teeth.

Let's practice these two sounds with Rachel from Rachel's English:

Have you watched the video? Good! Let's practice a few more words.

Let's practice!

Because the voiced andvoiceless TH soundsshare the exact same spelling, it is difficult to know how to pronouncenew words that have the TH spelling. There are more words in Englishwith the voiceless TH sound than the voiced TH sound.

You should use a dictionaryor online pronunciation guide to learn the pronunciation ofnew vocabulary words.

Practice thevoiceless TH sound by sayingthesewords aloud. Remember that this THsound is not voiced. Your vocal cordsdo not vibrate when you make this sound. Make sure you are only usingair tomake the sound.

Voiceless TH at the beginning of a word:

• think
• thin
• thing
• thanks
• thirty
• Thursday
• three
• thumb
• third
• thirteen

Voiceless TH in the middle of a word:

• bathtub
• toothpick
• birthday
• healthy
• something
• anything
• athlete

Voiceless TH at the end of a word:

• math
• tooth
• teeth
• tenth
• ninth
• fifth
• breath
• earth
• mouth
• south
• north
  

Now, let's practice the voicedTHsound. Remember to use air and your voice tomake this buzzing sound.

Voiced TH at the beginning of a word:The voiced TH sound is common in English pronounsand demonstratives.

• that
• this
• them
• the
• their
• there
• they're
• those
• they
• these

Voiced TH in the middle of a word:

• feather
• weather
• father
• brother
• mother
• clothing
• clothes
• either
• other
• another

Voiced TH at the end of a word:

• breathe
• bathe
• smooth

Finally,practice the sounds side-by-side

Now say these sentences out loud.

The voicedTH sounds are in green.Use air and your voice to make these buzzing sounds.

1) I thinkit is Thursday.

2) It is histhirteenthbirthdaytoday.

3) You can clean your teethwith athintoothpick.

4)Theyshould ask theirfatherortheirmother.

5) Theotherclothesare new.

6) Thereis anotherfeatherover there.

7) Thatthingis biggerthanthatotherthing.

8) Thosethreeboys will bethreethisThursday,October ninth.

9) Thereis somethinginthatdog's mouth.

10) My brothersaidtheweatheris warmer inthesouththaninthenorth.

Have you finished this lesson? Don't worry if you don't get it allright the first time. The THsounds can be difficult to learn. If youwant to review this lesson, youcan returnto the top of the page.

Keep practicing the words andsentencesto master these sounds.

Let's move on...

List of Lessons