How to Pronounce the TH Sound

Quick Answer: To pronounce the English TH sound, place the tip of your tongue lightly between or just behind your top front teeth and blow air out gently over it. Keep your voice off for the voiceless TH in think (⁄θ⁄) and turn it on for the voiced TH in this (⁄ð⁄); the tongue position is the same for both.

Key takeaways

• English has two TH sounds: voiceless ⁄θ⁄ (think, three, bath) and voiced ⁄ð⁄ (this, the, mother).
• The tongue tip touches the top front teeth lightly; air must keep flowing, so do not bite.
• Voiced ⁄ð⁄ appears in the most frequent words: the, this, that, they, there, with.
• Voiceless ⁄θ⁄ appears in many numbers: three, thirteen, thirty, thousand, third, fifth.
• Check yourself with a mirror: you should see the tongue tip for think.
• Turkish speakers usually replace TH with t or d, which turns three into tree and they into day.

Learners usually replace TH with t, d, s, z or f. The good news is that it is a visible sound: you can check it in a mirror.

Two TH Sounds

English spelling uses "th" for two different sounds:

Sound	Name	Voice	Examples
⁄θ⁄	voiceless TH	off (only air)	think, three, bath, month, birthday
⁄ð⁄	voiced TH	on (vibration)	this, that, the, mother, breathe

Test your voice: put your fingers on your throat. Say a long "ssss", then a long "zzzz". You feel vibration with "zzzz". That is the difference between ⁄θ⁄ and ⁄ð⁄.

Step-by-Step: The Voiceless TH ⁄θ⁄

1. Relax your mouth.
2. Put the tip of your tongue lightly between your top and bottom front teeth, or just behind your top teeth.
3. Do not bite hard. The tongue should be relaxed.
4. Push air out over your tongue. You should hear a soft hissing sound.
5. Do not use your voice.

Practice slowly: "th... th... think. th... th... three."

Step-by-Step: The Voiced TH ⁄ð⁄

1. Use exactly the same tongue position.
2. Now turn your voice on, like humming.
3. You should feel a buzz on your tongue and in your throat.

Practice: "th... the. th... this. th... mother."

Use a Mirror

Look in a mirror while you say think. You should see a little bit of your tongue tip. If you cannot see it, your tongue might be too far back, which often turns the sound into s or t.

Minimal Pairs

These pairs show why TH matters. Say them slowly, then quickly.

TH vs T and D

TH	T or D
three	tree
thank	tank
thin	tin
they	day
those	doze
breathe	breed

TH vs S and Z

TH	S or Z
think	sink
thick	sick
mouth	mouse
clothing	closing

TH vs F

TH	F
three	free
thought	fought
thirst	first

Where TH Appears

The voiced TH appears in many very common words: the, this, that, these, those, they, them, their, there, then, than, other, mother, father, brother, together. With is usually voiced, though many speakers use ⁄θ⁄ there too. Because these words are so frequent, improving your ⁄ð⁄ makes a big difference quickly.

The voiceless TH appears in many numbers and dates: three, thirteen, thirty, thousand, third, fourth, fifth, month, birthday. If you work with numbers, practice these. See also numbers in English.

Practice Sentences

Say each one slowly first, then at normal speed.

1. "I think there are three things."
2. "This is my mother and father."
3. "Thank you for the birthday present."
4. "They thought it was Thursday."
5. "The weather is better than yesterday."

Tongue Twisters

Tongue twisters are fun but hard. Go slowly.

• "Thirty-three thirsty thinkers thought."
• "These things, those things, there are three things."
• "The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday."

TH in Connected Speech

In fast speech, TH changes a little:

• After n or l, the TH may blend with the sound before: "in the" can sound close to "in-nə", "all the" close to "al-lə".
• In some accents, TH is replaced: many Londoners say "fink" for think and "bruvver" for brother, and many Irish speakers use a t- or d-like sound made at the teeth. These are real accent features, not mistakes for those speakers.

For learners, the standard TH is the clearest choice. Learn more about rhythm and linking in our English pronunciation tips.

Common Mistakes

1. Biting the tongue hard. This stops the air. Keep it light.
2. Using T or D. "I tink" instead of "I think". Check your tongue tip.
3. Using S or Z. "I sink" instead of "I think". Move your tongue forward.
4. Forgetting voicing. "thiss" with no voice sounds odd. Feel your throat.
5. Only practicing words alone. Practice in sentences too, especially with the.

Speakers of Turkish often replace TH with t or d. For other challenges, see English sounds that are hard for Turkish speakers.

Quick Practice

Voiced ⁄ð⁄ or voiceless ⁄θ⁄?

1. thin
2. that
3. bath
4. bathe
5. other

Answers: 1. ⁄θ⁄ 2. ⁄ð⁄ 3. ⁄θ⁄ 4. ⁄ð⁄ 5. ⁄ð⁄

Practice With Audio

The best way to fix TH is to listen and repeat many times. Shadow short sentences full of TH words, as described in the shadowing technique. LearnLingo's lessons give you audio for every new word; start at the A2 course if you already know the basics.

People Also Ask

How do you pronounce TH in English?

Put the tip of your tongue lightly between or just behind your top front teeth and push air out. For the voiceless TH in think, there is no voice; for the voiced TH in this, your voice is on.

What is the difference between voiced and voiceless TH?

Both use the same tongue position. The voiceless TH, written ⁄θ⁄, is only air, as in think and bath. The voiced TH, written ⁄ð⁄, adds vibration from your voice, as in this and mother.

Why is the TH sound hard for learners?

Many languages, including Turkish, French and German, do not have these sounds, so learners replace them with familiar sounds like t, d, s, z or f. It takes conscious practice to build a new mouth movement.

Is it a problem if I say T instead of TH?

Usually people will still understand you from context, and some English accents also change TH. But practicing the standard sounds helps avoid confusion in pairs like tree and three.

Related Reading

• English Pronunciation Tips for Learners
• English Sounds That Are Hard for Turkish Speakers
• The Shadowing Technique for English
• Numbers in English: Counting, Ordinals and Prices