Why "TH" Is So Difficult
For speakers of Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and many other languages, the English "TH" sound simply doesn't exist in their native tongue. This means the mouth has never been trained to produce it. As a result, many learners substitute it with sounds like /s/, /z/, /d/, or /t/ — which can cause misunderstandings. The good news: this sound can be learned with a clear technique and consistent practice.
There Are Two "TH" Sounds
English actually has two distinct "TH" sounds:
- Voiceless TH — as in think, three, tooth, breath. No vibration in the throat.
- Voiced TH — as in the, this, those, breathe. Throat vibrates when producing the sound.
Both sounds are made the same way physically — the difference is whether your vocal cords are active.
How to Position Your Mouth
Follow these steps carefully:
- Place the tip of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower front teeth — or just behind the upper teeth. The tongue should be visible slightly.
- Push air out of your mouth across the top of your tongue.
- For the voiceless TH, just let the air flow — no voice. It should feel like a "hiss" or "breeze."
- For the voiced TH, add voice — you should feel a vibration or "buzz" in your throat and tongue tip.
Tip: Place your fingers gently on your throat. For voiced TH, you'll feel vibration. For voiceless TH, you won't.
Common Substitution Errors
| Intended Word | Common Error | What It Sounds Like |
|---|---|---|
| think | /θɪŋk/ → /sɪŋk/ | "sink" instead of "think" |
| the | /ðə/ → /də/ | "de" instead of "the" |
| three | /θriː/ → /triː/ | "tree" instead of "three" |
| this | /ðɪs/ → /zɪs/ | "zis" instead of "this" |
| mouth | /maʊθ/ → /maʊt/ | "mout" instead of "mouth" |
Practice Words: Voiceless TH (/θ/)
- Beginning: think, three, through, throw, thank, thin
- Middle: author, nothing, birthday, toothbrush
- End: math, health, both, teeth, worth
Practice Words: Voiced TH (/ð/)
- Beginning: the, this, that, there, those, they, though
- Middle: mother, brother, weather, together, either
- End: breathe, smooth, soothe, bathe, loathe
Minimal Pairs Exercise
Practice these word pairs to train your ear and mouth to distinguish the sounds:
- three / tree
- think / sink
- thy / die
- though / dough
- teeth / tease
Daily Practice Routine
- Spend 2–3 minutes each morning doing tongue placement exercises in front of a mirror.
- Record yourself reading a paragraph from a news article and listen back.
- Repeat tongue twisters: "The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday."
- Shadow a native speaker from a YouTube video, focusing on TH words.
Consistent, focused practice over a few weeks is far more effective than occasional marathon sessions. Your mouth muscles will adapt, and the TH sound will start to feel natural.