Hey there! I’m Emma, your American Accent Coach 
—and today, we’re tackling one of the trickiest (and most misunderstood!) pairs of sounds in American English: the /TH/ sound.
That’s right—two sounds, not one. English has a voiceless /θ/ like in think, and a voiced /ð/ like in this. Together, they make up a group called dental fricatives, which is just a fancy way of saying “tongue at the teeth + air = a fuzzy sound.”
Here’s the catch: these sounds are super rare in world languages. Most people’s native languages don’t include them. So if you’re struggling with the “th” in “thank you” or “the,” you are absolutely not alone. Even native English-speaking kids often mix them up for years.
But here’s why it matters:
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to master the /TH/ sounds—from how to make them physically, to what words they appear in, to how to fix common mistakes and sound more native.
We’ll cover:
Let’s break it down together—step by step—and help your /TH/ sound become second nature.
Let’s clear up a common myth first: There’s not just one “th” sound in English—there are two!
These are:
| Sound | IPA Symbol | Example Words | Voicing |
| Voiceless TH | /θ/ | think, thank, teeth, path | No vibration |
| Voiced TH | /ð/ | this, that, those, mother | Vibration present |
Both are called dental fricatives—which means the sound is made by blowing air between your tongue and your teeth.
Here’s the difference:
This is the whispery “th” sound. You don’t use your voice—just breath and friction.
➡️ Try this:
It should sound kind of like a snake hissing, but fuzzier: “thhhh” instead of “ssss.”
Same tongue position—but this time, your vocal cords vibrate.
➡️ Try this:
It should feel like a mix between “z” and “d”, but made at the teeth, not the ridge.
Put your fingers on your throat and try these:
Just like “f” and “v” are a pair (same mouth shape, one voiced), /θ/ and /ð/ work the same way. Same tongue position—just turn the voice on or off.
Think of them like a musical note: one whispered, one buzzing.
✅ Ready to go deeper? Next, we’ll break down exactly how to make these sounds with step-by-step tongue and airflow instructions. Let’s go!
Let’s get practical! Both /θ/ and /ð/ are made in the same place (tongue + teeth), but one is voiceless and one is voiced. The secret is in how you move the air and whether your voice is on.
Let’s break it down.
Try this drill: Say “ssss,” then slowly move your tongue forward until it turns into “thhhh.” That’s /θ/.
Practice drill: Alternate back and forth –
/θ/ (no voice): think – /ð/ (voice): this – /θ/: think – /ð/: this
Your mouth doesn’t change—just your vocal cords.
Pro tip: The rest of your tongue stays calm. Just focus on the front tip, and keep it light—not tense or pressed hard.
Let’s troubleshoot some things I hear from students all the time:
| Mistake | What’s Happening | How to Fix It |
| Saying /s/ instead of /θ/ | Tongue too far back | Stick the tongue out further |
| Saying /d/ instead of /ð/ | You’re stopping the air | Lighten the tongue contact and keep air flowing |
| Blocking the air | Tongue is pressing too hard | Ease up—think of a soft hiss, not a punch |
| Too much lip movement | Lips are doing the work | Relax them! It’s all about the tongue |
| No voice for /ð/ | You’re using /θ/ instead | Touch your throat and feel the buzz |
Try this challenge:
Say “thank you” slowly and clearly → now say “that’s fine” → focus on getting /θ/ in “thank” and /ð/ in “that.” Can you feel the difference?
Now that you know how to make the sounds, let’s look at when and where they actually show up in real English.
Spoiler: they’re everywhere. And knowing which “th” is voiced or voiceless isn’t always obvious from the spelling… so let’s break it down together.
There’s a super helpful pattern in American English:
Even though there are more words with /θ/, we say /ð/ way more because those little function words appear in almost every sentence.
Fun fact: The word “the” is the most frequent word in English—and it uses /ð/.
| Voiceless /θ/ | Voiced /ð/ |
| think /θɪŋk/ | the /ðə/ |
| thin /θɪn/ | this /ðɪs/ |
| three /θriː/ | that /ðæt/ |
| Thursday /ˈθɜrzdɛɪ/ | they /ðeɪ/ |
Tip: Most everyday nouns, adjectives, and verbs starting with “th” use /θ/—but those tiny “glue words” like the, this, that use /ð/.
This one’s trickier—both /θ/ and /ð/ can appear in the middle of a word. The choice often depends on how the word is built.
| /θ/ | /ð/ |
| author /ˈɔːθɚ/ | mother /ˈmʌðɚ/ |
| method /ˈmɛθəd/ | brother /ˈbrʌðɚ/ |
| athlete /ˈæθliːt/ | other /ˈʌðɚ/ |
| cathedral /kəˈθiːdrəl/ | weather /ˈwɛðɚ/ |
General pattern: If “th” is between two vowels, it often becomes voiced /ð/. If it comes from Greek or is part of a compound word, it often stays voiceless /θ/.
Example:
This is where many learners get tripped up, especially with grammar changes.
| Voiceless /θ/ | Voiced /ð/ |
| bath /bæθ/ | bathe /beɪð/ |
| mouth (noun) /maʊθ/ | mouth (verb) /maʊð/ |
| teeth /tiːθ/ | breathe /briːð/ |
| path /pæθ/ | loathe /loʊð/ |
Notice something? In many verb–noun pairs, the noun uses /θ/ and the verb version uses /ð/.
For example:
Try this: Say “bath” (with no voice) and then “bathe” (with voice). Feel the difference?
English is sneaky. Sometimes adding -s or -es changes the sound:
Why? It’s about ease of pronunciation—your mouth naturally wants to voice the TH when it’s followed by a voiced sound like /z/.
Don’t worry about memorizing all these rules—just listen, practice, and notice patterns.
Great question! A few proper nouns or borrowed words break the rule and use a /t/ sound instead:
These are just exceptions from history or spelling quirks. No need to stress—just memorize the irregular ones, and assume most “th” words use the TH sound.
Up next, we’ll look at common learner mistakes—like saying “sink” instead of “think”—and how to fix them for good.
Want to keep going? Let’s tackle it!
If you’ve ever said “sink” when you meant “think”, or “dis” instead of “this”—you’re in good company.
These are some of the most common pronunciation slip-ups English learners make. But the good news? They’re also totally fixable.
Let’s go over the top mistakes, why they happen, and what you can do to correct them.
Examples:
Why it happens:
Your native language might not have /θ/, so your brain reaches for a similar sound—like /s/ (made with the tongue) or /f/ (made with the lips). These are easier to pronounce, but they don’t sound quite right in English.
Fix it:
Examples:
Why it happens:
Many learners default to /d/ or /z/ because /ð/ feels too soft or too unfamiliar. Also, /d/ is a stop (quick and clear), while /ð/ is a fricative (long and fuzzy), so it gets shortened unintentionally.
Fix it:
Touch your throat while practicing—make sure you feel the vibration on /ð/!
Examples:
Why it happens:
The tongue is pressing too hard against the teeth and blocking the air. Instead of a smooth, fuzzy sound, you get a hard stop.
Fix it:
Examples:
Why it happens:
Learners may mix them up because they’re focused on the spelling instead of the sound. Or, they use the same /th/ sound in every word—voiced or not.
Fix it:
Some learners hold back on “th” because they’re afraid it’ll sound like a speech problem. But here’s the thing: if you’re pronouncing it correctly, it’s not a lisp—it’s authentic English.
✅ A real lisp would turn “sun” into “thun”
✅ You’re just learning to pronounce “think” as “thhhhink,” which is exactly what native speakers do!
So don’t be afraid to show your tongue a little. It’s not embarrassing—it’s accurate.
Choose 5–10 common “th” words and record yourself saying them slowly, then in sentences. Try:
Then listen back and ask:
Repeat daily. It’s all about building awareness and new habits!
Next up, we’ll explore how /TH/ behaves in connected speech—you’ll learn how it changes (or disappears!) in fast, casual American English. Let’s keep going !
So you’ve been practicing your TH sounds—nice and slow, tongue out, air flowing, everything just right.
But then you watch a movie or listen to a native speaker and suddenly it sounds like… the TH disappeared?!
Don’t worry—you’re not imagining it. In fast, natural speech, TH sounds often change, blend, or even vanish. This is called connected speech, and it’s totally normal.
Let me show you what’s happening—and how you can use this knowledge to improve your listening and sound more natural when speaking.
When one word ends with a consonant (like /t/, /d/, or /n/) and the next word begins with /ð/ or /θ/, the sounds can blend together. The place of articulation shifts slightly—usually toward the teeth.
Examples:
Think of it like this: It’s easier (and faster) for your tongue to stay at the teeth rather than jump around. So speakers simplify the motion by merging the two positions.
Sometimes in casual or fast speech, especially in difficult clusters, the TH sound disappears entirely.
Examples:
?♀️ What to do: Don’t stress about copying this immediately. It’s more important to learn the full, clear version first. But be aware that native speakers do simplify these tough sounds—so your ears won’t be shocked when you hear “mons” instead of “months.”
Many function words that use /ð/—like the, that, them, than, those—get weakened in rapid speech.
Examples:
In these cases, /ð/ is:
These are called weak forms, and they help native speakers keep a smooth rhythm.
It’s tempting to copy fast speech and drop every TH. But be careful—too much reduction too soon can lead to unclear speech.
✅ Best practice:
Want to sound natural? Try shadowing:
Listen to a short native audio clip, pause, and repeat it exactly—mimicking the rhythm, reductions, and TH blends. You’ll start to absorb how native speech really works.
Next up, we’ll look at regional and dialectal variations—how TH is pronounced in different accents and why some people say “fink” instead of “think.”
Not everyone says “think” the same way—and that’s totally normal. Across the U.S. and around the world, the TH sounds get swapped, simplified, or stylized in different ways. Let’s look at a few:
Nope—not unless you’re trying to copy a specific dialect for acting or fun.
✅ If your goal is clear, standard American pronunciation—stick with /θ/ and /ð/. They’re what most Americans expect to hear in everyday speech.
Next, we’ll talk about why the TH sound is so hard for learners—and how to finally get it right.
Let’s be real: the /TH/ sounds are tough for a reason.
Learning to pronounce /θ/ and /ð/ clearly takes time—but you’re more than capable of doing it. Every time you stick your tongue out for “thank you” or hold the buzz in “this,” you’re taking one more step toward confident, natural American English.
Don’t worry about sounding “silly” or “slow” while you’re learning. You’re doing the hard, smart work that most learners avoid—and it’s going to show.
You’ve got this. I’m proud of you .
Let’s keep going—one sound, one word, one sentence at a time.
