English with Jo

How to pronounce the 'th' sound

There are two types of 'th' sounds - one where we use our voice (these, that) and one where we don't (think, both).  We can know whether we are using our voice or not by holding our hand to our throat. If we feel movement, we are using our voice. If we don't feel any movement, we are not using our voice.

Both 'th' sounds are made by putting your tongue between your teeth and then blowing air through your teeth. The most common error when pronouncing this sound is to put the tongue behind the top teeth instead of between the teeth. When this happens, the sound is like 't'.  You best way to practice is to pronounce 'th' words in front of the mirror so that you make sure your tongue is between your teeth as you pronounce the words.  

Here is a useful video explaining how to pronounce the 'th' sound:

Dialogue 1

Here is a dialogue for practicing the 'th' sound. Most of the 'th' sounds in this dialogue are without voice.

A. On Thursday, would you like to go to the Theatre to see 'A Thousand Roads'?

B. Yes, I am free on Thursday, I would like for both of us to go. It will be the fourth performance I see this month.

A. That is a lot of times to go to the Theatre in one month. I think it will be the fourth time I go this year.

B. Which Theatre are we going to?

A. It is the Thirty Moons Theatre.

B. Is it much further past the village of Thornton?

A. No, the Theatre is quite near Thornton.

Practice your 'th' sound by pronouncing this text
My father and mother like to bathe in the sea but first they lather on a smooth layer of suncream. Neither of them like to swim in the months of Winter or when the weather is bad. The cold water bothers them too much. My brother also likes to bathe in the sea but only when there are small waves. He paddles in the shallow water, never going deeper than his thigh.

TH Tongue Twisters

One way to outthink others is to make them think you think you're not really thinking what you're trying to get them to think you think.

Something in a thirty-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles thumped and thundered threatening the three-D thoughts of Matthew the thug - although, theatrically, it was only the thirteen-thousand thistles and thorns through the underneath of his thigh that the thirty year old thug thought of that morning.

King Thistle stuck a thousand thistles in the thistle of his thumb.
A thousand thistles King Thistle stuck in the thistle of his thumb.
If King Thistle stuck a thousand thistles in the thistle of his thumb,
How many thistles did King Thistle stick in the thistle of his thumb?