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The TH sound doesn't exist in most languages. Learn why it's difficult and discover proven techniques to master both /θ/ and /ð/.
Explore our comprehensive pronunciation guides with audio and video examples.
Browse Pronunciation GuidesThe TH sound in English represents one of the most distinctive and difficult pronunciation features for non-native speakers. These sounds—the voiceless /θ/ as in "think" and the voiced /ð/ as in "this"—don't exist in the majority of the world's languages. Speakers of Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, and countless other languages must learn to produce a sound that their native language never required them to make.
The good news: while TH sounds are initially difficult, they respond well to targeted practice. Understanding exactly how to produce them, why they're challenging, and following a systematic practice approach leads to significant improvement.
The TH sounds (/θ/ and /ð/) are relatively rare cross-linguistically. They appear in English, Greek, Castilian Spanish (where they represent the letter Z and sometimes C), and a handful of other languages. For the vast majority of the world's 7,000+ languages, these sounds simply don't exist.
When a sound doesn't exist in your native language:
TH sounds require placing your tongue between your teeth—an articulation that feels bizarre and unnatural to speakers whose native languages never do this. Many languages articulate dental sounds (like /t/ and /d/) by touching the tongue to the back of the teeth or alveolar ridge, but not by protruding the tongue between the teeth.
English has two distinct TH sounds:
Learners must master not just the tongue position but also the voicing distinction, doubling the challenge.
Different language backgrounds lead to predictable substitution patterns:
| Native Language | Common /θ/ Substitution | Common /ð/ Substitution | Example Error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | /t/ or /s/ | /d/ or /z/ | "think" → "tink" or "sink" |
| French | /s/ or /t/ | /z/ or /d/ | "this" → "zis" or "dis" |
| German | /s/ or /z/ | /d/ or /z/ | "three" → "sree" |
| Chinese | /s/ or /f/ | /z/ or /d/ | "thank" → "sank" or "fank" |
| Japanese | /s/ | /z/ or /d/ | "both" → "bos" |
| Korean | /s/ or /t/ | /d/ or /z/ | "that" → "dat" |
| Russian | /s/ or /f/ | /z/ or /v/ | "with" → "wis" or "wif" |
| Arabic | /s/ or /t/ | /z/ or /d/ | "thing" → "sing" |
These substitutions make words confusing or even unrecognizable. "Think" pronounced as "sink" changes the meaning entirely. "That" pronounced as "dat" sounds unclear to native speakers.
This is the TH in "think," "thank," "three," "math," "bath."
You should feel air flowing across the top of your tongue and between your tongue and upper teeth. Your tongue should feel slightly cool from the airflow. You should NOT feel vibration in your throat (no voicing).
A soft, airy, friction-based sound. Similar to /s/ but produced more forward in the mouth, with a "flatter" quality. You can hold it continuously: "ththththth."
This is the TH in "this," "that," "the," "mother," "breathe."
Everything feels the same as /θ/, but you should feel vibration in your throat and even in your tongue. Put your fingers on your throat—you should feel strong vibration for /ð/ and no vibration for /θ/.
Like /θ/ but with a buzzing quality from the voicing. You can hold it continuously: "ththththth" with vibration.
Practice in front of a mirror. You should clearly see the tip of your tongue between your teeth. If you can't see your tongue, you're not producing TH correctly—you're probably using /s/, /t/, or /d/ instead.
Put your fingers lightly on your throat (Adam's apple area):
Alternate between them: /θ/ (no vibration) → /ð/ (vibration) → /θ/ (no vibration) → /ð/ (vibration). The only thing that changes is voicing; tongue position stays the same.
Hold your hand about 3 inches in front of your mouth:
This helps you distinguish TH from common substitutions.
Master each sound in complete isolation before moving to words.
Practice TH sounds at the beginning of words.
Practice method: Say each word 5 times slowly, exaggerating the tongue-between-teeth position. Use a mirror to verify your tongue is visible.
Practice method: Same as above, but confirm voicing by feeling throat vibration.
Contrast TH with the sounds you typically substitute for it.
| /θ/ Word | /s/ Word | Practice Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| think | sink | I think the sink is broken. |
| thick | sick | The sick patient had thick hair. |
| thank | sank | Thank goodness the boat didn't sank. (Note: "sank" is past tense) |
| path | pass | Take the path to pass through the woods. |
| mouth | mouse | The mouse ran near his mouth. |
TH at the end of words is often harder because learners tend to drop it or substitute it.
Common error: Dropping the final TH entirely, saying "ba" instead of "bath," or substituting /f/, saying "baf" instead of "bath."
Practice method: Exaggerate the final TH initially. Hold your tongue between your teeth and sustain the /θ/ sound: "bathhhhhh." Then gradually reduce to normal length while maintaining the tongue position.
Note: Final voiced /ð/ is less common than final voiceless /θ/ in English.
These are particularly challenging:
Practice technique: Separate the sounds initially: "mon...th...s" → "month...s" → "months." Then practice in sentences where they appear naturally.
The most common words in English include many with TH:
Because these words appear constantly in natural speech, getting their TH sounds right has immediate, dramatic impact on intelligibility.
Practice TH sounds in connected speech.
These are designed to be difficult. Start slowly.
"There are three things I think about on Thursdays. The first thing is whether the weather will be good. The other thing is if I need to go to the theater with my brother. The third thing is that I should thank my mother for everything she does. These thoughts help me through the day. I breathe deeply and think things through thoroughly. That's the truth about how I spend my Thursdays."
Read this paragraph aloud slowly, focusing on every single TH sound. Record yourself and compare to a native speaker.
Some word pairs differ only in /θ/ vs. /ð/ voicing:
These pairs show that the voicing distinction matters for meaning in English.
"The" has two pronunciations depending on what follows:
Both use voiced /ð/. Mastering this tiny word has enormous impact because it appears in roughly 7% of all English text.
Error: Keeping the tongue behind the teeth, producing /s/, /t/, or /d/ instead of TH.
Fix: Exaggerate initially. Stick your tongue out much farther than necessary between your teeth. Actually see your tongue in the mirror protruding out of your mouth. Once the movement becomes automatic, you can reduce the protrusion to a natural level.
Error: Some learners substitute /f/ for /θ/ or /v/ for /ð/, saying "fink" for "think" or "vat" for "that."
Fix: For /f/ and /v/, your upper teeth touch your lower lip. For TH, your tongue goes between your teeth—completely different position. Practice in a mirror to see the difference clearly.
Error: Using /θ/ when /ð/ is needed, or vice versa.
Fix: Always check voicing by putting fingers on your throat. Learn which common words use which sound. "The," "this," "that," "they" all use /ð/ (voiced). "Think," "thank," "three" all use /θ/ (voiceless).
Error: Dropping the TH entirely at the end of words: "ba" for "bath," "wi" for "with."
Fix: Practice exaggerating final TH sounds. Hold them longer than necessary initially: "bathhhhh," "withhhhh." Then gradually reduce to normal length while maintaining the tongue-between-teeth position.
Record yourself reading TH-heavy texts. Listen back critically. Mark every TH sound you mispronounced. Re-record focusing on those specific words.
Use voice-to-text apps (Google, Siri, etc.). Say TH words and see if the app recognizes them correctly. If "think" is transcribed as "sink," your TH needs work.
Work with a language partner or tutor. Have them point out every time you substitute /s/, /t/, /d/, or /f/ for TH. Immediate feedback accelerates learning.
Learning TH sounds is a gradual process:
Consistent daily practice (even 10 minutes) is more effective than occasional long sessions.
TH sounds are a highly visible marker of English proficiency. Native speakers immediately notice when TH is substituted with /s/, /t/, or /d/. Mastering TH significantly improves how native speakers perceive your overall English level.
The good news: TH is learnable with practice. Unlike some pronunciation features that remain challenging for years, many learners achieve good TH sounds within a few months of focused practice.
Embrace the awkwardness. Yes, sticking your tongue between your teeth feels strange at first. Every successful learner went through this same awkward phase. The physical discomfort diminishes quickly as the movement becomes automatic.
The TH sounds (/θ/ and /ð/) are difficult because they're rare cross-linguistically and require an unusual articulation—placing the tongue between the teeth. Most learners substitute familiar sounds like /s/, /t/, /d/, /f/, or /v/, which can change word meanings and reduce intelligibility. However, with understanding of the exact tongue position (tip visible between teeth, air flowing over the tongue), systematic practice from isolation to words to sentences, voicing distinction awareness, and consistent effort, learners can master TH sounds. Focus on the physical articulation, practice daily with mirror and recording feedback, and be patient with the timeline. Clear, accurate TH pronunciation is achievable and dramatically improves overall English intelligibility.