How To Pronounce The "th" Sound
Explanation, Exercises & Tongue twisters.
Many Egyptian learners struggle with the “TH” sound in English. It's not your fault — this sound doesn't exist in Arabic, so your mouth and brain need special training to get it right. The good news? There's a simple 3-step method that can help.
Let’s break it down:
✅ Step 1: Identify the Sound
Before you try to say it, you need to hear the difference, If your brain can’t hear the difference, your mouth won’t produce it correctly.
There are two versions of the “TH” sound:
- /θ/: voiceless, like in "think", "thanks", "thick", think of it like the sound which a snake might make 🐍.
- /ð/: voiced, like in "this", "that", "those", think of it like the sound which a bee might make 🐝
👄 Step 2: Practice Mouth & Tongue Position
Stick the tip of your tongue out just a little — it should be touching the top teeth or slightly between your teeth.
- For /θ/ (voiceless): blow air out like you're whispering “sss” but with your tongue sticking out — like a soft hiss.
- For /ð/ (voiced): do the same, but add vibration in your throat — like saying “zzz” with your tongue out.
🎧 Step 3: Drill & Shadow
Start slow with these minimal pairs.
- thin 🐍 - Then 🐝
- think 🐍 - This 🐝
- thought 🐍- Though 🐝
- thick 🐍 - That 🐝
- thigh 🐍 - Thy 🐝
- theme 🐍 - Them 🐝
- thank 🐍 - That 🐝
- thing 🐍 - They 🐝
- Thursday 🐍 - Their 🐝
- Thirst 🐍 - Either 🐝
Voiceless /θ/ Tongue Twisters (🐍 )
Thirty thick thinkers thought things through 🐍
Theo threw three thick thistles 🐍
Thankful Theo thinks Thursday is thrilling 🐍
Three thousand thirsty thieves threw thick threads 🐍
Thin thistles thrive through thick thorns 🐍
Theo thought the theory was thoroughly thoughtful 🐍
The thick theme thrilled Theo on Thursday 🐍
Thirsty thugs think thick things 🐍
The thunderous thump threw them off 🐍
Throw the thin thermos through the thick threshold 🐍
Voiced /ð/ Tongue Twisters (🐝)
They gathered those leather gloves together 🐝
That’s the weather that bothers their brother 🐝
Those brothers bathe their leather shoes together 🐝
They say their father’s leather is better 🐝
The other mothers gather the feathers 🐝
This is the day that they’d rather dance 🐝
Their clothes are smoother than those of others 🐝
That feathered weathered leather made them shiver 🐝
They thought that those were their things 🐝
They’d rather gather than bother with others 🐝
🔁 Let's spice things up ?
Theo thought that the leather their brother bought on Thursday was thinner than the others, though they thought it was thick.
Those three thoughtful brothers thanked Theo for the thorough theory he thought of on that Thursday afternoon.
They threw the thickest thread through the threshold, though they thought Theo’s theory was better than theirs.
Though the thunder threatened their Thursday theater plans, they thanked Theo for thinking things through.
Their father’s feathered leather jacket was thrown through the thick thorns, though Theo thought it was theirs.
Theo and the others thought the third theme was the thickest, though that didn’t bother them.
They gathered together on Thursday to thank Theo for thinking through the things they thought they’d forgotten.
Though they thought that Theo’s thorough thinking was over-the-top, they thanked him after the third thunderstorm.
Three thick-thumbed thieves threw the throne through the threshold, thinking it was theirs, though they’d never seen it before.
The thin thief thanked the thoughtful brothers for the thick thread, though they thought it belonged to their father.
Next steps?
- Practice everything in this blog for at least 3-4 days, do it until you're hyper-aware of this sound, with a few days of practice, you should have no more issues making this sound.
- When you speak English, pay close attention to the way you pronounce the "th" sound and always correct yourself according to what you've learned from this blog.
Questions?
Leave them in the comments section below the article!
