How to pronounce TH
in English
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The English pronunciation can sometimes present a challenge for those learning the language, especially if there are sounds that do not exist in Spanish; it is necessary to dedicate enough time to achieve a correct pronunciation of the sound.
Well, if you want to learn how to pronounce th in English, the first thing you must remember is that there are two ways to pronounce the ‘th’ sound: the first is the voiceless dental fricative and the second is the voiced version. For each case, there will be a different sound and phonetic representation. In this article, ABA English explains how to correctly produce the th sound in English and provides some examples that will be very useful.
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Phonetic transcription of words with TH in English
Phonetic transcription of th in English
To help you see the difference in pronunciation of words with th in English, we will use two examples: then (then) and youth (youth). In the first case, we have a voiced dental fricative, that is, a /ð/. The second case is the voiceless dental fricative, the /θ/. The English sound of these words will then be ‘den’ and ‘iuz’; the ‘d’ in day and the ‘z’ in fox.
More examples?
- thought (thought) and therapy (therapy) sound /θ/
- that (that) and they (they) sound /ð/
HOW TO IMPROVE TH PRONUNCIATION IN ENGLISH
First of all, it is good to know that the phonetic symbols of IPA, the international phonetic alphabet, are just that, international, so they will help you when pronouncing English and any other language. So, doesn’t it seem a good idea to learn to understand them? To easily learn the English phonetic alphabet we suggest you go little by little and not try to learn more than two or three phonemes at a time.
It is also important that you practice the sound of the phoneme you are trying to learn, in this case the th sound in English. In this way, you make sure to learn in context, that is, in a set of sounds. This way you will learn not only the symbols but also how each one is pronounced in English. Practice the examples you have above to learn /ð/ and /θ/.
And finally, do not forget that some English phonetic sounds do not exist in Spanish, so you will have to practice them a little more to master them, as happens with the pronunciation of th in English. Now many online dictionaries include recorded pronunciation of words. Thanks to this tool you can listen, learn and repeat the correct pronunciation of the sounds.
How to pronounce th in English and its variations
As we have seen, the th sound can sound like a d or like a Spanish z depending on its position in the word.
If you still doubt how to pronounce the th in English, we share below some example words for you to practice how to pronounce the th in English:
Words that end in th
| Phoneme /ɵ/ | |
| bath | (bathtub) |
| birth | (birth) |
| booth | (booth) |
| breath | (breathing) |
| cloth | (cloth) |
| depth | (depth) |
| earth | (earth) |
| faith | (faith) |
| fourth | (fourth) |
| health | (health) |
| math | (maths) |
| month | (month) |
| mouth | (mouth) |
| myth | (myth) |
| north | (north) |
| oath | (oath) |
| smooth | (smooth) |
| swath | (to wrap) |
| truth | (truth) |
| wrath | (wrath) |
Words that begin with th
| Phoneme /ɵ/ | |
| thanks | (thanks) |
| thaw | (to thaw) |
| theater | (theater) |
| thief | (thief) |
| theme | (theme) |
| thigh | (thigh) |
| thimble | (thimble) |
| thin | (thin) |
| thing | (thing) |
| think | (to think) |
| thousand | (thousand) |
| thought | (thought) |
| three | (three) |
| thrill | (thrill) |
| throat | (throat) |
| throw | (to throw) |
| Thursday | (Thursday) |
| thug | (thug) |
| thunder | (thunder) |
Words that begin with th
| Phoneme /ð/ | |
| than | (than) |
| that | (that, those, it) |
| the | (the) |
| their | (their, theirs) |
| them | (them) |
| then | (then) |
| therefore | (therefore) |
| thereby | (thereby) |
| these | (these) |
| they | (they) |
| this | (this) |
| those | (those) |
Words with th in the middle
| Phoneme /ɵ/ | |
| birthday | (birthday) |
| nothing | (nothing) |
Words with th in the middle
| Phoneme /ð/ | |
| although | (although) |
| another | (another, different) |
| bathe | (to bathe) |
| bother | (to bother) |
| brother | (brother) |
| either | (or) |
| father | (father) |
| feather | (feather) |
| mother | (mother) |
| other | (other) |
| rhythm | (rhythm) |
| soothe | (to soothe) |
| weather | (weather) |
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Exercises on the th phonemes in English
A/ Practice repeating these sentences aloud. Notice how to pronounce the th in English when it is found at the end of a sentence.
I have to scrub the bath.
(I have to clean the bathtub).
The booth is closed, I’ll come back next month.
(The booth is closed, I will come back next month).
You have to hold your breath for eight seconds.
(You have to hold your breath for eight seconds).
B/ Now practice how to pronounce the th in English at the beginning of words:
That thief ran away from the theatre as he was stealing a lot of things.
(That thief ran away from the theater as he was stealing many things).
I have got a throat infection, I will go to the doctor on Thursday.
(I have a throat infection, I will go to the doctor on Thursday).
I think that you are very thin, therefore, you should go to a nutritionist.
(I think you are very thin, therefore, you should go to a nutritionist).
C/ Finally, practice the th when it is found in the middle of a word:
My father is bathing in another bath.
(My father is bathing in another bath).
My brother has been bothering my mother.
(My brother has been bothering my mother).
Other links of your interest:
- How to pronounce sh in English
- How to pronounce th in English
- How to pronounce u in English
- How to pronounce consonants in English
- How to pronounce vowels in English
- How to pronounce diphthongs in English
- Pronunciation mistakes in English
- English accents
- Phonetic English alphabet
- Improve pronunciation in English
