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Pronouncing 'th' - think /θ/ vs this /ð/

Episode 250918 / 18 Sep 2025

Free worksheet and transcript

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What are two ways to pronounce the letter combination 'th'?

In English, the letter combination 'th' can be pronounced in two ways: /θ/ and /ð/. 

/θ/ is a voiceless consonant, which means you don’t feel the vibrations in your throat. It's in words like: 

  • think 
  • theatre
  • Earth 

To make this sound, open your mouth slightly, put the tip of your tongue between your upper and lower teeth and blow out air. Don't vibrate the vocal cords. Watch the video for a demonstration. 

/ð/ is a voiced consonant, which means you can feel the vibrations in your throat. It's in words like:

  • this
  • mother
  • they 

To make this sound, again, put your tongue between your teeth, but this time, create a buzzing sound. You should feel a vibration in your throat and between your tongue and teeth. Watch the video for a demonstration.

Top tip

The voiced consonant /ð/ is in a lot of what we call ‘function’ words – words that are less about meaning and more about grammar. For example:

  • this 
  • that 
  • these 
  • those 
  • they 
  • them
  • their
  • then 
  • though 
  • therefore
  • either
  • other 

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To do

Practise by using the worksheet on this page. The clip we heard came from this episode of British Chat - watch the whole video.

Next

Learn more about voiced and voiceless consonants.

Try this episode: seat vs sit – /i:/ vs /ɪ/.

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