How to Pronounce the TH Sound in English

If you’re learning English as a second language, the TH sound in English can be an everyday challenge. 

For example, you may try to say, “I think that’s a good idea,” but your colleague looks at you just a little too long before responding. Sure, they understood you in the end. But that pesky TH sound in English made the message just hard enough to transmit. 

Try saying it aloud now: “I think that’s a good idea.” Did you already figure out how to pronounce TH in that sentence?

Think about where your tongue and teeth fall when you make that TH sound in English. 

For many major languages, the voiced and voiceless TH sounds just don't exist. Perhaps your mouth never attempted these sounds before you started any English articulation practice. Your brain has been quietly substituting some other sound, like T, D, or S. 

How to Pronounce TH: Start with the Tongue

For English pronunciation TH, your tongue goes between your teeth. The TH sound in English is a dental fricative, so your tongue comes outside of your teeth. If you’re saying TH in front of a mirror, you should be able to see your tongue poking out just a bit. 

TH Pronunciation Practice

Think about bringing your tongue in between your teeth and just outside your mouth, and try again with the tongue between teeth pronunciation:

“I think that’s a good idea.” 

With these TH sound examples, it will probably feel a bit weird the first time you try. Of course it will! Your mouth is doing a totally new move. Make sure that your tongue is touching both the top and bottom teeth, and then let the air flow through. 

The Voiced and Voiceless TH Sounds

Here’s another thing to remember: There are actually two TH sounds. They are the voiced and voiceless TH. Both of these sounds are spelled the same -- “th.” But the voicing is the difference in how to pronounce TH. 

The TH in “think” is different from the TH in “that.” Maybe you already noticed in our example sentence. Say it again, and focus on the differences between “think” and “that”:

“I think that’s a great idea.” 

Do you notice the difference in the voiced and voiceless TH sounds?

Both sounds are a dental fricative. But the difference is the voicing, or the vibration in your vocal chords. Put your hand on your throat and say the word “think.” You don’t feel any vibration, right? That’s the voiceless TH sound.

Now, keeping your hand on your throat, say the word “that.” Hopefully, you felt your throat buzz at the beginning of the word. Congrats! You’ve unlocked the voiced TH sound.

Check out the table below; it has some words to practice the TH sound for ESL learners. Put your hand on your throat, and check your voicing with these TH minimal pairs.

Popular TH Words Examples: Voiced or Unvoiced?

Be careful! You may be replacing the TH sound in English with a different letter in the TH minimal pairs.

For example, the voiceless TH sound often gets swapped with S, V, or F. The voiced TH sound may be confused with D or T. These sounds may seem “close enough” to you, but the native speaker’s ear hears the difference. Of course, you’ll be understood, but it could sometimes cause confusion. 

The TH vs. T sound and the TH vs. D sound can be especially tricky. The key to how to make TH sound instead of anything else is that tongue between teeth pronunciation!

Now that we’ve addressed those common TH pronunciation mistakes, let’s try our example sentence again: “I think that’s a great idea.”

Check these points as you pronounce it:

• Can you see your tongue between your teeth, just a little bit?

• Is the voicing (vibration) correct? 

• Is the air flowing over the tongue and between the teeth?

Now let’s make it a bit harder for some advanced TH pronunciation practice. Try this sentence: 

“I think this is the thing they wanted.”

That intentional TH sound in English may feel slow and awkward right now. But with English articulation practice and awareness, you can build up that consistent muscle memory and fix your common TH pronunciation mistakes!

Does this really matter? If your only goal is to be understood in native-speaker contexts, then this isn’t a very big deal. But, if you want to stand out in a job interview, a client meeting, or a presentation, the little things add up to an impression of fluency and professionalism.

Plus, once you’ve mastered the TH sound in English, you’ve mastered hundreds of high-frequency words in English!

Ready for feedback on your TH sound? Syranto uses AI to analyze your pronunciation and tell you exactly what to adjust, like having a pronunciation coach in your pocket to improve English accent.