Pronunciation in English
the th sound
The th sound is one of the most difficult sounds for some of my students to pronounce. Many languages don’t have it. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to form this sound like a native speaker.
/th/ unvoiced
In the unvoiced /th/ sound, there is no vocal chord movement. The following words begin with this sound:
- thin
- think
- three
The tip of your tongue is placed behind your upper teeth, and you blow air while you make the sound. If you don’t put your tongue in the right place, it won’t sound correct.
Watch the video!
/th/ voiced
In the voiced /th/ sound, there is vocal chord movement. There is also a slight vibration that comes from the tongue touching the upper teeth as the sound is formed. The following words begin with this sound:
- the
- this
- then
Watch the video!