These, Three, Things

Prononciation
These, Three, Things
These, Three, Things...

These, three, things… 3 simple words. I’m positive you understand what the words mean in French. Now try saying them.

Try saying the words
THESE, THREE, THINGS

It isn’t easy is it… Why are they difficult to pronounce?

BECAUSE the ‘TH’ sounds that are used in English don’t exist in French and the muscles in the mouth, and tongue aren’t exercised in the same way to produce the sounds. It’s the same for me when I speak French. There are certain sounds that I didn’t use until I started speaking French.

In the short video below, I’ll show you how to practice the ‘TH’ sounds to improve your pronunciation.

I’m positive you understand what the words mean in French. Now try saying them.

What must I do with my tongue?

There are 2 ‘TH’ sounds in English. They are represented using 2 phonetic symbols – / ð / and / θ /.  For a complete phonetic chart click here.

Click on the letters to hear the sounds. Watch the video to see a short explanation about how we form the sounds.

Alphabet Phonétique Anglais
Alphabet Phonétique Anglais
/ θ /

think

fourth

something

/ ð /

mother

these

other

Now it's your turn

Below, I’ve added a list frequently used words, that include both ‘TH’ sounds. The list is a mix of verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, prepositions etc. They aren’t in any order. The objective here is ‘pronunciation.’

Your 'TH' challenge

Pronunciation
UNVOICED
TH
/ θ /

or
VOICED
TH
/ ð /
  1. Guess how many syllables there are in the word. Click on the button to check.
  2. Decide if the word is an ‘UNVOICED TH / θ /’ or ‘VOICED TH / ð /’ Say the word to practice the ‘TH’ sound.
  3. Click on the button to hear the pronunciation. Were you correct?

Words that use a ‘th‘ sound

How many syllables?
1, 2, or 3
Unvoiced
/ θ /
Voiced
/ ð /

three

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ θriː /
Voiced
No, sorry

brother

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈbrʌð.ə /

ethical

How many syllables?
3
Unvoiced
/ ˈe.θɪk.l̩ /
Voiced
No, sorry

mother

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈmʌð.ə /

through

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ θruː /
Voiced
No, sorry

clothing

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈkləʊ.ðɪŋ /

thick

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ θɪk /
Voiced
No, sorry

other

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈʌð.ə /

theory

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ ˈθɪə.ri /
Voiced
No, sorry

they’ve

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈðeɪv /

earth

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ ɜːθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

otherwise

How many syllables?
3
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ʌð.ə.waɪz /

clothes

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ kləʊðz /

thirteen

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ θɜː.ˈtiːn /
Voiced
No, sorry

loathe

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ləʊð /

both

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ bəʊθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

beneath

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ bɪ.ˈniːθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

thunder

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ ˈθʌn.də /
Voiced
No, sorry

breath

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ breθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

north

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ nɔːθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

thought

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ ˈθɔːt /
Voiced
No, sorry

strength

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ streŋθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

fifth

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ ˈfɪfθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

anything

How many syllables?
3
Unvoiced
/ ˈe.ni.θɪŋ /
Voiced
No, sorry

this

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ðɪs /

either

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ðɪs /

path

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ pɑːθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

thirty

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ ˈθɜːt.i /
Voiced
No, sorry

cloth

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ klɒθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

smooth

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ smuːð /

fourth

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ ˈfɔːθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

though

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ðəʊ /

thanks

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ θæŋks /
Voiced
No, sorry

another

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ə.ˈnʌð.ə /

things

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ ˈθɪŋz /
Voiced
No, sorry

breathe

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ briːð /

wealthy

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ ˈwel.θi /
Voiced
No, sorry

mouth

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ maʊθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

together

How many syllables?
3
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ tə.ˈɡe.ðə /

south

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ saʊθ /
Voiced
No, sorry

toothbrush

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ ˈtuːθ.brʌʃ /
Voiced
No, sorry

birthday

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ ˈbɜːθ.deɪ /
Voiced
No, sorry

these

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ðiːz /

weather

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈwe.ðə /

that

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ðæt /

them

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ðəm /

something

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ ˈsʌm.θɪŋ /
Voiced
No, sorry

healthy

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
/ ˈhel.θi /
Voiced
No, sorry

therefore

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈðeə.fɔː /

their

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ðeə /

theatre

How many syllables?
3
Unvoiced
/ ˈθɪə.tə /
Voiced
No, sorry

worthy

How many syllables?
2
Unvoiced
No, sorry
Voiced
/ ˈwɜː.ði /

thin

How many syllables?
1
Unvoiced
/ θɪn /
Voiced
No, sorry

I hope you enjoyed this exercise and found it useful. Pronunciation of certain sounds can be difficult and be a common cause of confusion during a conversation.

Use the words in a sentence

Can you use the words with the correct pronunciation in a sentence? Try saying these examples:

If you have a problem with a specific sound, or the pronunciation of a certain word, please add a comment and tell me, or contact me direct.

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