Pronunciation exercises: /θ/ vs /ð/

ð

this /ðɪs/

θ

think /θɪŋk/

This page sets out some words teachers can use to help their students become more aware of how they can improve the pronunciation of /θ/ and /ð/.

The difference between /θ/ and /ð/ is that /ð/ is voiced and /θ/ is not. Even if there are very few minimal pairs, these two sounds are clearly distinct phonemes.

/ð/ is much more common in grammar words and /θ/ in content words.

	/θ/		/ð/
	Grammar words	Content words	Grammar words	Content words
Beginning of the word	thorough, through	thank, theory, three	that, they, this
Mid position	anything, everything	author, birthday, method	although, other, whether	brother, leather, weather
End of the word	both	bath, health, worth	with	bathe, clothe

In grey, lines with very few examples. In green, lines with (relatively) more examples.

/θ/

Grammar words

• At the beginning of the word: thorough /ˈθʌrə/^BrE /ˈθɜːrəʊ/^AmE - through
• At the end of the word: both - with (also /wɪð/)
• In mid position: anything - everything - nothing - something - within^AmE - without^AmE

Content words

• At the beginning of the word: thank - theatre - theory - thermometer - thick - thief - thin - thing - think - third - thirsty - thirty - thought - thousand - thread - three - throw - thumb /θʌm/ - Thursday
• At the end of the word: bath - birth - breath - cloth - death - earth - faith - fourth - growth - health - length - month - moth - mouth - north - south - teeth - tooth - truth - worth
• In mid position: anthropology - Athens - author - athlete - birthday - enthusiasm - Ethiopia - ethnic - filthy - healthy - hypothesis - mathematics - method - monthly - wealthy

/ð/

Grammar words

• At the beginning of the word: than - that - the - their - them - then - there - these - they - this - those - though - thus - within (AmE also /wɪθˈɪn/) - without (AmE also /wɪθˈaʊt/)
• In mid position: although - another - either - neither - other - together - whether
• At the end of the word: with (also /wɪθ/)

Content words

• At the end of the word: bathe - breathe - clothe - smooth - soothe
• In mid position: algorithm - bother - brother - clothes /kləʊðz, kləʊz/ - clothing - farther - father - feather - further - gather - leather - logarithm - mother - Netherlands - northern - rather - southern /ˈsʌðərn/ - rhythm - weather - worthy

Irregular plurals of words ending in /θ/, as /ðz/

• baths - mouths - paths - youths

/ð/ or /θ/

• booth - notwithstanding - with - withdraw - withdrawal - withhold

• /ð/,^BrE AmE /θ/^AmE: loathsome - within - without

Several plurals of words ending in /θ/ are irreglular, pronounced as /ðz/. In American English they may be regular, pronounced as /θs/.

• /ðz/,^BrE AmE /θs/^AmE: baths - oaths - sheaths - truths - youths - wreaths

Conversely, at least one plural is regular in Received Pronunciation and may be irregular in American English.

• /θs/,^BrE AmE /ðz/^AmE: cloth

Minimal pairs

There are no minimal pairs with two common words.

• ether /ˈiːθər/ - either /ˈaɪðər, ˈiːðər/; loath - loathe; mouth (n.) - mouth (v. move lips); teeth - teethe (to grow teeth); thigh - thy

See also

• Decoding exercises: "th"

External links

• Wikipedia, Pronunciation of English "th"