The English “TH” sound

English has two common “TH” sounds. They are unfamiliar to many French speakers, but the mouth position is surprisingly simple once you know what to do.

1. Put your tongue in the right place

Place the very tip of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower teeth. Do not bite it. Air should be able to pass around the tongue.

Key idea: if your tongue stays completely behind your teeth, you are likely to produce an S, Z, T or D sound instead.

2. The unvoiced TH: /θ/

This is the sound in think, three, Thursday, both. Push air gently past the tongue without using your voice.

think
thank you
three
something
both

3. The voiced TH: /ð/

This is the sound in this, that, the, mother. Keep the same tongue position, but switch your voice on. You should feel vibration in your throat.

this
that
the
weather
mother

4. A simple practice routine

Practise slowly first: think → this → three → the → Thursday → weather. Then put the words into short sentences. Accuracy comes before speed.

Want to practise this with a teacher?

Reading a guide helps. Using the language in a real conversation is where it starts to become automatic.

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