LISTEN

/θ/…/θ/…/θ/…/θ/

thank…bath…nothing… toothpaste

WHAT IS IT?

Pronunciation:
The sound /θ/ is a voiceless, dental, fricative consonant.

Touch the back of your upper teeth with the tip of your tongue.
Breathe out, while moving your tongue sharply downward, and let air flow past your tongue and out of your mouth.
Your vocal cords should not vibrate.

The sound /θ/ can be in these consonant clusters:

BEGINNING OF A SYLLABLE

/θr/ (“thr”) – throw
/θw/ (“thw”) – thwart

END OF A SYLLABLE

/sθs/ (“ths”) – breaths
/lθ/ (“lth”) – filth
/lθs/ (“lths”) – health’s
/rθ/ (“rth”) – earth
/rθs/ (“rths”) – fourths
/rmθ/ (“rmth”) – warmth
/nθ/ (“nth”) – tenth
/nθs/ (“nths”) – ninths
/ŋθ/ (“ngth”) – strength
/ŋθs/ (“ngths”) – lengths
/tθ/ (“th”) – eighth
/tθs/ (“ths”) – eighths
/dθ/ (“dth”) – hundredth
/dθs/ (“dths”) – widths
/ndθ/ (“dth”) – thousandth
/ndθs/ (“dths”) – thousandths
/fθ/ (“fth”) – fifth
/fθs/ (“fths”) – fifths
/lfθ/ (“fth”) – twelfth
/lfθs/ (“fths”) – twelfths
/ksθ/ (“xth”) – sixth
/ksθs/ (“xths”) – sixths

Spelling:

“th” – thin, cloth

Note: the sound /ð/ (as in “the”, “that”) is also spelled “th.”

Grammar Tip:
The sound /θ/ is used in the suffix “-th”. This suffix may turn certain adjectives into nouns.

wide –> width
strong –> strength
long –> length

More importantly, the suffix “-th” also turns most cardinal numbers (four, five, six) into ordinal numbers (fourth, fifth, sixth). (Note: this may put /θ/ in a difficult consonant cluster.)

five –> fifth
six –> sixth
seven –> seventh
eight –> eighth

COMPARE

Compare /θ/ with /ð/:

/θ/…/ð/…/θ/…/ð/…/θ/…/ð/

These are both dental fricative consonants. However, /θ/ is a voiceless consonant and /ð/ is a voiced consonant. At the end of a word, the vowel before /θ/ will be shorter than the vowel before /ð/.

Practice recognizing words with /θ/ and /ð/ by taking the quiz here (external link).

Now, compare /θ/ with /s/:

/θ/…/s/…/θ/…/s/…/θ/…/s/

These are both voiceless fricative consonants. However, /θ/ is a dental consonant and /s/ is an alveolar consonant. To pronounce /s/, your tongue should rub against the hard ridge behind your upper teeth.

You can hear the difference between /θ/ and /s/ in these words.

1. A. theme, B. seem
2. A. thick, B. sick
3. A. thinks, B. sinks
4. A. path, B. pass
5. A. faith, B. face
6. A. plaything, B. placing

Practice recognizing words with /θ/ and /s/ by taking the quiz here (external link).

PRACTICE

Listen and repeat these words:

1. think
2. thin
3. thanks
4. three
5. thorough
6. thirsty
7. thicken
8. theater
9. throw
10. both

11. cloth
12. truth
13. worth
14. fifth
15. healthy
16. pathetic
17. birthday
18. toothpaste
19. pathway
20. anthropology

Now, practice /θ/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.

1. thanks – thoughtful – birthday
Thanks for the thoughtful birthday gift.
2. think – threw – toothbrush
I think you threw away your toothbrush.
3. path – through – north
A bike path runs through the north side of downtown.
4. third – marathon – Thursday
He’s running his third marathon on Thursday.
5. nothing – worth – truth
Nothing is worth more than the truth.
6. thermos – with – thirsty
You should take a thermos with you in case you get thirsty.

To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:

Male – US Midwest (St. Louis)

Male – US Midwest (Iowa)

Male – US Midwest

Female – US Northeast

Female – US Southeast

USE IT

Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.

Prepare:
Look at this list of behaviors. Which ones are most important for good health?

Brushing your teeth
Avoiding thirst
Taking a bath everyday
Eating three meals every day
Being thankful
Thinking positively
Being thin

Record:
In your recording, describe the 3 most important behaviors and explain why they are important for your health.

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