The 'th' sound in English is made by placing your tongue between your teeth and blowing air. There are two types: voiced 'th' where your vocal cords vibrate, and unvoiced 'th' where they don't.
The voiced 'th' sound is made with vocal cord vibration. You can feel this buzzing in your throat when saying words like 'this', 'that', 'they', and 'mother'. The tongue touches the teeth while the vocal cords vibrate.
The unvoiced 'th' sound has no vocal cord vibration. It's like a soft hissing sound when saying words like 'think', 'thank', 'birthday', and 'teeth'. Air flows through without the buzzing feeling in your throat.
To tell the difference, put your hand on your throat. For voiced 'th' like in 'this', you'll feel vibration. For unvoiced 'th' like in 'think', there's no vibration. Practice switching between 'this' and 'think' to feel the difference.
The 'th' sound is one of the most challenging sounds for English learners. There are two types: the voiced 'th' as in 'this', and the voiceless 'th' as in 'think'. Both require placing your tongue between your teeth and allowing air to flow through.
The voiceless 'th' sound, as in 'think', is produced without vocal cord vibration. Place your tongue tip gently between your teeth and let air flow softly through. It sounds like a gentle 'sss'. Try words like 'think', 'thank', 'three', 'math', and 'birthday'.
The voiced 'th' sound, as in 'this', is produced with vocal cord vibration. Place your tongue tip between your teeth and let air flow while your vocal cords vibrate. It sounds like a gentle 'zzz'. Try words like 'this', 'that', 'they', 'mother', and 'weather'.
Common mistakes include using 'f' or 'v' sounds instead of 'th', keeping the tongue behind the teeth, using too much air pressure, and not distinguishing between voiced and voiceless sounds. The solutions are: touch your tongue tip to your teeth, place it slightly between your teeth, use gentle controlled airflow, and feel for vibration in voiced sounds.
Here are some practice tips: Use a mirror to watch your tongue position between your teeth. Put your fingers on your throat to feel the vibration difference. Practice word pairs like 'this' and 'think', 'that' and 'thank'. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed as you get more comfortable with both sounds.