Hi there this is the θ sound. As in the words:
- thing /θɪŋ/
- think /θɪŋk/
- through /θruː/
The θ sound is from the ‘Consonants Pairs’ group and it is called the ‘Voiceless dental fricative’. This means that you create friction between the tongue and top teeth.
How to pronounce the θ sound
The /θ/ phoneme is made through the mouth and it is Unvoiced which means that you don’t use your vocal chords to make the sound.
It is defined by position of your tongue and teeth and it is a fricative, which is a sound that is produced by high pressure air flow between a narrow space in the mouth. In this case it is between the tip of the tongue and the top teeth.
To produce the sound you have to stick out your tongue a little. This can feel very unnatural for some people who are not used to it. But it is essential to produce the sound correctly. Rest your top teeth on your tongue and force air out between your teeth .
How the θ sound is Spelled
The /θ/ phoneme is normally spelled with the letters ‘th’ as in the words: As in the words:
- three /θriː/
- something /’sʌmθɪŋ/
- month /mʌnθ/
- both /bəʊθ/
Examples
Here are some words that begin with the /θ/ phoneme:
- thank /θæŋk/
- third /θɜːd/
- thousand /ˈθaʊzənd/
- throw /θrəʊ/
Here are some words with the /θ/ phoneme in the middle:
- nothing /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
- anything /ˈeniθɪŋ/
- author /ˈɔːθə/
- method /ˈmeθəd/
Here are some words with the θ sound at the end:
- health /helθ/
- north /nɔːθ/
- truth /truːθ/
- mouth /maʊθ/
So, that’s it for the θ sound.
