Can I be honest with you? The TH sound is one of the hardest sounds in English—and it is not your fault.
The reason it is so difficult is simple: the TH sound does not exist in Japanese. Your mouth has never needed to make this sound before, so your brain and tongue genuinely do not know what to do with it.
But here is the good news: once you know exactly what to do with your tongue, the TH sound is very learnable. Let me show you.
Did you know there are two TH sounds?
Most people do not realize this. There is a voiced TH and an unvoiced TH. They look exactly the same on paper, but they sound different.
- Unvoiced TH: No vibration in your throat.Examples: think, thank, three, breath
- Voiced TH: You can feel vibration in your throat.Examples: this, that, the, them, they
How to physically make the TH sound
Here is the most important thing to remember:
Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth—or just behind your top teeth—and push air out.
Your tongue should be visible between your teeth, or at least touching the back of your top front teeth. This is completely different from any sound in Japanese, which is why it feels so strange at first.
- For unvoiced TH: Put your tongue between your teeth and blow air out—no voice, just air. Like blowing out a candle very gently.
- For voiced TH: Same position, but this time turn your voice on. Put your fingers on your throat—you should feel a buzz.
Common mistakes
It is very easy to mix these up:
- Saying “S” instead of unvoiced TH: “sink” instead of “think”, “sank” instead of “thank”, “sree” instead of “three”
- Saying “Z” or “D” instead of voiced TH: “zis” instead of “this”, “zat” instead of “that”, “dey” instead of “they”
These are extremely common and completely understandable. With consistent practice, you can fix them.
Practice words
Unvoiced TH:
- Think
- Thank
- Three
- Thursday
- Birthday
- Tooth
- Mouth
Voiced TH:
- The
- This
- That
- They
- There
- Together
- Weather
Practice sentences
- I think that the weather on Thursday will be nice.
- Thank you for thinking of them.
- This and that are both on the table.
- They went there together.
Whew! Good job. Read each sentence slowly first, then try to speed up naturally. Focus on feeling your tongue touch your teeth every time you see “TH.”
Watch my full video for more help with the TH Sound in English
I made a full video on the TH sound where I show you exactly how to position your tongue and mouth step by step. Watching and listening is so much more helpful than reading alone.
Practice speaking with real people
Reading and watching is a great start—but the real improvement comes from actually speaking. I have a free Telegram group where English learners from all over the world practice speaking together every day.
Join the free Telegram group: https://t.me/+63dazrzwgyk3N2Jh
Want to master all of your English pronunciation?
The TH sound is just one piece of the puzzle. If you are serious about sounding natural and confident in American English, my English Pronunciation Bundle covers everything—all the sounds, rhythms, and patterns.
English Pronunciation Bundle: https://courses.learnenglishwithcamille.com/english-pronunciation-bundle
Try the practice sentences and let me know in the comments how it goes. Can you feel your tongue between your teeth? Leave me a comment!
With love,
Camille
