Today, we are going to learn the American pronunciation of the most common consonant in English, /TH/. /TH/ occurs very frequently in English and because it doesn’t exist in most other languages, many non-native English speakers have trouble pronouncing it correctly. Learning the American pronunciation of /TH/ can really improve the clarity of your speech. So, let’s learn the /TH/ sound!
First, let’s learn the placement. To make the /TH/ sound, place the tip of your tongue slightly between your front upper and lower teeth, putting a little bit of pressure on your top teeth. Don’t stick your tongue out too far, just enough to sit between your teeth. Think up rather than out. The English /TH/ is a continuant, meaning you can sustain the sound as long as you sustain the breath. /TH/ is not a plosive. It does not “explode” then disappear like some other sounds do. If any part of your tongue presses against the roof of your mouth, the sound will “stop”, making an “explosive” puff of air rather than the continual sound we are trying to achieve. This is important because if you have the right placement, but make the sound a plosive, you will get a /D/ or a /T/ sound instead. Making a /D/ or /T/ could change the meaning of the word you wanted to say, such as saying “mad” instead of “math” or “ladder” instead of “lather.” Hear how the sound continues at the end of “math-th-th-th” rather than “exploding” when you say “mad”. Now, practice saying some words. Try saying these words with a continual /TH/ sound:
this Thursday three mother father weather math path
Now, try to keep producing the /TH/ sound accurately while saying these sentences:
The weather on Thursday was sunny. Three students were in math class. This is my mother.
There you go, the American /TH/ sound! I knew you could do it! With more practice, you can master producing /TH/ and you will be amazed at how much better people are understanding you!
If you liked this lesson and want more learning and practice, go to accents.pwspeech.com to record your free online accent assessment. I’ll be able to tell you exactly what you can do to personally improve your spoken English. In private lessons, I can offer personal feedback, answer your specific questions, develop a sequenced plan to build on what you’ve learned, and work on specific goals that most benefit you.