15 Oct 2026
Think or This? Mastering the Two TH Sounds in American English
The English “th” sounds can be challenging for many English learners. Words like think, this, three, and they may look similar, but they contain two different consonant sounds.
In this episode of The Accent Journey, we explore the difference between the voiceless /θ/ sound, as in think, and the voiced /ð/ sound, as in this. You'll learn how to position your tongue, control airflow, and use vocal-fold vibration to produce both sounds more accurately in American English.
We'll practice the sounds in individual words, contrasting pairs, sentences, tongue twisters, and the usual practice passage.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to position your tongue to produce both “th” sounds
The difference between voiceless /θ/ and voiced /ð/
How to avoid common substitutions such as think sounding like sink or they sounding like day
How to practice “th” at the beginning, middle, and end of words
How to produce both sounds naturally in connected speech
Practice Words
Voiceless /θ/: think, thank, thin, thick, three, thought, healthy, birthday, both, breath, month, strength.
Voiced /ð/: this, that, these, those, they, them, their, there, mother, brother, together, weather.
Practice Sentences
I think they should thank their mother.
Those three athletes are training together.
My brother said the weather would be warm on Thursday.
This method is more effective than the other one.
Both of them thought the meeting would last three hours.
These three things are more important than they might seem.
Tongue-Twister Challenge
Voiceless /θ/: Three thoughtful thinkers thought through three thousand theories.
Voiced /ð/: Those brothers gathered their things and went there together.
Both sounds: Those three brothers thought that their mother would be there on Thursday.
Practice passage: "Three months ago, my brother and I decided to spend a Thursday afternoon exploring a nature trail near our town. The weather was warm, and the path led through thick trees and across a small stream. We thought we would be there for an hour, but we stayed much longer. Together, we watched the birds, took photographs, and talked about the things we wanted to do next. It was one of those simple experiences that made the whole week feel better."
Follow The Accent Journey, hosted by accent coach Steven Nelson, for weekly episodes designed to help non-native speakers build clearer, more confident American English pronunciation - one sound and pattern at a time.
------------------------------
The Accent Journey Podcast is brought to you by AccentFirst Speech Communication Services. Find us online at accentfirst.com (http://accentfirst.com). We'd love to hear your feedback. Visit us and leave a message at accentfirst.com/contact (http://accentfirst.com/contact)
Music: Vendredi - Hypnosis ( Free Download & Free Copyright ) by Vendredi (https://soundcloud.com/vendrediduo) is licensed under a Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
