how to pronounce the TH sound
The TH sound, as in the word “thanks”, is difficult for many non-native speakers of English and English learners to pronounce. /Ѳ/ is the phonetic symbol for this sound, which is found in many dictionaries.
Here is how you do it:
- Put your tongue between your teeth (or just behind your teeth).
- Blow air out of your mouth, like you do for the /h/ sound (e.g. – hi).
- Do not vibrate your vocal chords. The sound is voiceless. Vibration of the vocal chords is for a different sound (e.g. – this, that).
Here are some example words with the /Ѳ/ sound: thanks, think, thousand, month, bath
Common mistakes are pronouncing a /t/ sound or an /s/ sound instead of the /Ѳ/ sound, depending on your first language. It is easier to learn to make this sound with words beginning with this sound (e.g. – thanks) than with words that have this sound at the end (e.g. – bath). Use the video app on your phone or a mirror to check that your tongue position is correct. Use one ply of a kleenex and hold it in front of your mouth to see that you are producing enough air. Or, just blow the air on your hand to feel that you are doing it correctly.
Here is a video showing you how to make the sound.
Leave a comment
Mike Tiittanen
I'd like to share my knowledge as an ESL pronunciation and grammar teacher with you.
Doctor Mike's English Center 
மிக்க நன்றி !!
Your work is an amazing gift to us while we all have been sentenced to ‘Stay Home until further notice’ imprisonment due to COVID-19.
Thank you!
Dr. Mike,
I happened to see ‘Paralanguage’ under the list of your Recent Posts, so I watched the video. However,
do we still make the sound ‘tsk – tsk’ to indicate disapproval?
And,
does ‘Wow! Wow! Wow!’ still mean ‘you’re going too fast in your assumption’?
Mike, I’m a slow learner. Have I misinterpreted your message? I couldn’t hear every single word spoken by you in the video 😦
Thanks for helping me Dr. Mike!!
‘Tsk tsk’ isn’t used very much nowadays. If it’s used, it could be used to indicate moral disapproval of somebody’s actions. ‘Wow! Wow! Wow!’ is used to tell somebody to back off because they are going too far in something they are saying, and they are crossing the line.