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Hi! I'm Georgiana, and I'm back with a new episode of the Speak English Now podcast—the podcast that helps you speak English fluently, with no grammar and no textbooks.
Today, we'll practice one of the trickiest sounds in English: the TH sound.
Actually, English has two TH sounds:
The voiceless /θ/, like in think, thank, thirty.
The voiced /ð/, like in this, that, brother.
Many students replace them with t, d, s, or z. For example:
They say tank you instead of thank you.
Or zis instead of this.
So today, we'll practice with word pairs, tongue twisters and then a Mini-Story.
Let’s go!
Quick Word-Pair Drills (listen & repeat)
think – sink
three – tree
thank – tank
thin – tin
thick – tick
thirty – dirty
then – den
those – dose
they – day
there – dare
Word Pair Practice in Sentences
Listen carefully and repeat after me.
think – sink
I think the keys fell in the sink.
three – tree
There are three birds in the tree.
thank – tank
I want to thank the man near the tank.
thin – tin
The thin tin is on the table.
thick – tick
The thick book has a loud tick inside.
thirty – dirty
The thirty shirts are not dirty.
then – den
Then the bear went into its den.
those – dose
Those pills are one dose.
they – day
They arrived on a sunny day.
there – dare
There is a dare on the paper.
Tongue Twister Practice
Listen and repeat!
Thank you, this thing is thin.
Thirty thin thieves.
That thick thumb.
Thirty-three thirsty thieves thought thrilling thoughts.
This thin cloth is thicker than that thin cloth.
These three things are worth thinking through thoroughly.
Now, let’s practice.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING
Mini-Story: Speaking Practice
Answer the questions aloud with short and quick responses. Repeat the Mini-Story several times to improve your speaking and listening.
Mark wanted to improve his pronunciation because he had trouble with the TH sound.
Who wanted to improve his pronunciation?
Mark. Mark wanted to improve his pronunciation.
What sound gave Mark trouble?
The TH sound. The TH sound gave him trouble.
Did Mark have trouble with TH or with SH?
TH. He had trouble with TH sound.
Was Mark trying to improve grammar or pronunciation?
Pronunciation. He was trying to improve pronunciation.
At a café, the barista brought him tea, and Mark said, “Tank you,” instead of “Thank you.”
Where was Mark, at a café or at the bank?
At a café. He was at a café.
What did the barista bring him—tea or coffee?
Tea. The barista brought him tea.
What did Mark say—thank you or tank you?
Tank you. He said “tank you,” not “thank you”.
Did he pronounce TH correctly?
No. He didn’t pronounce TH correctly.
The barista looked confused because he heard “tank.”
Did the barista understand Mark?
No. He didn’t understand Mark.
Why didn’t he understand—because Mark whispered or because he heard “tank”?
Because he heard “tank.” He heard “tank.”
What word did the barista hear—thank or tank?
Tank. He heard “tank.”
Mark smiled, spoke slowly, and repeated: “Thank you, not tank you.”
Did Mark get angry or stay calm?
He stayed calm. Mark stayed calm.
Did he speak quickly or slowly?
Slowly. He spoke slowly.
Which sound did Mark fix—T or TH?
TH. He fixed the TH sound.
A minute later, Mark ordered three cookies, but he said “tree cookies.”
What did Mark order—three cookies or two cookies?
Three cookies. He ordered three cookies.
What did he actually say—three or tree?
Tree. He said “tree.”
Was the problem with the TH sound or the R sound?
The TH sound. It was the TH sound.
Did the barista hear three or tree?
Tree. He heard “tree.”
Mark pointed at the display and corrected himself: “Three cookies, please. Three.”
Did Mark point at the door or the display?
The display. He pointed at the display.
What did he repeat—three or tree?
Three. He repeated “three.”
Did he add please?
Yes. He said, “Three cookies, please.”
When he paid, Mark tried again: “This is for you. Thank you.”
What did Mark say—this or zis?
This. He said “this.”
Did he say thank you or tank you this time?
Thank you. He said “thank you.
The barista finally understood and smiled. He gave Mark the tea and three cookies.
Did the barista smile?
Yes. He smiled.
What did the barista give Mark—tea and three cookies or tea and two cookies?
Tea and three cookies. He gave him tea and three cookies.
Was Mark satisfied or frustrated?
Satisfied. Mark was satisfied.
On his way out, Mark practiced softly: “This, that, these, those… thank you… three, thirteen, thirty.”
Did Mark practice verbs or TH words?
TH words. He practiced TH words.
Which words did he practice—this, that, these, those or cat, hat, cheese, nose?
This, that, these, those. He practiced those.
Did he also practice numbers with TH—three, thirteen, thirty?
Yes. He practiced three, thirteen, thirty.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
voiceless TH
the /θ/ sound in words such as think and thank.
voiced TH
the /ð/ sound in words such as this and brother.
vibration
a small rapid movement felt when a voiced sound is produced.
tongue position
the placement of the tongue when producing a sound.
think / sink
a pair used to contrast TH and S.
three / tree
a pair used to contrast TH and T.
word pair
two words practiced together to compare sounds.
speak clearly
produce words in an understandable way.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
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