Fricatives
How to pronounce /θ/ TH as in think
thinkthreebirthday
How to make it
Tongue tip out between your teeth, blow air over it. No voice at all.
- Tongue
- Tip pokes out between the teeth
- Lips
- Relaxed and open
- Voice
- Air only, no buzz
Watch the mouth
Tongue tip lightly between your teeth, then blow air out. No voice.
Where learners slip
Most learners swap /θ/ for /s/ or /t/ — think can land as sink.
- Vietnamese speakersUsually replaced by /t/ — think can land as tink.
- Portuguese speakersUsually replaced by /t/ or /f/.
- Japanese speakersUsually replaced by /s/ — think can land as sink.
- Chinese speakersUsually replaced by /s/ — think can land as sink.
- Thai speakersUsually replaced by /t/ — think can land as tink.
- Hindi speakersTurned into a hard aspirated T.
- Indonesian speakersUsually replaced by /t/ — think can land as tink.
- Russian speakersUsually replaced by /s/ or /f/.
- Turkish speakersUsually replaced by /t/ or /s/.
- French speakersUsually replaced by /s/ — think can land as sink.
- German speakersUsually replaced by /s/ — think can land as sink.
- Persian speakersUsually replaced by /s/ — think can land as sink.
Say it on real English. See if it lands.
Lang Shadow scores /θ/ every time you say it — in Shorts, in role plays and in your own words — and colours it next to the other 40 sounds.