Do you have problems pronouncing words like “the”, “thing”, “although”, and “thorough”? Well, not to worry! Here are a couple of tips for you to follow so that you can improve your pronunciation.
The TH sound can be made by sticking out your tongue, placing the tip of your tongue between your upper and lower teeth, and blowing out. Please see the picture below.
There are two kinds of TH sounds: voiced and voiceless.
To make voiced TH sounds as in “the” and “although”, make sure that when you blow out, that sound is also made. You know you are making a voiced TH sound because when you touch your throat, you can feel a vibration.
To make a voiceless TH sounds as in “something” and “thorough”, make sure that when you blow out, no sound is made. You know you are making a voiceless TH sound because when you touch your throat, you cannot feel a vibration.
Practice these fun tongue twisters to improve your TH sounds!
Th=voiceless Th=voiced
1.
King Thistle stuck a thousand thistles in the thistle of his thumb.
A thousand thistles King Thistle stuck in the thistle of his thumb.
If King Thistle stuck a thousand thistles in the thistle of his thumb,
How many thistles did King Thistle stick in the thistle of his thumb?
-Courtesy of http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html.-
2.
One way to outthink others is to make them think you think you’re not really thinking what you’re trying to get them to think you think.
-Courtesy of http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html.-