Do you say /s/ and /z/ instead of ‘th’? This is a common pronunciation mistake!
This pronunciation practice lesson below will help you practice hearing & making the ‘th’ sounds.
(In the listening lesson “Let’s Go to The Ex!” I explain how to make the ‘th’ sounds.)
Part I – Minimal Pairs /θ/ and /s/
Part II – Words and Phrases with /θ/ and /s/
Part III – Words with /θ/
Part IV – Minimal Pairs /ð/ and /z/
Part V – Words and Phrases with /ð/ and /z/
Part VI – Words with /ð/
Part VII – Words, phrases and sentences with /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /z/
(This lesson was originally made for one of my Russian students. There are speakers of many other languages, however, that also make this mistake!)
Melanie is a TESL-certified English teacher. She lives near Toronto, Canada. Through her blog, videos, podcasts, and social media, she helps thousands of people around the world improve their English. She makes English a little less confusing and a little more fun! She also helps people understand Canadian and American culture. She believes that natural interaction with a native speaker helps people practice what they have learned and builds their confidence with English!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, Melanie. I’m from a foreign country and I’d like to know how can I exactly pronounce the number thirty. I’ve tried but I can’t. Thanks! U’ve helped me a lot.
Hi, Paula! You are not alone! A LOT of English learners struggle with ‘thirty’ (and ‘girl,’ ‘first,’…).
1. Make sure your tongue comes out between your teeth for the ‘th’ sound.
2. Don’t try to pronounce the ‘i’. In American English, the ‘ir’ together is the ‘vower r’ sound. It’s pronounced ‘er,’ so the first syllable ‘thir’ sounds the same as the ‘thur’ in ‘Thursday.’
(I talk briefly about the ‘er’ sound in this listening lesson: http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/listening-lesson-the-laundromat-podcast/)
3. In American English, the second ‘t’ is the ‘tapped t’ sound. I try to explain this sound in the listening lesson http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/listening-lesson-my-jack-o-lantern-podcast-and-video/ and in the pronunciation video: http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/pronunciation-how-to-say-names-of-social-media-sites-video/ (when I talk about Twitter).
I hope that helps! It will take a while, but it practice a little bit every day, it will get easier.
Good luck,
Melanie
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Hello Melanie !
How can i pronounce “th ” after “s” ? such as “was there”
Thank you .
Hi, Ahmed!
In “was there,” the -s is pronounced /z/ and the ‘th’ is the voiced sound. The ‘th’ sound is pronounced the same way as always, but your tongue just has to quickly move into the space between your top & lower teeth. It doesn’t need to come out as far as a regular ‘th’ sound, but you still need to make the sound.
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