The /θ/ and /ð/ sounds are produced by the ‘TH’ spelling. /θ/ is voiceless, and /ð/ is voiced. To pronounce the /θ/ and /ð/ sounds, the tongue should be in between the teeth, thus these sounds are called the interdentals. The sound is made by lightly blowing out against teeth and the tongue, thus being fricatives. The back of your tongue is kept low and flat.
/θ/, /ð/ words
These are words with voiceless ‘TH’, /θ/ :
think, thin, thing, thanks, thirty, Thursday, three, thumb, third, thirteen, bathtub, toothpick, birthday, healthy, something, anything, athlete, math, tooth, teeth, tenth, ninth, breath, earth, mouth, south, north
These are words with voiced ‘TH’, /ð/ :
then, than, those, worthy, mother, father, farther, northern, nevertheless, feather, weather, brother, clothing, clothes, either, another, neither, bathe, breathe, clothe, smooth
These are sentences with /θ/ and /ð/:
They think the athlete's birthday is this Thursday.
The brother will be thirteen this Thursday.
They can clean their teeth with a thin toothpick.
They should ask their father, their mother or their brother.
The other clothes are smooth.
There is another feather over there.
That thing is thicker than that thin thing.
There is something in that dog's mouth.
My brother said the weather is warmer in the south than in the north.
The TH pair has no minimal pairs. Both /θ/ and /ð/ are uncommon sounds in many languages, and so are often confused with other sounds in proximity and voicing. /θ/ is often confused with nearby /f/, /t/, /s/, and /ð/ is often confused with /d/ and /z/. In this section, we examine the minimal pairs of these sounds: /θ/ and /f/; /θ/ and /t/; and /ð/ and /d/. In the next section where we introduce /s/ and /z/ sounds, we examine the remaining confusing pairs: /s/ and /θ/, and /z/ and /ð/.
/f/, /θ/ minimal pairs
/f/ and /θ/ are voiceless fricatives. They differ only at the place of articulation. /f/ is produced with upper teeth and lower lip, and /θ/ is produced with the tongue between the teeth. These are the minimal pairs:
free three
deaf death
fought thought
fin thin
fresh thresh
freeze threes
fro throw
froze throws
fief thief
frill thrill
furred third
/t/, /θ/ minimal pairs
/t/ is a voiceless stop, and /θ/ is voiceless fricative. /t/ occurs at the alveolar ridge, and /θ/ at the teeth. /t/ has popping in it, but /θ/ can continue the sound.
boat both
tank thank
fate faith
taught thought
torn thorn
fort fourth
team theme
trash thrash
got Goth
tent tenth
tread thread
mats maths
term therm
trill thrill
oat oath
Thai thigh
true through
root Ruth
tick thick
tug thug
/t/, /θ/ sentences
Both of us liked the boat.
The debt was forgiven after her death.
I have faith in my fate.
The fourth fort was much stronger.
I made an oath not to eat oatmeal.
The theme of the party made my team excited.
The wind thrashed the trash.
The tick was thick.
/d/, /ð/ minimal pairs
These pairs are exactly the same as /t/ and /θ/ except for voicing. That is, /d/ is an alveolar voiced stop, and /ð/ is an interdental voiced fricative. /d/ has popping in it, but /ð/ can continue the sound. These are /d/, /ð/ minimal pairs.
breed breathe
doe though
doze those
ride writhe
dare their
D's these
diss this
dough though
mudder mother
side scythe
Dave they've
header Heather
teed teethe
day they
laid lathe
ladder lather
udder other
den then
lied lithe
wording Worthing
dense thence
load loathe
wordy worthy
/d/, /ð/ sentences
Dogs of this breed breathe heavily.
Those dogs dozed off.
They were there the next day.
We lathered the ladder with soap.
The lithe woman lied.