Lessons Unit 3, lesson 17
ð + vowels
The ð beginning opening into every vowel it starts words with. Get the mouth ready for ð, release straight into the vowel — no gap, no extra sound between them.
What do the marks mean?
Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.
ðthe th in this
Same position — tongue tip between the teeth — but now switch your voice on so it buzzes: this. If it sounds like d or z, slow down and feel your teeth on the tongue.
ð + every vowel
One row per combination. Tap any word to hear it — every sheet comes straight from the tool.
| ð æ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ð ɛ | |||
| ð iː | |||
| ð aɪ | |||
| ð oʊ |
Function words only
Every word in this table is a grammar word — that, there, them, these, those — not a noun or a verb. That's not a coincidence: voiced th almost always opens the small, closed set of English pronouns, articles, and connectors, while its voiceless twin θ opens content words like think or thumb.
Same tongue position, voice on
The tongue position is identical to θ — tip between the teeth — but now with the voice buzzing from the first instant. If than or them comes out sounding like dan or dem, the tongue has slipped back behind the teeth instead of poking through them.
Practice by reading the list aloud slowly, feeling the tongue-teeth contact on every single word, since these are some of the most frequent words you'll say in English. Getting this, that, and these comfortable pays off far beyond this one lesson, because they show up in nearly every sentence you speak.