Lessons Unit 3, lesson 16
θ + vowels
The θ beginning opening into every vowel it starts words with. Get the mouth ready for θ, 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.
θthe th in thin
Put the tip of your tongue gently between your teeth and blow air: th. No voice, just air. If it sounds like s or t, check that your tongue really touches your teeth.
θ + every vowel
One row per combination. Tap any word to hear it — every sheet comes straight from the tool.
| θ ɪ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| θ ʌ | |||
| θ iː |
Tongue between the teeth, no exceptions
Voiceless th needs your tongue tip actually touching between your teeth — not behind them, like for s or t. Say think, thumb, and theme slowly and check in a mirror that you can see a sliver of tongue poking through before the air hisses out.
A short list of words
This is one of the shorter tables in the unit because relatively few English words open with this exact sound before a stressed vowel. The trap to avoid is letting th slide into t or f, both common substitutions — if thin comes out sounding like tin or fin, your tongue probably never left your teeth.
Read the whole short list twice: once watching your tongue in a mirror, once without, to build the feel from memory. Because so few words start this way, treat every one of them — think, thumb, theme — as worth memorizing individually rather than skimming past.