Voiceless TH words
Here are some handy resources for teaching and learning voiceless TH words. On this page you will find word lists and picture cards that you can use for pronunciation and speaking activities with learners who are struggling with this challenging sound.
For many English speakers, pronouncing the /θ/ sound is effortless, but for some it takes quite a bit of practice to master. It is undoubtedly one of the most difficult phonemes for ESL learners to get their mouths around.
The voiceless TH sound is sometimes also called the soft TH sound, with the voiced TH known as the hard TH respectively. More technically it is termed as the voiceless dental fricative phoneme /θ/.
If you are not familiar with this term, it refers to words in which the TH is pronounced without any buzzing in your throat. Think of words such as thanks, and three, then compare them to voiced TH words like them and mother. Notice the difference when you say them aloud?
Voiceless TH words lists
At the top of this page, there is a free printable word list above that you can download. This PDF has just under 100 TH words that are unvoiced. Below you will find a more comprehensive collection of words. Both lists have been broken up into 3 parts in which the TH sound can be found in the initial, medial, and final positions.
Initial position
thank
thankful
thatch
thaw
theater
theatrical
theft
theme
theory
therapy
thermal
thermometer
thermos
thesaurus
thesis
thick
thicken
thicket
thief
thigh
thimble
thin
thing
think
third
thirst
thirsty
thirteen
thirty
thistle
thongs
Thor
thorax
thorn
thorough
thought
thoughtful
thousand
thrash
thread
threat
three
threw
thrift
thrill
thrive
throat
throb
throne
throng
throttle
through
throw
thrust
thud
thug
thumb
thumbnail
thumbtack
thump
thunder
Thursday
Medial position
anything
arithmetic
athlete
authentic
author
bathrobe
bathtub
birthday
breathless
cathedral
earthquake
earthworm
Gothic
healthy
hypothesis
marathon
method
mouthguard
mouthwash
mythical
nothing
panther
pathology
pathway
python
rethink
ruthless
something
stethoscope
telepathy
threshold
toothache
toothbrush
toothpaste
toothpick
truthful
wealthy
worthwhile
Final position
bath
behemoth
beneath
birth
blacksmith
booth
both
breadth
breath
broth
cloth
death
depth
earth
eighth
faith
fifth
filth
froth
girth
goth
growth
health
hearth
heath
labyrinth
length
mammoth
math
megalith
month
moth
mouth
myth
ninth
north
oath
path
pith
sabbath
sheath
sleuth
sloth
south
stealth
strength
teeth
tenth
tooth
uncouth
unearth
warmth
width
with
worth
wraith
wrath
wreath
youth
zenith
Voiceless TH words with pictures
Below are 24 picture cards that you can use for pronunciation games and other fun learning activities. The flashcards contain mostly simple words that many learners will already be familiar with.
Some interesting ways to use these flashcards when teaching include using them for –
Sentence prompts. Pick one or more cards at random and ask learners to create a sentence with the word/words.
Name the missing word. Place several cards on the table or board and let your students look at them for a moment. Next, ask them to turn around or cover their eyes and remove one card. Allow students to look at the cards again. They are to name the missing word.
Matching games. Print two sets of cards to play memory matching games. You can also cut the words from the cards so that the picture and words can be matched.
Make anchor charts. Younger learners will enjoy cutting out the cards and sticking them to a large piece of cardstock. The posters they create can be hung on the wall for reference.
Related activities
For some pronunciation fun, check out the TH sound tongue twisters. These entertaining yet difficult to say sentences use alliteration with both voiced and voiceless TH words.
There are also some pages of minimal pairs that you can use to practise the TH sound. Have a look at the TH and F, the TH and D, and the S and TH minimal pairs pages. There you will also find pronunciation guides, picture cards, and sentences