STOP!
Before you try these, make sure you are using the right technique by following the TH sound pronunciation guide!
Introduction
You will see ‘th’ used a lot in written English. In most cases it makes one of 2 sounds: –
/ð/ = voiced dental fricative (the, this, there)
/θ/ = voiceless dental fricative (thing, through, throw)
We will practise these ‘th’ sounds by alternating between the two. Make sure you are pronouncing these correctly and train yourself with the th tongue twisters below. As mentioned, these tongue-twisters combine a mixture of the /ð/ (voiced) and /θ/ (voiceless) ‘th’ sounds as well as other similar sounds such as /s/ and /f/.
Th-Fronting
A quick note needs to be mentioned about “th-fronting”. This is where instead of pronouncing the ‘th’ sound as mentioned previously, we instead pronounce “th” the same as an ‘f’ or ‘v’ sound.
thankyou -> fankyou
three -> free
north -> norf
with -> wiv
bathe -> bave
lathe -> lave
This is quite common in certain dialects of English. While none of the following tongue twisters use th-fronting, it’s important to know of its existence in case you ever encounter it.
Th Tongue Twister Downloads
Here you will find the same selection in PNG form, perfect for practising offline and / or printing out.
Tongue Twister List
1. The first thing that they think of is this.
2. Some theories believe there to be things out there.
3. These things finish sooner than you think.
4. Thirsty throats find things to drink.
5. Some things seem to find themselves.
6. My thumb is too thick to flick this.
7. Thanks for the things you sang for me.
8. These thieves thrive on farmers grief.
9. Three thousand spears were thrown at the throne.
10. On Thursdays, I find thrills in finding things.
Tongue twisters provide an interesting way to improve your English pronunciation. I am certain you would be thirsting for more after several attempts of the above tongue twisters. If that’s the case, exercise your pronunciation further with the tongue twisters below.