Th words: voiced (this) and unvoiced (thin) th
Th is the digraph where the tongue peeks out between the teeth. It has two sounds, the quiet one in thin and the buzzing one in this. Hear every word and try the game.
Th words list (47 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
Unvoiced th at the beginning (thin)
Unvoiced th at the end (bath)
Voiced th at the beginning (this)
Voiced th in the middle and end (mother)
Th words game: listen and find
Hear a word from the list and pick it from four look-alike words. Eight rounds, about two minutes.
Th words spelling game: build the word
Hear a word and build it from letter tiles, one sound at a time. Letter pairs like sh or ck come as one tile, because they spell one sound. Six rounds.
Short answer
What are th words?
Th words contain the consonant digraph th, two letters that spell one sound made with the tongue between the teeth. Th has two sounds: unvoiced, with no buzz, as in thin, three and bath, and voiced, with the voice switched on, as in this, that and mother. The spelling is the same for both, so children learn th as one unit and then notice which sound fits the word.
- Th is a digraph with two sounds: unvoiced /th/ in thin and voiced /th/ in this.
- Voiced th starts many very common words: the, this, that, them, then, they, there.
- Unvoiced th is common at the start and end of content words: thin, thumb, bath, tooth.
- Many young children say f for unvoiced th (fumb for thumb); this is a common stage of speech development.
About th words
Both th sounds are made the same way: the tip of the tongue rests lightly between the top and bottom teeth and air flows out around it. The only difference is the voice. For unvoiced th, as in thin, the throat is quiet, like a whisper. For voiced th, as in this, the throat buzzes. Have your child put a hand on their throat and say thin, then this, and feel the buzz switch on.
The list is grouped by sound and by position. Unvoiced th at the start and end of words (thin, thick, bath, math, path) is the best place to begin, because those words sound out cleanly. Voiced th at the start mostly appears in small, very common words: the, this, that, them, then, they. Many of these are also taught as sight words, but this, that, them, then and than can all be sounded out once the child knows th. Voiced th inside words, as in mother and feather, comes later.
There is no spelling clue that tells a reader which th sound to use. In practice, children rarely get it wrong, because they already know the words from speech: saying thin with a buzz, or this without one, just sounds odd, and they self-correct. So the teaching focus is on reading th as one unit and not as t plus h. Note that bath has an unvoiced th while bathe has a voiced one, and teeth and tooth are both unvoiced.
Th words in sentences
Decodable sentences: every word can be sounded out with the patterns on this page, plus a few very common words.
- This is a thin moth.
- That path is thick with mud.
- I think math is fun.
- Then they had a bath.
- Thank them for the red cloth.
- Both of them went south.
- My brother has a thorn in his thumb.
- This thing is smooth and flat.
- Mother and father sat together.
Common mix-ups with th words
Th and f (thin and fin)
Many young children say f for unvoiced th, so thumb becomes fumb and three becomes free. In speech this usually sorts itself out with age, but when reading, show that th needs the tongue between the teeth and f needs the top teeth on the lip. Compare thin and fin, three and free, math and maf.
Th and d or v (this and dis)
Voiced th is sometimes said as d at the start of words (dis, dat) or v in the middle (muvver). Use a mirror so the child can see the tongue peek out for th and check it on this, that and mother.
Reading t and h separately
If thin becomes tuh-hin, the child is reading two letters. Loop th before reading, and point out that th words almost never say /t/ at the start. A few words, such as Thomas and thyme, are rare exceptions.
Th words activities
Buzz or whisper
With a hand on the throat, read words from the list aloud. Your child calls out buzz for voiced th (this, mother) or whisper for unvoiced th (thin, bath). Then let them read the words and test you.
Mirror check
Give your child a small mirror. As they read each th word, they check that the tongue tip shows between the teeth. This is especially useful for children who say f for th.
Th position hop
Put two paper plates on the floor, marked start and end. Say a word; your child hops to start if th comes first (thumb) or end if it comes last (tooth), then reads the word card.
Th finger spelling
Say a word like path, and have your child tap a finger for each sound, /p/ /a/ /th/, then write it, with t and h written together for the last tap. Three taps, four letters.
Th words: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between voiced and unvoiced th?
Both are made with the tongue between the teeth. Unvoiced th, as in thin, has no voice, like a whisper. Voiced th, as in this, has the voice on, so the throat buzzes.
What are some easy th words for kindergarten?
Thin, thick, bath, math, path, moth, this, that, them and then. They have short vowels, so the rest of the word sounds out easily.
My child says fink for think. Is that a problem?
Saying f for th is a common stage in children's speech and often lasts until around age 6 or 7. If it continues well beyond that, or speech is hard to understand, a speech-language pathologist can advise.
Is th a digraph?
Yes. T and h together make a sound that neither letter makes alone. It is unusual in that one digraph has two sounds, voiced and unvoiced.
Practise next
- Sh wordsSh is the quiet sound in ship and fish, the one you make when you ask someone to be quiet. Hear every word, read the sentences, and try the listening game.
- Ch wordsCh is the sharp sound in chin and lunch, a bit like a small sneeze. Hear every word, learn when to write tch instead of ch, and try the listening game.
- Wh wordsWh starts many of the questions children ask all day: what, when, where, why and which. Hear every word, learn the few wh words that say /h/, and play the game.
- Consonant blendsA consonant blend is two consonants side by side where you still hear both sounds, like fr in frog and st in nest. Hear every word, read the sentences, and play the game.