th

The letter 't' and 'h' are two consonants making the digraph 'th' and producing two different sounds.

Digraphs are a set of two letters that stand together and produce a new sound.

Digraph	th
Name	th (pronounced /'tee ˈeɪtʃ/)
Common Sound(s)	/ð/, /θ/

Sound 1: /ð/

The digraph 'th' sounds /ð/:

Example

though /ðoʊ/

they /ðeɪ/

brother /ˈbrʌðɚ/

bathe /beɪð/

the /ˈðiː/

The Digraph 'th'

Sound 2: /θ/

'th' also sounds /θ/:

Example

thought /θɑːt/

three /θriː/

bath /bæθ/

authorize /ˈɑː.θɚ.aɪz/

Tip

In modern English 'th' has two sounds; however, some linguists believe that 'th' had only one sound in old English.

Comments

(3)

Oct 2024

May I know when to sound th as voiceless and voiced?

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Langeek

Oct 2024

The "th" sound can be either voiceless or voiced: Voiceless "th" (/θ/): No vibration in your throat. Words like think, bath, with. Voiced "th" (/ð/): Vibration in your throat. Words like this, the, breathe.

Jan 2024

I think that old English is the same as modern English, there should be no confusion in its pronunciation

Sound 1: /ð/
- Sound 2: /θ/

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