/ð/

Voiced TH Sound Games

Games, word lists, and practice guidance for the Voiced TH sound — everything on this page is built around voiced th sound practice specifically.

The voiced TH is one half of what English spells with the letters TH, and its relationship with the other half is the whole story: "think" and "this" are made in exactly the same place, and the only difference between them is whether the voice is on. That makes it the cleanest contrast in articulation to demonstrate and one of the harder ones to make automatic. It also deserves more practice than the size of its word list suggests, because "the", "this", "that" and "they" are among the most frequent words in the language — an error here is audible in nearly every sentence a child says.

Games for articulation practice

An honest note first: our arcade-style games are not filtered by target sound — they build articulation and speech clarity generally rather than drilling Voiced TH specifically. The sound-specific targeting lives in the practice tools, where you choose the sound and position, and in the Voiced TH word lists further down this page.

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Targets

ArticulationSpeech Sound PracticeSpeech Clarity

Where Voiced TH targeting actually happens

Inside an account, the pronunciation practice and flashcard activities draw from a word bank of 9,200+ words across 40 sounds, and you pick the sound and the position in the word. That is the part of the platform that practises Voiced TH as Voiced TH — the games above are what keep a child doing it for long enough to matter.

Voiced TH practice words

Real practice words, grouped by where the Voiced TH sound falls in the word. Most therapy starts with the earliest position and moves on once that is reliable.

Voiced TH at the beginning

Words that start with Voiced TH.

thethisthatthesethosetheythemtheirtherethen

Voiced TH in the middle

Words with Voiced TH in the middle.

otheranothereitherratherclothesothersneitherbothermotherfather

Voiced TH at the end

Words with Voiced TH at the end.

smoothbreathebathesootheclotheteethesunbatheloathelitheseethe
All Voiced TH word listsThe Voiced TH sound guide

What to listen for

"Dis" for "this" is the usual substitution and it is a placement error: D stops the air completely on the ridge behind the teeth, while voiced TH keeps it flowing with the tongue further forward. "Vat" for "that" and "brozer" for "brother" are the other two. If the tongue looks right and the sound is still wrong, it is the voicing — a voiced TH with the voice off is simply the TH in "think", so put a hand on the throat and check for the buzz. Watch the pressure as well: a hard bite locks the sound in place and makes "the" and "they" impossible at a natural speed.

Common Voiced TH errors

  • Substituting /D/ for voiced /TH/ (e.g., "dis" for "this")
  • Substituting /V/ for voiced /TH/ (e.g., "vat" for "that")
  • Substituting /Z/ for voiced /TH/ (e.g., "brozer" for "brother")
  • Turning the voice off, which produces the voiceless /TH/ in "think" instead
  • Pressing the tongue too hard between the teeth, so the sound cannot release into the next vowel

How to run Voiced TH practice

Short and frequent beats long and occasional. Five to ten minutes on most days produces more correct Voiced TH productions over a fortnight than one long weekend session, and it is far easier to sustain.

Work in one position at a time. Get Voiced TH reliable at the beginning of words before moving to the middle and at the end — mixing all three from the start usually slows everything down.

Keep correction light. Model the word correctly and move on rather than asking for a repeat every time; a child who feels tested talks less, and less talking is the opposite of what Voiced TH practice needs.

Tips for the Voiced TH sound

  • Have your child rest a hand on their throat while saying a long "thhhh." For this /TH/ they should feel a buzz; for the voiceless /TH/ in "think" they should feel nothing.
  • Switch back and forth between "thigh" and "thy" — the only difference is the voicing, which makes it the quickest way to teach the contrast.
  • Keep the tongue contact gentle. A hard bite locks the sound in place and makes "the" and "they" hard to say at a natural speed.
  • Use a mirror so your child can see the tongue tip appear between the teeth rather than staying behind them.
  • Practice the function words first — "the," "this," "that," "they," "them." They carry most of the voiced TH your child will ever say, so progress here is immediately audible.
  • For "dis" for "this," contrast the two directly: /D/ stops the air completely with the tongue on the ridge behind the teeth, while voiced /TH/ lets it keep flowing with the tongue further forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there free games for practising the Voiced TH sound?
Yes. Every game on this site is free to play with a free account, and the Voiced TH word lists and sound guide are free to read without one. What the games do not do is filter by target sound — for that, the practice tools inside an account let you pick Voiced TH and the position in the word.
What are the most common Voiced TH errors?
Substituting /D/ for voiced /TH/ (e.g., "dis" for "this") Substituting /V/ for voiced /TH/ (e.g., "vat" for "that") Substituting /Z/ for voiced /TH/ (e.g., "brozer" for "brother") Our Voiced TH sound guide covers each of these in more detail.
Which Voiced TH words should we start with?
Start at the beginning of words — the, this, that, these, those — and only move to the middle and at the end once the first position is reliable. The full lists are on our Voiced TH word lists page.
How long does it take to fix a Voiced TH sound?
It varies far more than most families expect, and depends on the child's age, how established the error is, and how much correct practice happens between sessions. The one factor you control is the volume of correct repetitions per week, which is why practice at home moves the timeline more than anything else.

Keep Exploring

Voiced TH sound guide

How the Voiced TH sound is made, and how it develops.

Voiced TH word lists

Full Voiced TH word lists by position.

Voiced TH at the start of words

Practice words with Voiced TH in the initial position.

TH sound games

Often practised alongside Voiced TH.

D sound games

Often practised alongside Voiced TH.

V sound games

Often practised alongside Voiced TH.

Z sound games

Often practised alongside Voiced TH.

All speech sound games

Every sound with a games page.

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