Voiced TH Sound: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games

The voiced /TH/ sound is written /ð/ in the phonetic alphabet. This guide covers how to make the voiced /TH/ sound, 44 practice words split across initial, medial, and final position, and the errors children make most often, plus 8 games for practicing it.

Example Voiced TH words: the, this, that, these (beginning); other, another, either, rather (middle); smooth, breathe, bathe, soothe (end).

English spells two different sounds with the letters TH, and this is the voiced one — the /TH/ in "the," "that," "mother" and "breathe," written /ð/. The tongue tip sits lightly between or just behind the upper front teeth and the voice is on, so you feel a buzz in the throat. Its partner, the voiceless /TH/ in "think," is made in exactly the same place with no voicing. The voiced TH is worth its own attention because it appears in some of the most frequent words in the language: "the," "this," "that" and "they" alone account for a large share of everyday speech.

Age of mastery:5

Frequency:Less Common

Games available:8

How to Make the Voiced TH Sound

Rest the tip of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower front teeth, or just behind the upper teeth. Turn your voice on and let it buzz through — a hand on the throat should feel a clear vibration. Keep the contact gentle: biting down hard makes the sound difficult to release into the vowel that follows. If you feel no vibration, you have produced the voiceless /TH/ in "think" instead.

IPA Symbol: /ð/

Most children master the voiced /TH/ (as in "this") between ages 5;0 and 5;11 (by their sixth birthday). Both TH sounds are among the last consonants to develop, and substituting /D/, /V/ or /Z/ for the voiced one — "dis" for "this," "vat" for "that" — is a normal pattern in younger children.

Common Voiced TH Sound 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

Voiced TH Word Lists by Position

Practice these words organized by where the voiced /TH/ sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete Voiced TH word list.

Initial Voiced TH Words

voiced /TH/ at the beginning of words

thethisthatthesethosetheythemtheirtherethenthanthoughthemselvestherefore

Initial Voiced TH Words— practice tips & sentences

Medial Voiced TH Words

voiced /TH/ in the middle of words

otheranothereitherratherclothesothersneitherbothermotherfatherbrotherweatherfeatherleathergathertogetherwhetherrhythmnorthernsouthern

Medial Voiced TH Words— practice tips & sentences

Final Voiced TH Words

voiced /TH/ at the end of words

smoothbreathebathesootheclotheteethesunbatheloathelitheseethe

Final Voiced TH Words— practice tips & sentences

Practice these words with our games

How to Practice Voiced TH Words at Home

Evidence-based strategies parents can use to support voiced /TH/ sound practice.

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.

Practice Sentences for the Voiced TH Sound

Read these sentences aloud with your child. Words containing the voiced /TH/ sound are highlighted.

This is the feather that my brother found.

Mother and Father are in the other room.

They gather together in any weather.

Breathe in, then breathe out smoothly.

Neither of them wanted to bother.

Those are their clothes, not these.

Rather than bathe, the dog rolled in the leather chair.

Whether it rains or not, they will be there.

Games for the Voiced TH Sound

Practice the voiced /TH/ sound with interactive games designed by speech pathologists.

Bubble Pop

voiced /TH/ practice

Memory Match

voiced /TH/ practice

Word Runner

voiced /TH/ practice

Pizza Builder

voiced /TH/ practice

Space Blaster

voiced /TH/ practice

Sound Fishing

voiced /TH/ practice

Whack-a-Word

voiced /TH/ practice

Story Adventure

voiced /TH/ practice

Play games for the voiced /TH/ sound Browse all activities

Voiced TH Sound — Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions parents ask about the voiced /TH/ sound in speech therapy.

What is the difference between voiced and voiceless TH?

Nothing but the voice. The lips, tongue and airflow are identical: the tongue tip sits between or just behind the upper front teeth in both. The voiced /TH/ on this page (written /ð/) turns the vocal cords on — "the," "this," "mother," "breathe" — and you can feel the buzz with a hand on your throat. The voiceless /TH/ (written /θ/) does not — "think," "bath," "three" — and has its own guide and word lists.

Why are there so few words that end with the voiced TH?

Because English simply has very few of them. Word-final /ð/ is limited to a small set — "smooth," "breathe," "bathe," "soothe," "clothe," "teethe" and a handful of rarer verbs — while the same sound is extremely common at the start of function words like "the" and "this." That is why the final-position list here is short: padding it would mean adding words that are not really pronounced that way.

My child says "dis" for "this." Is that a problem?

Substituting /D/ for the voiced TH is the single most common error with this sound, and in children under about 6 it is a normal developmental pattern rather than a disorder. It is also a feature of several English dialects and of many second-language accents, in which case it is a difference and not an error at all. It is worth an evaluation if it persists past age 7 in a child whose home dialect does use the TH sounds.

Should we work on voiced and voiceless TH at the same time?

Usually not at first. Most therapists establish one, typically the voiceless /TH/ in "think," and then use it as the bridge to the other by simply turning the voice on. Once both are reliable in isolation, contrasting them directly — "thigh" against "thy," "ether" against "either" — is a good way to make the distinction stick.

Which words should we practice first?

The function words: "the," "this," "that," "they," "them," "then," "there." They are the highest-frequency words in English, so getting the voiced TH right in them changes how clear your child sounds far more than any list of rarer words would. Middle-of-word family words — "mother," "father," "brother," "other" — are a natural next step.

More Voiced TH Word Lists & Resources

All Voiced TH Words

Complete 44-word list across every position

Initial Voiced TH Words

14 words with practice tips

Medial Voiced TH Words

20 words with practice tips

Final Voiced TH Words

10 words with practice tips

Speech Sound Development Chart

What age each speech sound should appear

All Speech Sounds

Guides for every sound we cover

Related Sounds

/TH/

TH Sound

View guide

/D/

D Sound

View guide

/V/

V Sound

View guide

/Z/

Z Sound

View guide

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