The Hard TH Sound

Hard TH and Soft TH

The digraph TH has two sounds: Soft (voiceless) TH and Hard (Voiced) TH. Learning the difference between the hard “th” and soft “th” sounds is an essential part of phonics instruction.

1. Introduce the Two Sounds
   The th digraph can make two different sounds:
   

• Soft “th” /ð/ (voiced/buzzy): This sound is made when you vibrate your vocal cords, like in the word “this” or “that."
  
• Hard “th” /θ/ (unvoiced/non-buzzy): This sound is made without vibrating the vocal cords, like in the word “think” or “thumb.”

2. Practice with soft th and hard th words.
   The following diagram shows some examples of words with soft Th and words with hard Th. Scroll down the page for more examples and songs to help you learn how to pronounce words that uses the Th digraph.

3. Writing Practice
   Sentence Writing: Have students write their own sentences or short stories using th words.
   Word Tracing: For younger students, give them worksheets where they trace th words to practice writing.

Practice with the following consonant digraph worksheets.

Printable Worksheets (Consonant Digraphs)
Learning "ch"	Learning "sh"
Learning "th"	Learning "qu"
Learning "ng"

4. Songs and Rhymes
   Th Songs: Use songs or create simple rhymes that emphasize the th sound.

Learn about the digraph “th” (hard)
A digraph is when two letter sounds or phonemes combine to make one sound or phoneme.
When the t sound combines with the h sound they create the unique sound of th. Learn about the digraph th as you listen to the th sound in words that begin and end with the th digraph.

• Show Video

Difference between the soft TH sound and the hard TH sound.
Soft TH (voiceless): Place tongue between upper and lower teeth. Blow air through teeth.
Hard TH (voiced): Place tongue behind upper teeth. Blow air and let tongue vibrates. Feel the buzz.

• Show Video

Phonics - Digraph TH
The TH sound can be voiced in 2 different ways.

• Show Video

5. Learn other Consonant Digraphs.

Consonant Digraphs
CH Sound	SH Sound	Soft TH
Hard TH	WH Sound	PH Sound
GH Sound	NG Sound	Consonant Digraphs

Try the free Mathway calculator and problem solver below to practice various math topics. Try the given examples, or type in your own problem and check your answer with the step-by-step explanations.

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