Speech-sound word lists

TH Sound Words (Voiced & Voiceless)

Word lists for both TH sounds — the buzzy voiced TH and the windy voiceless TH — for calm at-home practice. A support tool, not a diagnosis.

English has two TH sounds. The voiced TH buzzes (as in this, mother); the voiceless TH is windy (as in thumb, bath). Both are among the later sounds to develop, often around age 6–7 — so patience matters. Ages are a guide, not a deadline (Crowe & McLeod, 2020).

Voiced TH words (this, that, mother)

initial this

“this one”

initial that

“that one”

initial them

“give them”

initial these

“these toys”

initial those

“those birds”

initial there

“over there”

initial they

“they play”

medial feather

“a floaty feather”

medial brother

“my big brother”

medial mother

“my mother”

medial father

“my father”

medial weather

“sunny weather”

medial together

“play together”

medial grandmother

“my grandmother”

final clothes

“clean clothes”

final bathe

“bathe the puppy”

final smooth

“a smooth stone”

final breathe

“breathe slowly”

medial grandfather

“my grandfather”

medial smoothie

“a berry smoothie”

medial slither

“snakes slither”

medial leather

“soft leather”

medial gather

“gather the eggs”

medial clothing

“warm clothing”

medial breathing

“slow breathing”

medial bathing

“bathing the dog”

final soothe

“soothe the baby”

final teethe

“babies teethe”

Voiceless TH words (thumb, thing, bath)

initial thumb

“a wiggly thumb”

initial three

“three balloons”

initial think

“think hard”

initial thirsty

“so thirsty”

initial thunder

“loud thunder”

initial thank you

“say thank you”

initial thick

“a thick book”

initial thirty

“thirty seconds”

medial toothbrush

“my toothbrush”

medial birthday

“a birthday party”

medial bathtub

“a bubbly bathtub”

medial toothpaste

“minty toothpaste”

medial marathon

“a long marathon”

final bath

“a warm bath”

final teeth

“clean teeth”

final mouth

“a big mouth”

final moth

“a fuzzy moth”

final earth

“our planet earth”

initial thread

“a long thread”

initial throw

“throw the ball”

initial thermometer

“a little thermometer”

initial thumbtack

“a shiny thumbtack”

initial third

“third in line”

initial theater

“the movie theater”

medial python

“a long python”

medial healthy

“healthy snacks”

medial earthworm

“a wiggly earthworm”

medial athlete

“a fast athlete”

final math

“fun math”

final sloth

“a slow sloth”

final tooth

“a wobbly tooth”

final north

“go north”

final mammoth

“a woolly mammoth”

final month

“next month”

final breath

“a big breath”

final broth

“warm broth”

These word lists are for calm at-home practice and general information. They are not a diagnosis or an assessment. Whether a sound is “on time” depends on age, language background and the whole communication picture — a speech-language pathologist can help you read it; an app or a list cannot.

Practise these at home

SpeechSeed groups words by the sound they help with and lets a grown-up — not an algorithm — judge each whole-word try. A practice and support tool, not a replacement for a speech-language pathologist.

Download on the App StoreHow SpeechSeed works

Related: speech-sound age chart · when to talk to an SLP · minimal pairs · articulation practice at home