Tricky Consonant Sounds
Some English consonants don’t exist in other languages. Let’s master them!
The TH Sounds
English has TWO different “th” sounds. This is unique to English!
/θ/ - Voiceless TH (as in “think”)
Put your tongue between your teeth and blow air. Your vocal cords don’t vibrate.
Examples:
- think, thought, through
- thank, thick, thin
- bath, math, path, month
- three, throw, throat
Tip: Put your hand on your throat. If you feel vibration, you’re doing it wrong! /θ/ is voiceless.
/ð/ - Voiced TH (as in “this”)
Same tongue position, but now your vocal cords vibrate.
Examples:
- this, that, these, those
- the, there, they, them
- mother, father, brother, other
- with, bathe, breathe
Common mistake: Saying /s/ or /z/ instead of /θ/ or /ð/:
- “sink” instead of “think”
- “zis” instead of “this”
Minimal Pairs with TH
| TH Sound | S/Z Sound |
|---|---|
| think /θ/ | sink /s/ |
| thick /θ/ | sick /s/ |
| three /θ/ | see /s/ |
| this /ð/ | zis (incorrect) |
| they /ð/ | zey (incorrect) |
The W Sound /w/
Round your lips like you’re saying “oo”, then release into the next vowel.
Examples:
- water, we, will, want
- way, week, wait, what
- window, winter, wonder
German speakers: Don’t say /v/ for /w/! “Wine” and “vine” are different words!
W vs. V Minimal Pairs
| W /w/ | V /v/ |
|---|---|
| wine | vine |
| west | vest |
| wail | veil |
| wet | vet |
| wheel | veal |
The R Sound /r/
English /r/ is very different from German /r/. The tongue curls back but doesn’t touch anything.
Examples:
- red, right, run, rain
- very, sorry, carry
- more, car, star (silent in British English)
Tip: Your tongue should NOT touch the roof of your mouth or vibrate. It curls back and stays there.
Voiced vs. Voiceless Pairs
Many consonants come in pairs: one voiced, one voiceless.
| Voiceless | Voiced | Position |
|---|---|---|
| /p/ pat | /b/ bat | lips |
| /t/ ten | /d/ den | tongue tip |
| /k/ cap | /g/ gap | back of tongue |
| /f/ fan | /v/ van | teeth + lip |
| /s/ sue | /z/ zoo | tongue blade |
| /θ/ thin | /ð/ this | tongue + teeth |
| /ʃ/ ship | /ʒ/ measure | tongue blade |
| /tʃ/ chip | /dʒ/ judge | tongue blade |
The NG Sound /ŋ/
This sound is made at the back of your mouth, like /g/ but nasal.
Examples:
- sing, ring, bring, thing
- long, song, wrong
- finger, anger, hunger (with /g/ after)
- singing, ringing (no /g/ sound)
Note: “sing” ends with /ŋ/ only. “finger” has /ŋg/. Listen carefully!
The J Sound /dʒ/
This is like /tʃ/ (as in “church”) but voiced.
Examples:
- just, jump, job, join
- judge, journey, jealous
- age, page, stage, large
- gym, giant, ginger