How to Pronounce the TH Sound
TH উচ্চারণ (How to Pronounce the TH Sound)
Introductionভূমিকা
The 'th' sound is the single hardest sound for Bangla speakers, because Bangla has no sound where the tongue sits between the teeth. The good news: it is one tongue position, and once you feel it, 'think', 'this' and 'three' become easy.
'th' ধ্বনি বাংলাভাষীদের জন্য সবচেয়ে কঠিন, কারণ বাংলায় জিভ দাঁতের মাঝে রেখে কোনো ধ্বনি নেই। ভালো খবর: এটি একটিই জিভের অবস্থান — একবার ধরতে পারলে 'think', 'this', 'three' সহজ হয়ে যায়।
Definitionসংজ্ঞা
'th' spells two sounds: a voiceless /θ/ (think, three, bath) with no throat vibration, and a voiced /ð/ (this, mother, the) with vibration. Both are made the same way — tongue tip lightly between the teeth, air flowing over it.
'th' দুটি ধ্বনি বোঝায়: voiceless /θ/ (think, three, bath) — গলায় কম্পন নেই; আর voiced /ð/ (this, mother, the) — কম্পন আছে। দুটোই একইভাবে হয় — জিভের ডগা দাঁতের মাঝে, উপর দিয়ে বাতাস।
Bangla Explanationবাংলা ব্যাখ্যা
বাংলাভাষীরা প্রায়ই 'th'-কে 'ট/ত' (voiceless) বা 'ড/দ' (voiced) বলে ফেলি — think → 'tink', this → 'dis'। কিন্তু আসল 'th'-এ জিভ দাঁতের পেছনে নয়, দাঁতের মাঝে হালকা করে রাখতে হয়, আর ফাঁক দিয়ে বাতাস বেরোয়। দুই রকম আছে: 'think, thin, three, bath'-এ গলায় কম্পন নেই (/θ/); 'this, that, mother, the'-এ গলায় কম্পন আছে (/ð/)। শুরুতে জিভ একটু বেশি বের করে অনুশীলন করুন, পরে স্বাভাবিকভাবে কমিয়ে আনুন। আয়নায় দেখুন — জিভের ডগা যেন সামান্য দেখা যায়।
Examplesউদাহরণ
- think — voiceless /θ/, no throat buzzভাবা; 'tink' নয় — জিভ দাঁতের মাঝে, কম্পন নেই।
- three — /θr/, tongue out then glide to rতিন; জিভ মাঝে রেখে তারপর 'r'।
- bath — /θ/ at the end, tongue between teethগোসল; শেষে জিভ দাঁতের মাঝে।
- this — voiced /ð/, throat vibratesএটি; 'dis' নয় — কম্পন আছে।
- mother — /ð/ in the middleমা; মাঝখানে voiced 'th'।
- the — voiced /ð/, very common wordনির্দিষ্টতাসূচক; খুব সাধারণ শব্দ, /ð/।
- thank you — starts with voiceless /θ/ধন্যবাদ; শুরুতে /θ/, জিভ দাঁতের মাঝে।
Common Mistakesসাধারণ ভুল
think pronounced "tink" or "fink"
think with the tongue between the teeth /θ/
Replacing 'th' with t or f loses the sound. The tongue must sit between the teeth, not behind them.
this pronounced "dis"
this with a voiced /ð/, tongue between teeth
/ð/ is not /d/. Keep the tongue between the teeth and let the throat vibrate.
three pronounced "tree"
three with /θ/ then /r/
The /θr/ cluster needs the tongue out first; 'tree' drops the th entirely.
using the same th sound for 'think' and 'this'
think = voiceless /θ/, this = voiced /ð/
Same tongue position, but 'this/that/the' add throat vibration while 'think/thin' do not.
Tipsটিপস
- Put your tongue tip lightly between your teeth and blow air — that hiss is the /θ/ in 'think'. — জিভের ডগা দাঁতের মাঝে রেখে বাতাস ছাড়ুন — সেই শব্দই 'think'-এর /θ/।
- For the voiced /ð/ (this), keep the same position but add your voice so the throat buzzes. — voiced /ð/ (this)-এ একই অবস্থানে গলায় কম্পন যোগ করুন।
- Practise in a mirror; at first stick the tongue out a little more, then relax it as it gets easier. — আয়নায় অনুশীলন করুন; প্রথমে জিভ একটু বেশি বের করুন, পরে সহজ হলে কমান।
- Drill minimal pairs — think/tink, this/dis, three/tree — until the th feels automatic. — minimal pair — think/tink, this/dis, three/tree — অনুশীলন করুন যতক্ষণ না স্বাভাবিক হয়।
Quizকুইজ
Tap an answer to check yourself — a free preview of the full graded quiz in the app.
1. Where should your tongue be for the 'th' in 'think'?
2. Which word has the voiced /ð/ (throat vibrates)?
3. 'three' correctly starts with which sound?
Practiceঅনুশীলন
Try each one, then reveal the answer.
1. Say and label: is the 'th' in 'mother' voiced or voiceless?
Hint: Feel your throat on the 'th'.
2. Read the pair and keep them different: 'think' vs 'sink'.
Hint: Tongue out for one, tongue in for the other.
3. Read aloud with clear th: 'I think this is the third one.'
Hint: Tongue between the teeth on every th.
Related Lessonsসম্পর্কিত পাঠ
- English Consonant SoundsMaster the English consonant sounds in Bangla and English: v vs w, f vs p, voiced vs voiceless, examples, common Bangla-speaker mistakes and a quiz.
- English Vowel SoundsLearn the English vowel sounds in Bangla and English: long vs short vowels, the ship/sheep difference, the schwa, examples, common mistakes and a free quiz.
- Word Stress in EnglishWord stress in english explained for Bangla speakers: which syllable to stress, examples like PHOtograph vs phoTOgraphy, mistakes and a free quiz.
AI Practiceএআই অনুশীলন
Practise this topic in a real conversation with your AI teacher — it asks questions, corrects you gently, and adapts to your level, all inside EnglishBD.
Practise with the AI teacher →Frequently Asked Questionsসাধারণ জিজ্ঞাসা
Why can't Bangla speakers say the 'th' sound?
Bangla has no sound made with the tongue between the teeth, so learners substitute the nearest sounds (t, d, f). Once you practise the tongue-between-teeth position, it becomes natural.
Are there two different 'th' sounds?
Yes. Voiceless /θ/ (think, thin, bath) has no throat vibration; voiced /ð/ (this, that, mother, the) does. The tongue position is the same — only the voicing changes.
Is it okay to say 'dis' instead of 'this'?
It is understandable but sounds non-native and can be unclear. The correct sound keeps the tongue between the teeth with the throat buzzing, which is worth practising.