Ask a child to say “three” and you’ll often hear “free”. Ask for “thumb” and out comes “fumb”. Their ears are fine. The tongue hasn’t learned to go between the teeth yet, and tucking the lip under them is easier. This page is about the unvoiced th, the whisper sound in thumb, three and bath.
Start with a mirror
Sit beside your child with a small mirror. Say “free” and let them watch your lower lip tuck up under your top teeth. Now say “three” and let them watch your tongue tip poke out. That one difference is the whole lesson.
Then it’s their turn. If the tongue keeps hiding, ask for just the very tip, resting on the edge of the top teeth, and say “now blow”.
Making the sound and the action
Tongue tip between the teeth, then blow air gently over it. Voice off. It’s a whisper, so there’s no buzz in the throat.
In Jolly Phonics, th sits in group 6 with y, x, ch and sh, and the two th sounds are taught together. The action is a rude clown. Stick your tongue out a little for the voiced th, as in this, and further for the unvoiced th in thumb and three. Do it together and say the sound every time. For where group 6 fits in the whole programme, see the complete Jolly Phonics guide.
Have your child trace the th in the air with the ladybird below before they pick up a pencil.
Words to say and read
Say each word, stretch the th, and let your child say it back. Keep the middle ones for later.
- At the start: thin, thick, thumb, three, think, thank, thing, thud. Thunder, thirteen, thirsty and throw are longer, so wait until the short ones come out clean. Throw is awkward because the r follows straight away.
- At the end: bath, path, moth, tooth, teeth, cloth, north, mouth, month, math, fifth. This is where children slip most, saying “baf” or “teef”, so give these as much time as the first group. Month and fifth are awkward even for grown-ups, so do them last.
- In the middle: bathtub, toothbrush, birthday, nothing, python. Toothbrush and birthday are handy because your child meets them every day.
What children say instead
- /f/, as in fumb, free for three, teef. Use the mirror trick above. Ask “lip or tongue?” and let them check. The f sound page is handy for comparing the two.
- /s/, as in sink for think. The tongue is staying behind the teeth. Say “show me your tongue”. Compare it with the s sound page.
- /t/, as in tud for thud. The tongue is stopping the air instead of letting it slide past. Ask for a long, windy sound.
- The voiced th. If the throat starts buzzing, put your child’s hand on their neck and ask for the quiet version.
Don’t correct the word. Correct the tongue, show it, and move on.
Three short activities
Tissue flutter. Hold a thin strip of tissue in front of your mouth and say thumb. It moves on the th. Then let your child try.
Free or three? Draw a lip on one card and a tongue on another. Say a word that starts with th, and your child holds up the card for the part of the mouth they used. Say three and let them check in the mirror.
Build it. Cut out the th card, an i and an n, mix them up on the table, and ask your child to make thin. Once that works, lay out th, r and ee and say three.
Free downloads
The worksheet is a single page. It has a big th to trace, three monkeys beside a 3 and the word Three, and three rows of dotted th.
The second file is a set of letter cards to cut out, including both th cards. It’s what you need for the Build it game.
Questions parents ask
Is th one sound or two?
Two. Jolly Phonics teaches the two th sounds together in group 6, and this page covers the unvoiced one, as in thumb and three. The voiced one is the buzzing th in this.
Why does my child say fumb for thumb?
It’s very common. The lower lip is an easier place to push air through than a tongue stuck between the teeth. Use a mirror to show the difference and fix the tongue rather than repeating the word.
How can I tell the voice is really off?
Rest your fingers on your throat. You should feel nothing, only air. A strip of tissue held in front of the mouth will flutter on th.
Is the sound always spelled th?
Yes, in every word on this page it is th, whether it comes at the start, the middle or the end.
