When TH is not the TH you expect

1. 1
   think/θɪŋk/

   verb

   To use your mind to form an opinion.
2. 2
   brother/ˈbrʌðər/

   noun

   A boy or man with the same parents as you.
3. 3
   birthday/ˈbɜːrθˌdeɪ/

   noun

   The day of the year you were born on.
4. 4
   clothes/kloʊðz/iAlso said kloʊz.

   noun

   What you wear.
5. 5
   smooth/smuːð/

   adjective

   Flat and even to the touch.
6. 6
   thumb/θʌm/

   noun

   The short thick finger on the side of the hand.
7. 7
   weather/ˈweðər/

   noun

   What the sky and the air are doing.
8. 8
   healthy/ˈhelθi/

   adjective

   In good physical condition.
9. 9
   theme/θiːm/

   noun

   The subject that runs through something.
10. 10
    southern/ˈsʌðərn/

    adjective

    Belonging to the south.

The sentences

1. I think the shop is closed already.

2. My brother is arriving on the late train.

3. My birthday falls on a weekend this year.

4. All my clothes are still in the case.

5. The road here is very smooth.

6. I hurt my thumb closing the door.

7. The weather changed completely after lunch.

8. Is there anything healthy on the menu?

9. The whole evening had a clear theme.

10. We are heading for the southern coast.

Pronunciation

• think/θɪŋk/

  The hard TH, with no voice in it. The tongue touches the teeth.

• brother/ˈbrʌðər/

  The soft TH, with the voice on. Same spelling as think, different sound.

• birthday/ˈbɜːrθˌdeɪ/

  Hard TH, and it sits between two consonants, which is the hard part.

• clothes/kloʊðz/

  One syllable. Most speakers say it as CLOZE, with the TH gone.

• smooth/smuːð/

  Soft TH at the end, which is rare. Not the same as booth.

• thumb/θʌm/

  Hard TH at the start and a silent B at the end.

• weather/ˈweðər/

  Soft TH in the middle.

• healthy/ˈhelθi/

  Hard TH, and the L before it is easy to lose.

• theme/θiːm/

  Here the TH is a plain T: THEEM is wrong, TEEM is right.

• southern/ˈsʌðərn/

  Soft TH, and the vowel is short, unlike in south.

Questions

What's the difference between the TH in think and the TH in brother?

Think uses the hard TH, with no voice in it, while brother uses the soft TH, with the voice on, even though they're spelled the same.

How do you say clothes?

Clothes is one syllable, and most speakers say it as CLOZE, with the TH gone.

Is the TH in theme really a TH sound?

No, in theme the TH is a plain T: THEEM is wrong, TEEM is right.