Daily wordsMots du 5 août 2026

When TH is not the TH you expect

English has two TH sounds and one spelling, and a few words where it is neither.

Dix mots pour tous les jours, en anglais : think, brother, birthday, clothes, smooth, thumb, weather, healthy, theme, southern. Chacun avec sa prononciation et une phrase à dire à voix haute.

Gratuite10 motsPublié le 5 août 2026

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Les dix mots10 mots, 10 phrases

1
think/θɪŋk/verbTo use your mind to form an opinion.The hard TH, with no voice in it. The tongue touches the teeth.
2
brother/ˈbrʌðər/nounA boy or man with the same parents as you.The soft TH, with the voice on. Same spelling as think, different sound.
3
birthday/ˈbɜːrθˌdeɪ/nounThe day of the year you were born on.Hard TH, and it sits between two consonants, which is the hard part.
4
clothes/kloʊðz/Se dit aussi kloʊz.nounWhat you wear.One syllable. Most speakers say it as CLOZE, with the TH gone.
5
smooth/smuːð/adjectiveFlat and even to the touch.Soft TH at the end, which is rare. Not the same as booth.
6
thumb/θʌm/nounThe short thick finger on the side of the hand.Hard TH at the start and a silent B at the end.
7
weather/ˈweðər/nounWhat the sky and the air are doing.Soft TH in the middle.
8
healthy/ˈhelθi/adjectiveIn good physical condition.Hard TH, and the L before it is easy to lose.
9
theme/θiːm/nounThe subject that runs through something.Here the TH is a plain T: THEEM is wrong, TEEM is right.
10
southern/ˈsʌðərn/adjectiveBelonging to the south.Soft TH, and the vowel is short, unlike in south.

Les phrases

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.