/ð/

The /ð/: the same position as /θ/, but voiced

The /ð/ is made in the same place as /θ/ — tongue between the teeth — but with the vocal cords vibrating. It sounds like a soft buzz. It's an extremely frequent sound, because it's in the, this, that: the most repeated words in English.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: slightly open and relaxed.
• 👅 Tongue: the tip between the teeth, without pressing.
• 🔊 Voice: voiced — your throat vibrates throughout the sound.

You hear it in: this · that · mother · the · breathe

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: turning it into a /d/. This pronounced dis is the most common one, and it makes the most frequent words in the language sound foreign instantly.

By the end you'll be able to: produce a voiced /ð/ in the, this and that without a /d/ slipping in.