The sound in think, three, and bath is made with the tongue tip lightly between the teeth. Let air flow out without using the voice. The sound is written th at the start of words and in the middle or end of words, as in think, author, and math. When you see th in these words, do not replace it with t or s. Keep the tongue soft and let the air pass through. This sound is one of the most useful ones to know before moving on to Silent Letters and Diphthongs.

Voiceless th sound in initial position

Word	Notation	Description	Example
think	θ	The sound is made with the tongue tip between the teeth and no voice.	I think it is ready.
three	θ	The sound is made with the tongue tip between the teeth and no voice.	She bought three apples.

In this, that, these, and breathe, the tongue goes in the same place as for th in think, but the voice is on. Put your fingers on your throat and feel the vibration. The spelling is still th, so the letters alone do not tell you whether the sound is voiced or voiceless. Compare thin and then, or bath and bathe. The spelling stays the same while the sound changes, so the word around it has to guide the pronunciation. This contrast also matters when you read fast speech and when you hear endings in connected words.

Voiced th sound in common function words

Word	Notation	Description	Example
this	ð	The sound is made with the tongue tip between the teeth and voice added.	This is my seat.
that	ð	The sound is made with the tongue tip between the teeth and voice added.	I want that one.

The sound in ship, wish, and fresh is spelled sh and is made with the tongue held a little back in the mouth while air comes through a narrow space. It is a long, quiet sound, not a stop. The sound in cheap, church, and watch is spelled ch and begins with a short stop followed by the same kind of air release. In many words, ch is pronounced /tʃ/, not with separate t and sh sounds. The same spelling can also appear in borrowed words with different pronunciation, but the everyday pattern is clear in common words. Compare ship and chip, or she and cheat, to keep the two sounds apart. These sounds also matter when learning Stress, because they often appear in strong syllables.

Sh and ch spelling patterns in English

Word	Notation	Description	Example
ship	ʃ	The letters sh usually make the quiet sh sound with air flowing out smoothly.	The ship is leaving now.
church	tʃ	The letters ch usually make the quick ch sound with a stop and then a burst of air.	We met at church on Sunday.

The sound in join, judge, page, and giant is voiced and starts with a brief stop before the release. It is written most often with j. It is also written with g before e, i, or y, as in gem, giant, and gym. In these words, g does not sound like the hard /g/ in go. Instead, it sounds like /dʒ/. When g comes before a, o, or u, it usually keeps the hard sound, as in game and gold. Compare jam and game, or giant and go. The spelling pattern helps you predict the sound before you read it aloud.

J and soft g spelling patterns

Example	Pattern
She will join the class today.	The letter j usually stands for the voiced j sound in English words.
Please judge the result carefully.	The letter g usually stands for the voiced j sound before e or i.

The sound at the end of sing, long, finger, and song is written ng. It is made in the back of the mouth with the back of the tongue touching the soft part of the roof of the mouth. The nose carries the sound out. In sing and long, the final g is not pronounced as a separate /g/ sound. The spelling looks like two letters, but the ending is one sound, /ŋ/. In many common words, ng at the end of a syllable gives this sound directly. Compare sing with sin and long with log to hear how the ending changes. The spelling pattern is especially useful before Common Spelling Patterns and Silent Letters.

Ng sound with silent g spelling

Word	Notation	Description	Example
sing	ŋ	The letters ng usually make one nasal sound and the g is not heard separately.	We sing in the morning.
long	ŋ	The letters ng usually make one nasal sound and the g is not heard separately.	That road is long.

At the end of words, s can sound like /s/ or /z/. In cats, books, and baths, the ending is voiceless and feels sharp and quiet. In dogs, bags, and rooms, the ending is voiced and the throat vibrates. The spelling is the same, but the sound changes because of the sound before it. After a voiceless consonant, the ending is usually /s. After a voiced sound or a vowel, the ending is usually /z/. Compare cap and caps, dog and dogs, rice and rise*. This contrast is one of the clearest clues for predicting plural endings and for hearing word endings in rapid speech.

Final s and z sounds in word endings

Word	Notation	Description	Example
cats	s	At the end of a word, s can sound like a voiceless s when the ending has no voice.	I saw two cats outside.
bugs	z	At the end of a word, s can sound like a voiced z when the ending uses voice.	There are tiny bugs near the window.

The vowel in cat and man is /æ/. The mouth opens wide, and the tongue stays low and forward. The vowel in calm, father, and many words with a before l or r is a deeper open sound, often /ɑː/ in many accents. It is longer and more open than /æ/. Compare cat and calm, or trap and spa. The spelling letter is the same, but the surrounding letters often give a clue. a before some consonant groups often signals the open vowel, while a in a closed short word often gives /æ/. Regional pronunciation changes the exact value of /ɑː/, but the contrast with cat stays useful for reading and listening. This sound pair connects well with Diphthongs, where vowel movement becomes even more important.

Short a and open a vowel contrast

Word	Notation	Description	Example
cat	æ	The vowel in cat is a short open sound made with the mouth wide.	The cat is on the mat.
calm	ɑː	The vowel in calm is a long open sound with the tongue low and the mouth relaxed.	Try to stay calm.

The vowel in sit, fish, and win is /ɪ/. The mouth is relaxed and only slightly open. The vowel in seat, machine, and see is /iː/. The tongue is higher and the sound is longer. Spelling often shows the difference: i in many short words gives /ɪ/, while ee, ea, and sometimes e or ie give /iː/, as in see, seat, me, and field. Compare sit and seat, ship and sheep, live and leave. A single vowel letter is often short, while a doubled vowel or a vowel pair often points to the longer sound. The exact spelling pattern is a strong guide when reading new words.

Short i and long ee vowel contrast

Word	Notation	Description	Example
sit	ɪ	The vowel in sit is a short relaxed sound with the mouth only slightly open.	Please sit here.
seat	iː	The vowel in seat is a long tense sound that lasts longer than the short vowel.	Take a seat by the door.

Some letters are written but not spoken. In hour, the h is silent, so the word begins with the vowel sound. In know, knife, and write, the first letter is silent. In ghost, the h is silent and the g keeps its hard sound. In ballet and debt, the final or middle consonant is not pronounced. Silent letters appear in many common words, so the spelling often looks fuller than the sound. Learn the pattern word by word: initial k before n is silent, initial w before r is silent, gh can be silent or sound like /g/ depending on the word, and some borrowed words keep silent letters from their original spelling. These patterns connect directly to Silent Letters, and they support reading with Stress and other pronunciation patterns.

Common silent letter patterns in English

Example	Pattern
It will take an hour to finish.	The h in hour is silent, so the word starts with a vowel sound.
I saw a ghost in the story.	The g in ghost is silent, so the word begins with a hard vowel like sound.
I know the answer.	The k in know is silent, so the word starts with the n sound.