Substituting t or d for th is the single most recognisable feature of Indian English abroad. It rarely blocks meaning, but if clarity across accents matters to you, this is high-value practice.
There are two of them
- Voiceless — no vibration in the throat: think, three, both, math
- Voiced — throat vibrates: this, that, mother, breathe
Put a finger on your throat. On this you should feel a buzz. On think you should not.
Tongue placement
- Tongue tip lightly touches the bottom edge of your top front teeth
- Let a little air escape between tongue and teeth
- Do not press hard — it is a soft, leaky sound, not a stop
If you feel your tongue hitting the roof of your mouth, you are making a t or d instead.
Minimal pairs
These pairs differ by that sound alone. Say each pair ten times slowly.
- think / sink
- three / tree
- they / day
- breathe / breed
- with / wit
The practice ladder
- The sound alone, held for two seconds
- Start of a word: think, this, three
- Middle: mother, nothing, birthday
- End: both, math, with
- A full sentence: "I think the three brothers are with their mother."
Do not attempt the sentence until the single sound is comfortable. Rushing the ladder is why most people conclude they "cannot say th".
How long it takes
Ten minutes a day for two weeks is usually enough for the sound to appear reliably in slow speech. Fast speech takes longer, and that is normal — new motor patterns need repetition, not effort.
