ScoreFluentIf the /θ/ sound is unclear in your recording, focused practice can help you make it easier to understand.
That sound is the "th" in think, throne, method and truth.
PTE publishes Pronunciation as a speaking criterion, but it does not publish a formula for the effect of one phoneme. Use this routine to hear and practise one repeated pattern.
Hear the sound in your own recording
ScoreFluent's pronunciation feedback can show a phoneme-level practice score. If your /θ/ sounds closer to /t/ or /s/, compare the recording with a model pronunciation and practise the tongue position below.
The aim is clearer contrast between words such as think, tink and sink. A practice score is an estimate, so review the audio as well as the number.
The 60-second diagnostic
Record yourself reading this sentence out loud. Don't try to slow down or fix anything yet — just read it the way you normally would:
"I think the truth about thirty-three thousand thieves is something worth thinking through."
Now play it back. Listen for one thing: does the "th" sound closer to the start of "tea" or "see"? If it does, use the practice steps below and record the sentence again.
How ScoreFluent flags this automatically.
If you take that same sentence as a Read Aloud attempt in the app, our scoring breakdown shows each "th" word individually, marks the phoneme that triggered the deduction, and offers a 5-minute clinic on /θ/ vs /t/ minimal pairs.
A three-step practice routine
The reason /θ/ feels foreign isn't your accent — it's that most languages don't have an interdental fricative at all. Your tongue genuinely doesn't know where to go. The goal of practice is to give it that new place.
Session 1 · The tongue position (5 minutes)
Don't try words yet. Sit in front of a mirror and do this:
- Stick the tip of your tongue out so it touches the bottom of your top teeth. Visible, just barely.
- Now exhale gently. You should hear a soft hissing sound that's not /s/ — it's airier, flatter.
- That's
/θ/. Do it 20 times in a row, looking in the mirror. Stop when your tongue can find that position without thinking.
Repeat this until you can find the position without stopping to think. Then move to words.
Session 2 · Minimal pair drills (10 minutes)
A minimal pair is two words that differ by one sound. The classic /θ/ drills:
- think vs tink · thank vs tank · three vs tree
- thin vs sin · thick vs sick · thigh vs sigh
- mouth vs mouse · fourth vs force · truth vs truce
Record yourself saying each pair five times. Listen back. If you can hear a clear difference between the two words, move to sentences. If you cannot, return to the tongue position and try again.
Session 3 · Real-context drilling (15 minutes)
A sound can be clear in single words and harder to keep clear in a full passage. Practise the contrast while reading at your normal pace.
Take three Read Aloud passages with several "th" words and read them at your normal pace. Count the clear contrasts in each recording. Repeat the passage when the sound returns to /t/ or /s/.
Keep your practice focused.
Targeting one phoneme keeps the task narrow. You can compare the same words before and after practice without assuming a guaranteed PTE score change.
What if you have both /θ/ and /ð/?
The voiceless /θ/ we've been working on is the "th" in think, three, thanks. The voiced version, /ð/, is the "th" in this, them, weather, brother. Tongue position is identical — the difference is that your vocal cords vibrate for /ð/.
Put your hand on your throat, say "thanks," then say "this." You should feel vibration on /ð/ in "this" but not on /θ/ in "thanks." Practise the two sounds separately if the contrast is unclear.
Keep the sound in regular practice
Pronunciation habits take repetition. Return to the same sentence over several practice sessions and compare the recordings. Keep the sound in connected speech after it becomes clear in single words.
To find your weak sounds fast, use ScoreFluent. It shows word-level pronunciation feedback: which word, and which sound. Submit your recording to get a scored result and feedback. Practise speaking →
The summary.
Use three steps: find the tongue position, contrast minimal pairs, then practise the sound in full passages. Compare recordings instead of expecting a fixed score gain.
— The ScoreFluent team