You want to say "I think so," but it comes out "I sink so" or "I tink so." You say "this" as "dis" or "zis." Many languages do not have a TH sound, so learners swap in the closest sound from their own language: T, D, S, Z or F. The good news is that Americans usually still understand you, because the rest of the sentence makes the meaning clear. But a clear TH makes you easier to follow, and knowing the two TH sounds helps you hear fast speech. In this episode: • Two th sounds • Voiceless th words • Voiced th words • Why substitutes still work, and the weak "the" • Listening lab: thursday evening • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: think (THINK) — I think it's ready. thanks (THANKS) — Thanks for the coffee. (casual) thank you (THANK yoo) — (polite) three (THREE) — three eggs Thursday (THURZ-day) — Trash day is Thursday. thirsty (THUR-stee) — Can I get some water? I'm thirsty. nothing (NUH-thing) — There's nothing in the fridge. something (SUM-thing) — Want something to eat? birthday (BURTH-day) — Happy birthday! bathroom (BATH-room) — The bathroom's upstairs. teeth (TEETH) — Brush your teeth. month (MUNTH) — once a month the (DHUH) — the kitchen this (DHIS) — Is this yours? that (DHAT) — That's mine. these (DHEEZ) — These cookies are great. those (DHOHZ) — Those shoes are by the door. they (DHAY) — They're here! there (DHAIR) — Put it over there. mother (MUH-dher) — my mother brother (BRUH-dher) — my little brother weather (WEH-dher) — The weather's nice today. clothes (KLOHZ or KLOHDHZ) — Put your clothes away. Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.