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Question

Difficulty: EasyConsonant Sounds

Complete the sentence below by providing the correct phonetic representation of the specified consonant sound.

Answer:In the word 'think', the letters 'th' produce the voiceless consonant sound 【/θ/】, whereas in 'this', the letters 'th' produce the voiced consonant sound 【/ð/】.

Answer

The letters 'th' in 'think' represent the voiceless dental fricative sound /θ/, whereas in 'this' they represent the voiced dental fricative sound /ð/.
In English phonetics, the spelling 'th' represents two distinct dental fricative consonant sounds: the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ as heard in 'think', 'theatre', and 'path', and the voiced dental fricative /ð/ as heard in 'this', 'that', and 'clothe'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sound produced by 'th' in the word 'think'.
Pronouncing 'think' demonstrates that the vocal cords do not vibrate during the 'th' sound, identifying it as the voiceless dental fricative /θ/.
Voiceless consonants are articulated without vocal cord vibration.
2
Analyze the sound produced by 'th' in the word 'this'.
Pronouncing 'this' demonstrates vocal cord vibration during the 'th' sound, identifying it as the voiced dental fricative /ð/.
Voiced consonants require active vocal cord vibration during articulation.

Key Concept

Voiced vs. Voiceless Dental Fricative Contrast (/θ/ vs /ð/)
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Consonant Sounds

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