Initial TH Words for Speech Therapy
Words that begin with TH — think, this, that. The list holds both TH sounds: the voiceless TH of think and the voiced TH of this.
Also called word-initial TH, TH in the initial position, or TH at the beginning of words.
- 61
- words
- 34
- competing-free
- 1–5
- syllables
All 61 Initial TH words
34 of 61 words contain the target without the sounds children commonly substitute for it
1-syllable · 31
- than
- thank
- thanks
- that
- the
- thee
- theft
- their
- them
- theme
- themes
- then
- there
- these
- they
- thick
- thin
- thing
- things
- think
- thinks
- third
- this
- those
- thou
- though
- thought
- thoughts
- thumb
- thumbs
- thus
2-syllable · 18
- themselves
- theorem
- theories
- theory
- thereby
- therefore
- thereof
- thermal
- thesis
- theta
- thickness
- thinking
- thirty
- thorough
- thousand
- thousands
- thumbnail
- thunder
3-syllable · 9
- thanksgiving
- theater
- theaters
- theatre
- therapist
- therapy
- thereafter
- thesaurus
- thoroughly
4-syllable · 2
- theology
- therapeutic
5-syllable · 1
- theoretical
- 01than
- 02thank
- 03thanks
- 04that
- 05the
- 06thee
- 07theft
- 08their
/th/: 61 words · competing-free 34Generate a Initial TH practice pack
Pick an age band and a theme; the list you just read becomes picture cards with phrases and sentences, a no-prep game, a data sheet and a home letter, every word verified before the PDF is built.
- Picture cards: word, phrase, sentence
- Say & dab game
- Data sheet + probe
- Home practice letter (B&W)
Take Initial TH to the next level
Ready-made, pronunciation-checked practice beyond single words:
About Initial TH words
The two TH sounds are acquired years apart. 90% of children produce the voiced TH of this by 5;11 and the voiceless TH of think by 6;11 (Crowe & McLeod, 2020), which makes voiceless TH one of the last consonants to arrive in English.
In the initial position the voiced TH is concentrated in function words — the, this, that, then, there — so an error there touches almost every sentence a child says. Voiceless TH is spread across content words instead, which is why the same error is far less noticeable in think than in the.
Practising Initial TH
TH is the most visible consonant in English: the tongue tip shows between the teeth, so a mirror gives instant feedback that no verbal cue matches. Checking voicing with a hand on the throat separates this from think without changing placement.
Acquisition ages: Crowe & McLeod (2020), American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Educational content — an SLP chooses the target for a specific child.
Therapy guides
Minimal pairs therapy
Minimal pairs examples by pattern, how a session runs, and a worked fronting example.
Read the guidePrint-and-go articulation activities
No-prep drill ideas that turn a word list into a full session.
Read the guideNo-prep teletherapy articulation
Screen-share friendly activities that use the same word lists online.
Read the guideFrequently asked questions
- How many words have /th/ in the initial position?
- Our dictionary lists 61 initial /th/ words suitable for speech therapy practice.
- What are some example initial /th/ words?
- Examples include than, thank, thanks, that, the, thee, theft, their.
- Why are think and this on the same list?
- Because both are spelled th and share a tongue position, differing only in voicing. They are separate phonemes with separate acquisition ages, so it is worth noting which one a child is working on.
- Is fum for thumb a TH error?
- Yes — substituting /f/ for voiceless TH is the most common TH error, and it is typical in preschoolers. It becomes a treatment target when it persists past the age at which TH is normally established.