TH Words For Speech Therapy

How To Practice At Home

Five minutes, most days. Say each word together first, so your child hears a clear model before trying it. Then move the word into a short phrase, like "I see my thumb," and when that feels easy, let your child build their own sentence around it. That word-phrase-sentence ladder is how speech practice usually climbs, and staying on a rung until it is comfortable beats hurrying up the ladder.

Keep it light. Sound practice works best in games, in the car, and at snack time, not as a drill at a desk. For a child who likes to see progress, tally correct tries on a sheet from the free data sheet maker, which prints a simple tracker your SLP can read at the next session. And when your child would rather trace than talk first, the practice sheets above double as handwriting pages built from the same words.

Common Questions

Are these TH word lists free?

Yes. Every list on this page prints free, and the two practice sheets download as PDFs in one tap.

Why are there two kinds of TH?

English spells two different sounds the same way. The TH in thumb is soft, just air, and the TH in this buzzes, with the voice turned on. Try both with a hand on your throat: the buzz is easy to feel. They are practiced as separate targets, which is why the lists stay separate.

At what age do children usually say a clear TH?

TH is usually one of the last sounds to settle. Many children are five to seven before TH is solid, and that is still on track. If the sound has not arrived by then, or speech is hard for others to understand, an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist answers the question properly.

My child says fumb for thumb. Should I worry?

Swapping F for the soft TH, or D for the buzzy one, is one of the most common patterns in young children, and it often fades on its own. An SLP can tell a developmental swap from one worth treating, which is not a judgment a word list can make.

Is there a trick for showing where TH goes?

TH is the easiest sound to show: the tongue tip peeks out between the teeth. Make it a mirror game, stick out both tongues just a little, and blow. If a child can see it, they can usually find it.

Can we use these lists alongside speech therapy?

Yes, that is what they are for. Ask the SLP which position and which words they are targeting, practice those between sessions, and print a matching sheet to keep on the fridge.

Is there a printable pack for the TH sound?

Yes. The TH Sound Pack collects every practice level: picture pages, word lists by position, drill sheets, phrases, sentences, the cue card, a weekly tracker, and the therapist data sheet, with every sheet in full color and ink-saver black and white. The two sheets above stay free either way.