Technique
How to say it
- 1
Place the tip of your tongue lightly against the edges of your upper teeth and vibrate your vocal cords to let continuous air flow for /ð/.
- 2
To make /d/, press the tip of your tongue firmly against the alveolar ridge behind your top teeth, briefly trapping the air before releasing it with a burst.
- 3
To produce /z/, bring your tongue close to the tooth ridge without touching it, forcing voiced air through a narrow channel to create a buzzing sound.
- 4
Practise moving smoothly between these positions without turning continuous /ð/ into an abrupt /d/ tap.
7 pairs
Minimal pairs
Say each pair aloud. If the two words sound the same when you record yourself, slow down and go back to the steps above.
- they/day
- there/dare
- then/den
- breathe/breed
- clothe/close
- worthy/wordy
- teethe/tease
12 sentences
Practice lines from IELTS-style answers
- 1
These days, they tend to spend far more time indoors than outside.
/ð/ in these, they, than contrasting with /d/ in days
- 2
My brother decided to live there because the daily commute was much shorter.
/ð/ in brother, there versus /d/ in decided, daily
- 3
I would rather go together with them than travel on my own.
smooth /ð/ friction in rather, together, them, than
- 4
Although the weather was dreadful, we really enjoyed visiting those old gardens.
/ð/ in although, weather, those versus /d/ in dreadful
- 5
They seldom dare to challenge their manager during those weekly meetings.
/ð/ in they, their, those contrasting with /d/ in dare, during
- 6
The zoning rules in that district make another development almost impossible.
/z/ in zoning versus /ð/ in that, another versus /d/ in district
- 7
Without their support, neither of us could have dealt with the situation.
/ð/ in without, their, neither versus /d/ in dealt
- 8
I suppose that breathing fresh air in the countryside is deeply soothing.
continuous /ð/ in that, breathing, soothing versus /d/ in deeply
- 9
My parents gathered all their old documents before they moved to another flat.
/ð/ in gathered, their, they, another versus /d/ in documents
- 10
There is no doubt that the overall design caused a significant delay.
/ð/ in there, that versus /d/ in doubt, design, delay
- 11
He seemed worthy of praise, but the daily demands were quite overwhelming.
/ð/ in worthy versus /d/ in daily, demands
- 12
They usually organise themselves better when they have clear deadlines to meet.
/ð/ in they, themselves versus /z/ in organise versus /d/ in deadlines
Say it in a real answer
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Common mistakes
- →Replacing /ð/ with a hard /d/ sound, which makes common pronouns like 'they' sound like 'day'.
- →Substituting /ð/ with a buzzing /z/, turning words like 'clothe' into 'close' or 'breathe' into 'breeze'.
- →Retracting the tongue too quickly into the mouth, which clips the voiced airflow and causes an unnatural stop.
In the exam: Pronouns and linking words such as 'therefore', 'this', and 'other' occur in almost every sentence, so keeping your tongue forward for /ð/ will instantly make your English sound more fluent.
Frequently asked questions
How much does pronunciation count in IELTS Speaking?+
A quarter of your Speaking band. Examiners judge how easy you are to understand and how well you use features like stress, rhythm and intonation, not whether you sound British or American.
Do I need a native accent for Band 8?+
No. An accent is fine at every band. What matters is that individual sounds are clear, stress falls on the right syllables and your intonation helps the listener follow you.
How should I practise these lines?+
Read each line slowly, then at natural speed, then record yourself and compare. Say the sentences in a real answer next, because examiners hear your pronunciation while you think, not while you read.
Keep practising
More consonant sounds practice
- ch versus j (cheap / jeep)
- Consonant clusters at the end of words (texts, months)
- Consonant clusters at the start of words (street, spring)
- f versus p (fast / past)
- Final consonants that learners drop (want, hand, desk)
- h at the start of words (hair / air)
- r versus l (right / light)
- s versus sh (seat / sheet)
- sh versus ch (share / chair)
- Silent letters (knee, listen, foreign)
- Silent r after vowels in British English (car, work)
- th versus s and t (thank / sank / tank)
- The ng sound /ŋ/ (sing, thinking)
- The voiced th sound /ð/ (this, mother)
- The voiceless th sound /θ/ (think, month)
- The /ʒ/ sound (measure, decision)
- v versus b (vote / boat)
- v versus w (vest / west)
- z versus s (rise / rice)
- All 59 pronunciation sets
- Part 1 topics
- Part 2 cue cards
- Part 3 questions
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