Voiceless dental fricative

consonantal sound

The voiceless alveolar stop is a type of consonant. The letter for this sound in the International Phonetic Alphabet is ⟨θ⟩. The X-SAMPA symbol for this sound is ⟨T⟩. The English language has this sound, and it is the sound represented by the "th" in thing and thanks.

Voiceless dental fricative
θ
IPA number130
Encoding
Entity (decimal)θ
Unicode (hex)U+03B8
X-SAMPAT
KirshenbaumT
Sound

 

Features

  • The airstream mechanism is pulmonic. This means that this sound is produced by pushing air solely with the lungs and diaphragm, as in most sounds.
  • The phonation is voiceless. This means that this sound is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords. In some languages the vocal cords are actively separated, so it is always voiceless; in others the cords are lax, so that it may take on the voicing of adjacent sounds.
  • The place of articulation (where the sound is produced) is dental. This means that this sound is produced with the tongue at the upper teeth, the lower teeth, or both the upper teeth and the lower teeth. (Many stops and liquids that are called dental consonants are actually denti-alveolar consonants.)
  • The manner of articulation (how the sound is produced) is fricative. This means that this sound is produced by constricting air flow through a narrow channel at the place of articulation, to make turbulence.

Examples

LanguageWordIPAMeaning
Albanianthotë[θɔtə]'says'
ArabicModern Standard[1]ثَوْب [θawb] 'a dress'
Eastern Libyaثِلاثة[θɪˈlæːθæ]'three'
Sanaa, Yemenيِثَمَّن[jɪˈθæmːæn]'it is priced'
Iraqثمانْية[θ(ɪ)ˈmæːnjæ]'eight'
Khuzestan, Iran[2]الثانْية[ɪθˈθæːnjæ]'the second one'
Arapahoyoo3on[jɔːθɔn]'five'
Assyrianܒܝܬܐ bèa[beːθa]'house'
Avestan𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬚𐬭𐬀‎ xšaθra[xʃaθra]'kingdom'
Bashkirдуҫ / duθ [duθ] 'friend'
Berbermaziɣ[θmæzɪɣθ]'Berber (language)'(noun)
Berta[θɪ́ŋɑ̀]'to eat'
Burmese[3]သုံး / thon:[θòʊ̯̃]'three'
Catalantheta[ˈθetɐ]'theta'
Cornisheth[ɛθ]'eight'
Emiliano-Romagnol[4]za[ˈfaːθɐ]'face'
EnglishReceived Pronunciation[5]thin[θɪn]'thin'
Western American English [θ̪͆ɪn]
GalicianMost dialects[6]cero[ˈθɛɾo]'zero'
Greekθάλασσα[ˈθalasa]'sea'
Gweno[riθo]'eye'
Gwich’inth[θaɬ]'pants'
Halkomelemθqet[θqet]'tree'
Hännihthän[nihθɑn]'I want'
Harsusi[θəroː]'two'
HebrewIraqiעברית[ʕibˈriːθ]'Hebrew language'
Yemenite[ʕivˈriːθ]
HlaiBasadung[θsio]'one'
Icelandicþ[θaːð]'that'
ItalianTuscan[7]i capitani[iˌhäɸiˈθäːni]'the captains'
Kabyleafa[θafaθ]'light'(noun)
KarenSgawသၢ[θə˧]'three'
Karukyiθa[jiθa]'one'
Kickapooneθwi[nɛθwi]'three'
Kwama[mɑ̄ˈθíl]'to laugh'
Leoneseceru[θeɾu]'zero'
Lorediakarkar[θar]'four'
MalaySelasa[θəlaθa]'Tuesday'
Massa[faθ]'five'
OccitanGasconmacipon[maθiˈpu]'(male) child'
Vivaro-Alpinechin[θĩ]'dog'
Early Old Frenchamé[aˈmeːθ]'loved, beloved (masculine)'
Old Persian𐏋 / xšāyaθiya[xʃaːjaθija]'Shah'
SaanichŦES[teθʔəs]'eight'
SardinianNuoresepetha[pɛθa]'meat'
Shark Bay[θar]'four'
Shawneenthwi[nθwɪ]'three'
SiouxNakodaktusa[ktũˈθa]'four'
SpanishEuropean Spanish[8]cazar[käˈθ̪͆är]'to hunt'
Swahilithamini[θɑˈmini]'value'
Tanacrossthiit[θiːtʰ]'embers'
Todaஉஇனபஒ[wɨnboθ]'nine'
Turkmensekiz[θekið]'eight'
TutchoneNortherntho[θo]'pants'
Southernthü[θɨ]
Upland YumanHavasupai[θerap]'five'
Hualapai[θarap]
Yavapai[θerapi]
VenetianEastern dialectsçinque[ˈθiŋkwe]'five'
Wolayttashiththa[ɕiθθa]'flower'
Welshsaith[saiθ]'seven'
Yi

Ꙑ́ъюьа

[θɤjuja]'million'
Zhuangsaw[θaːu˨˦]'language'
ZotungStandard dialect of Lungngokacciade[kəˈθʲaːðɛ]'I go'

Notes

References