[f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [ ʃ ], [ʒ], [h]

Sample [f]: Four phone calls are enough.Sample [v]: It was very hot, of course.

Spellings [f]: Spellings [v]:f as in four v as in veryff as in affair f (only in the word of)gh as in enough ph (only in the

name ph as in phone Stephen)lf as in half vv as in savvy

[f] [v]feel veal

fan van

proof prove

leaf leave

shuffle shovel

[v] [w]vine wine

verse worse

vet wet

vest west

vile wile

[v] [b]vest best

rove robe

vote boat

vow bow

vend bend

BEGINNING MIDDLE ENDfear afford relief

fire default staff

fair perfect safe

face offend shelf

fever defer brief

[fl] [fr] [fs] [ft]flush afraid chefs

after

sniffle frost graphs left

floor frenzy laughs staffed

waffle frog reefs raft

flame fruit beliefs safety

BEGINNING MIDDLE ENDview event have

voice heaven above

verse favor stove

virtue river brave

value device relative

[vl] [vz] [vd]gravel carves deceived

rival shoves moved

level slaveslived

evil moves saved

oval grooves loved

Half of the shelf was overflowing.

I was positive there was a live wire on the pavement.

It’s the best work of fiction I’ve read in five years.

I lost the chance for victory in only seven moves.

Description: [θ], [ð] are cognate sounds. They are both produced by squeezing a breath stream between your tongue and teeth. [θ] is voiceless and [ð] is voiced.

Sample [θ]: I thought it was a thin slice of birthday cake.

Sample [ð]: My mother said they were the best.

Spellings: [θ] [ð]th as in bath th as in withtth as in Matthew the as

in bathe

[t] [θ]tin thin

taught thought

boat both

bat bath

tanks thanks

[f] [θ]first thirst

free three

reef wreath

froze throws

fink think

[s] [θ]sick thick

sigh thigh

mouse mouth

face faith

worse worth

BEGINNING MIDDLEEND

thing pathway myth

thousand python tooth

thumb healthy cloth

thrive athlete warmth

therapy everything fortieth

[nθ] [θl] [dθ] [θs]Tenth lethal width paths

Month faithless breadth myths

Synthetic ruthless hundredth ninths

[ksθ]sixth

[d] [ð]day they

dare there

ladder lather

dough though

doze those

[z] [ð]teasing teething

close clothes

Zen then

seize seethe

closing clothing

The word the is one the most frequently used in the English language. Yet many are confused on how to pronounce it. Here are some rules to help:

It is [ðə] when followed by a consonant. It is [ði] when followed by a vowel.

So it’s [ðə] in the beginning and [ði] at the end.

BEGINNING MIDDLEEND

than leather clothe

theirs rhythms smooth

that whether with

those gather soothe

this father breathe

[ðd] [ðz] [rð] breathed soothes northern

writhed loathes earthen

smoothed breathes further

clothed bathes worthy

seethed smoothes farther

[θ]It was his third faithless love affair.

Old myths and old athletes can stretch beyond truth.

[ð]They were within the boundaries.

I like bathing is cool, soothing waters.

Sample [s]: The dog lost the scent of the snake in the grass.

Sample [z]: They hosed out the cages at the zoo.

Spellings [s]: Spellings [z]:s as in snake tz as in waltz z as in zooss as in grass sch as in schismx as in Xeroxsc as in scent x as in exit se as in

hosec as in cent (with [k]) zz as in blizzardps as in psychology ss as in scissors

s as in music

[s] [z]sue zoo

racer razor

loose lose

spice spies

device devise

BEGINNING MIDDLE ENDsun basin juice

saint decide mess

ceiling bicycle release

sorry assignblouse

search taste lettuce

[sw] [sp] [str] [skr] [sts]Swim spare struck scrapeboasts

Swamp wasp destroy transcribe dusts

Swallow inspire stretch scribe tests

Suede clasp distract screen bursts

Swing span street subscriberusts

[sk] [ks]mask max

desk decks

ask axe

dusk ducks

task tacks

BEGINNING MIDDLE ENDzipper design choose

zone hazy because

Zebra music his

zoo freezing falls

zucchini resultrefuse

As the saying goes, the race is to the swift.

Deposit cans are worth five cents a piece.

My sister groans when she lends me money.

Wood stoves are my answer to the energy crisis.

Sample [ʃ]: She dreamed that he lived in a mansion made of sugar near Chicago’s Russian embassy.

Sample [ʒ]: She was vision in beige and azure at the garage.

Spellings [ʃ]: t as in nation Spellings [ʒ]:sh as in she sc as in fascist s as in pleasurec as in ocean chs as in fuchsiage as in beiges as in tension ch as in Chicago z as in azuress as in fissure j as in bijousch as in schnapps g as in

gendarme

[ʃ] and [ʒ] are cognate sounds. They are lingua-palatal(tongue-soft palate) fricatives. Same production as [s] and [z], except the tongue is further back.

Contrast [ʃ] and [ʒ]:[ʃ] [ʒ]glacier glazier

pressure pleasure

fission vision

BEGINNING MIDDLE ENDshield martial lush

shrimp crashed harsh

shock machine finish

shower special trash

sheep tissue push

MIDDLE MIDDLE END ENDconfusion treasure collage prestige

version visual garage massage

incision decision mirage camouflage

illusionconclusion beige entourage

measure casual rouge sabotage

They’re casual about relaxation in Chicago.

Shoveling sand can be pleasurable.

The dog could be vicious on occasion.

We measured the beach erosion while on vacation.

Sample: Helen heated the whole house until it was too hot.

Spellings:

h as in hot wh as in whole

BEGINNING BEGINNING MIDDLEMIDDLE

Heat hungry perhaps exhale

Happy who behave rehearse

House here behind ahead

Humor hat lighthouse coherent

Help health Ohio unharmed

He took a huge inhalation at the end of the hallway.

The passengers were unharmed in the highjacking.

They were happy, but hungry, after the rehearsal.