Dhaal vs Thaa — ذ vs ث

Both of these letters are the “th” sound — the one English has but most of the world doesn’t. The catch: Arabic has two of them. ث (Thaa) is the “th” in thin. ذ (Dhaal) is the “th” in this. One whispers, the other hums.

Meet the pair

Tap each letter. Touch the tip of your tongue with your finger and feel the difference: one vibrates, the other doesn’t.

Voiced or not?

Here’s the fastest way to tell them apart:

1. Put your fingers gently on your throat.
2. Say ذ like the “th” in this, this, *this — you’ll feel a buzz. That’s your vocal cords humming.
3. Now say ث like the “th” in thin, thin, thin — pure air, no buzz.

Same tongue position, same mouth shape. The only difference is that switch flipped on for ذ.

How to make each sound

Both markers sit right at the front — tongue between the teeth. The only difference is the hum. Tap each letter, then use “Play both” to compare.

The words that prove it

One hum. That’s all that separates these words.

The hum test: put your hand on your throat and say the first word of each pair. ذ buzzes, ث whispers. Feel it and you’ll never mix them up.

Fill your word bank

Tap any word to hear it. Listen for the buzz.

Can you hear it?

Buzz or hiss? Play the sound and pick the letter.

Quick self-check

Cover the answer, say it out loud, then reveal.

Wrap up

Two letters, one hum. If you can say this and thin out loud, you already own both Arabic sounds — you just needed to know which is which. Now you do. 🎯

Scroll down and prove it in the quiz!