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.
tap to listen
Dhaal
dhaal
the 'th' in 'this' — voiced
tap to listen
Thaa
thaa
the 'th' in 'thin' — voiceless
The key difference
The tongue is in the same place for both — between the teeth. But ذ vibrates your vocal cords (hum it!), while ث is just air. Voiced vs voiceless is the whole story.
Voiced or not?
Here’s the fastest way to tell them apart:
- Put your fingers gently on your throat.
- Say ذ like the “th” in this, this, *this — you’ll feel a buzz. That’s your vocal cords humming.
- 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.
Where each sound is made
Both live right at the front — tongue between the teeth. The marker dot is identical; the difference is the hum.
Dhaal
where the sound lives
- Place
- Tip of the tongue between the teeth
- Manner
- Fricative — hummed, like the 'th' in 'this'
- Voiced
- yes — vibrates
Tip: Keep the tongue in 'th' position and hum the sound.
Thaa
where the sound lives
- Place
- Tip of the tongue between the teeth
- Manner
- Fricative — a soft hiss, like the 'th' in 'thin'
- Voiced
- no — breath only
Tip: Same position, but only air — no humming.
The words that prove it
One hum. That’s all that separates these words.
Minimal pairs — ذ vs ث
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.
| With ذ (voiced th) | With ث (voiceless th) |
|---|---|
| ذَهَب — gold | ثَوْب — garment |
| ذَلِك — that | ثَلْج — snow |
| مَاذَا — what | ثَمَرَة — fruit |
| جُذُور — roots | مِثَال — example |
Can you hear it?
Buzz or hiss? Play the sound and pick the letter.
Dhaal or Thaa?
0 / 5Play the sound
Then pick the letter you heard.
Quick self-check
Cover the answer, say it out loud, then reveal.
Which letter vibrates your vocal cords?
hint: dhaal — like the 'th' in 'this'
Which letter is only air, like the 'th' in 'thin'?
hint: thaa
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!
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