SINK or THINK? English 's' & 'th' (as in 'thin') pronunciation listening practice with minimal pairs
Many English learners have difficulty hearing the difference between the consonant sounds /s/ and /θ/ (written 'th' as in 'thin', 'earth', 'fifth'). This activity is intended to help you hear the difference between these sounds more clearly using minimal pairs.
This video has samples of the minimal pair words 'sink' (/sɪŋk/)
and 'think' (/θaɪ/),. The only difference in the pronunciation of these words is the /s/ and /θ/ consonant sounds.
Listen to each word and decide if you are hearing the word 'sigh', which starts with the consonant /s/, or 'thigh', which starts with the consonant /θ/. Pause the video if you need more time. Each sample will play three times. On the third time you will see the correct answer. See how many you can get right!