Consonants /θ/ versus /j/, 12 pairs     [thawyaw.html]

The /θ/ sound is spelled with <th>. The /j/ sound is spelled with <y>.

This is a contrast between a voiceless dental and alveolar fricative and a voiced palatal semivowel, fairly close together in the mouth. The contrast is not a problem, though learners whose first language lacks a /θ/ may have difficulty.

Since the /θ/ sound is of low frequency overall, the mean density value is low at 0.5%. The list makes 4 semantic distinctions, a loading of 33%.

 	
thank yank 
  thanked yanked
  thanking yanking
  thanks yanks 
thaw yaw
  thawed yawed
  thawing yawing
  thaws yaws	 
thaw your
  thaws yours  
thorn yawn
  thorns yawns

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, November 2010
updated Chiang Mai, 2024