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The thirty-three thieves

Every word in this line contains a TH. It is one of the most complete TH tongue twisters in common use: it has both kinds of TH, four THR clusters and almost no rest for the tongue from start to finish.

The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

More tongue twisters for the same sounds

  1. Thursday's math test was the third this month and the thirtieth this year.
  2. Thea's mother smoothed the thick cloth with both hands, then set the table.
  3. Their father thought that three months was a long time to gather the money.
  4. The author thought through both themes, then threw in three other thoughts.
  5. Seth bathes the youngest, then dresses them, then reads them three short stories.
  6. Beth thanked the three thoughtful authors, though none of them thought their thick third book was worth the thanks.
TH tongue twisters →

Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds

Where to breathe

  1. The thirty-three thieves thought
  2. that they thrilled the throne
  3. throughout Thursday.

Where the TH gives up

The voiced TH, with a buzz, appears in the small words: the, that, they, the. The voiceless TH, without a buzz, appears in the content words: thirty, three, thieves, thought, thrilled, throne, throughout, Thursday. So the line keeps flicking the voice on and off.

Four words start with THR: three, thrilled, throne and throughout. Each needs the tongue at the teeth for TH and then pulled back fast for R. When the tongue gets tired, TH turns into T or F: “tree tieves”, “frilled”, “frone”.

The other problem is endurance. Most people make the first few TH sounds well and then let the tongue stay behind the teeth. By “Thursday” you often hear “Sursday” or “Tursday”.

How to learn it and keep it clean

Divide it into three phrases: “the thirty-three thieves thought”, “that they thrilled the throne”, “throughout Thursday”. Learn them one at a time, slowly, with a mirror. The tongue tip should show on every TH, including the small words.

Then drill the THR words as a list: “three, thrilled, throne, throughout”. Make sure the TH is complete before the R starts. A good check is that each THR word has a tiny hiss at the front.

Breathe after “thought” and after “throne” at first, then try it on one breath. The last word is your test of stamina. If “Thursday” is as clear as “thirty”, you can add speed.

Questions about this tongue twister

Does this tongue twister make sense?
Only loosely: a gang of thieves believed they excited the king, or the throne, all day on Thursday. The words were chosen for the TH sound, and the story is as odd as it sounds.
Which TH is harder, voiced or voiceless?
For many learners the voiced one, as in “the” and “that”, is harder, because it is often replaced by D or Z without anyone noticing. In this line you need both, which is why it works so well as practice.

Keep practicing

Practice with a timer

In DramaLab, the speed ladder is an exercise: it gives you tongue twisters one by one, walks you up the five steps and keeps time. No sign-up needed.

Practice your diction