1st Grade spelling
1st Grade TH Words
First grade th words: the, they, there, three, both, month, path, teeth. Play hangman with the list, read it with scores, or print a worksheet.
Read the spelling list
The pattern: One-syllable words with th, covering both the voiced sound (this) and the unvoiced sound (thin).
Th is a digraph with two sounds. The voiced th, as in this and they, uses the voice; the unvoiced th, as in thin and three, is a breath of air. This list mixes both in one-syllable words: the, they, their, there, these, those, both, three, health, month, path, teeth and breath. Some start with th, others end with it.
The words were picked by spelling and checked with a pronunciation dictionary, and frequency data placed them in a first grade band. Voiced th words are mostly small function words (the, they, there, these, those), while the unvoiced ones are mostly nouns and adjectives (path, month, teeth, three). That is a helpful pattern to share with students. The list also includes harder spellings, such as their and there, and though, which is why the list suits a full week of practice.
30 entries. Our solver needed 4.0 wrong guesses on average: 4 easy, 12 medium and 14 hard. The toughest is both (10 misses), the quickest these (0).
- the Hard · 5
- they Hard · 7
- their Medium · 2
- there Easy · 1
- these Easy · 0
- those Medium · 2
- both Hard · 10
- three Easy · 0
- though Hard · 5
- health Medium · 2
- south Medium · 4
- north Hard · 6
- third Hard · 5
- month Hard · 7
- worth Hard · 8
- earth Easy · 0
- truth Hard · 5
- growth Medium · 3
- fourth Hard · 5
- mouth Hard · 7
- throw Hard · 5
- faith Medium · 3
- birth Hard · 7
- youth Medium · 3
- path Hard · 7
- theme Medium · 3
- threat Medium · 2
- teeth Medium · 2
- depth Medium · 3
- breath Medium · 2
Words worth a closer look
- theirMeans belonging to them. Pair with there and they, and use sentences to separate the two homophones.
- thereA place word, spelled with a here inside it. Remember it with here and where, which share the ere ending.
- monthThe o makes a short u sound, so children often write munth. Teach it as a word to learn by heart.
- breathA noun with unvoiced th. The verb breathe has a voiced th and a final e, so keep the pair apart.
- threeUnvoiced th, then r, then ee. The th and r together are hard for young speakers, so say it slowly.
- bothUnvoiced th at the end after o. Contrast with bath if children are ready.
Teaching it
Teach the sound difference first. Have children put a hand on their throat for this and feel the buzz, then for thin and feel nothing. Sort words into two columns and then spell them from dictation. Because the and they are so frequent, check the spelling in writing too, and not just on test day.
Common errors are writing d or f for th (de for the, free for three), swapping their and there, and writing month as munth. In a hangman round, tell the group whether the word has a th at the beginning or end. The printable gives a mixed list for a short test, and the answer key makes marking quick.
Print a 1st Grade TH Hangman worksheet
Eight puzzles on one US Letter page, with a clue, letter blanks, an empty frame to draw in, an alphabet strip to cross off and circles to count misses. Page two is the answer key.
Need another sheet?
Draw eight different words from this list, right here. Same layout, new answer key.
Keep going
- 1st Grade Short A WordsFirst grade short a words with blends and digraphs: that, back, last, hand, class, match. Play hangman with the list, or print a worksheet.
- 1st Grade Short E WordsFirst grade short e words with blends and digraphs: when, best, next, check, dress, fresh. Play the hangman game, read the list, or print a sheet.
- 1st Grade Short I WordsFirst grade short i words with blends and digraphs: with, this, think, list, ship, fish, stick. Play hangman, read the list, or print a worksheet.
- 1st Grade Short O WordsFirst grade short o words with blends and digraphs: stop, rock, drop, shop, block, clock, frog. Play hangman, read the list, or print a sheet.
- 1st Grade Short U WordsFirst grade short u words with blends and digraphs: just, much, club, luck, jump, lunch, brush. Play hangman, read the list, or print a sheet.
- 1st Grade SH WordsFirst grade sh words: she, shop, ship, fish, dish, wash, sheep, shell. Play hangman with the list, read it with difficulty scores, or print a sheet.