---
title: "The Arabic letter ث (thāʾ): sound, forms and words"
description: "ث (thāʾ) is letter 4 of 28 in the Arabic alphabet: how it sounds, how it is written at the start, middle and end of a word, and Arabic words that begin with it."
canonical: "https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/tha"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter ث (thāʾ): sound, forms and words

ث, called thāʾ, is letter 4 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: th as in think. It joins the letter after it, so it has four written forms.

## How ث is written

- Alone: ث
- Start: ث‍
- Middle: ‍ث‍
- End: ‍ث

## Arabic words that begin with ث

From the Fasaha dictionary, easiest first. Each word opens its own page with meaning, root and forms.

- [ثُمَّ](https://fasaha.app/w/thumma) — thumma, then, after that (A1)
- [ثَقَافَة](https://fasaha.app/w/thaqafa) — thaqāfa, culture (B1)

## Questions about ث

### How do you pronounce the Arabic letter ث?

ث (thāʾ) sounds like this: th as in think.

### Does ث join the next letter?

Yes. ث joins the letter after it, so it has separate start, middle and end shapes: ث‍, ‍ث‍, ‍ث.

### What number is ث in the Arabic alphabet?

ث is letter 4 of 28, after ت (tāʾ) and before ج (jīm).

- Previous letter: [ت (tāʾ)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/ta)
- Next letter: [ج (jīm)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/jim)

[All 28 letters in the alphabet chart](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet-chart)