ð / þ

The Letters Ð and Þ

Level 1

þ (thorn) is the th in thin: þú, það, þrír. ð (eth) is the softer th in this: að, maður, góður.

How It Works

  • þ is the voiceless th of thin and think: þú (you), þetta (this), þrír (three), þakka (to thank). Inside a word you mostly find it where a compound starts a new part, as in Alþingi (the Icelandic parliament), or in a few loanwords such as Aþena (Athens).
  • ð is the voiced th of this and mother: eða (or), maður (man), góður (good), veður (weather). At the end of a word before a pause, it loses its voice and sounds closer to the th in thin: bað (bath), það (it).
  • Since no word starts with ð, the capital Ð is only seen when a whole word is in capitals, as on a sign.

In quick speech, small unstressed words that begin with þ are often said with a soft ð sound, especially það and þú. The spelling still uses þ at the start of the word. After a verb, þú is usually joined on as -ðu or -tu: talarðu (do you speak), ertu (are you). See ertu/viltu/talarðu.

When Icelandic letters are not available, þ is usually written th and ð is written d, as in the machine-readable line of a passport: Guðrún becomes Gudrun. In Icelandic text, always use the real letters. Many names use them, so they come up early. See names and patronymics.

Examples (5)

  1. Þú talar góða íslensku.

    You speak good Icelandic.

    Word by Word: You speak good Icelandic.

    Þú starts with þ. góða has ð between vowels.

  2. Það er gott veður í dag.

    The weather is good today.

    Word by Word: It is good weather today.

    Það starts with þ and ends with ð. veður has ð in the middle.

  3. Hún heitir Guðrún.

    Her name is Guðrún.

    Word by Word: She is-called Guðrún.

    The ð in Guðrún is the th in this.

  4. Þrír menn biðu eftir strætó.

    Three men were waiting for the bus.

    Word by Word: Three men waited for bus.

    Þrír starts with þ, and biðu has ð in the middle.

  5. Maðurinn er að lesa blaðið.

    The man is reading the newspaper.

    Word by Word: The-man is at read the-paper.

    ð appears three times, always inside or at the end of a word.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing d in place of ð.

    Hún heitir Gudrún.
    Hún heitir Guðrún.

    d is only a stand-in for ð when Icelandic letters are not available. In Icelandic text, the name is spelled with ð.

  • Writing þ in the middle of a word.

    Það er gott veþur.
    Það er gott veður.

    Inside a word the th sound is written with ð. þ belongs at the start of a word or word part.

  • Starting a word with ð.

    Ðað er gott.
    Það er gott.

    No Icelandic word starts with ð. Even when það sounds soft in speech, it is written with þ.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ð / þLevel 1The Letters Ð and Þ

Learn This First

Ð and þ come right after the alphabet.