Minimal Pairs

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Minimal Pairs

Minimal pairs are pairs of words which differ in a single sound.They serve as a drill for practising sounds.

Minimal pairs involving consonant sounds:

/p/ /b/

pin-bin pear-bear pan-ban
pail-bail nip-bib tap-tab
mop-mob lap-lab
/t/ /d/
tin-din tear-dare tall-doll
ten-den bat-bad seat-seed
let-led tight-tide
/k/ /g/
key-ghee cot-got come-gum
kill-gill luck-lug lock-log
dock-dog wick-wig
/f/ /v/
fan-van fail-veil fast-vast
file-vile leaf-leave life-live
safe-save shelf-shelve
//v/ /w//
VOW-WOW vet-wet vile-while
viper-wiper
/θ/ /ð/
/s/ /z/
sip-zip sue-zoo sink-zinc
seal-zeal bus-buzz price-prize
lace-laze dose-doze
/s//ʃ/
sip-ship so-show same-shame
sin-shin puss-push sass-lash
mess-mesh lease-leash
/ʧ//d3/
char-jar choose-jews choke-joke
etch-edge batch-badge Lunch-lunge
/z/ /ʃ/
zip-ship zoo-shoe
was-wash whiz-wish

Minimal pairs involving vowel sounds:

/I/ /i:/
sit-seat bit-beat
lick-leak fill-fel
/e/ /æ/
met-mat led-lad
men-man shell-shall
/ʊ//u:/
full-fool pull-pool soot-suit
/ɔ/ /ɔ:/
cot-caught not-nought tot-taught
/æ/ /a:/
pat-part mat-mart cat-cart
//ɪ//e/
pin-pen bid-bed
bill-bell chick-check
/æ/ /ɜ:/
Fan - fern hat-heard
bad-bird jam-germ
/eɪ/ /aɪ/
fail-file main-mine
lake-like late-light
/eɪ/ /ɔɪ/
bail-boil grain-groin
paint-point ail-oil
/əʊ/ /aʊ/
whole-howl Rose-rouse
thought-thou load-loud
/ʊə/ /ɪə/
poor-pier Tour-tier
sure-sheer moor-mere