From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In phonology, minimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases in a particular language, spoken or signed, that differ in only one phonological element, such as a phoneme, toneme or chroneme,[1] and have distinct meanings. They are used to demonstrate that two phones represent two separate phonemes in the language.
Many phonologists in the middle part of the 20th century had a strong interest in developing techniques for discovering the phonemes of unknown languages, and in some cases, they set up writing systems for the languages. The major work of Kenneth Pike on the subject is Phonemics: a technique for reducing languages to writing.[2] The minimal pair was an essential tool in the discovery process and was found by substitution or commutation tests.[3]
As an example for English vowels, the pair «let» + «lit» can be used to demonstrate that the phones [ɛ] (in let) and [ɪ] (in lit) actually represent distinct phonemes /ɛ/ and /ɪ/. An example for English consonants is the minimal pair of «pat» + «bat». The following table shows other pairs demonstrating the existence of various distinct phonemes in English. All of the possible minimal pairs for any language may be set out in the same way.
| word 1 | word 2 | IPA 1 | IPA 2 | note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pin | bin | /pɪn/ | /bɪn/ | initial consonant |
| rot | lot | /rɒt/ | /lɒt/ | |
| thigh | thy | /θaɪ/ | /ðaɪ/ | |
| seal | zeal | /siːl/ | /ziːl/ | |
| bin | bean | /bɪn/ | /biːn/ | vowel |
| pen | pan | /pɛn/ | /pæn/ | |
| cook | kook | /kʊk/ | /kuːk/ | |
| hat | had | /hæt/ | /hæd/ | final consonant |
| mean | meme | /miːn/ | /miːm/ |
Phonemic differentiation may vary between different dialects of a language so a particular minimal pair in one accent may be a pair of homophones in another. That means not that one of the phonemes is absent in the homonym accent but only that it is not contrastive in the same range of contexts.
Types[edit]
In addition to the minimal pairs of vowels and consonants provided above, others may be found:
Quantity[edit]
Many languages show contrasts between long and short vowels and consonants. A distinctive difference in length is attributed by some phonologists to a unit called a chroneme. Thus, Italian has the following minimal pair that is based on long and short /l/:
| spelling | IPA | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pala | /ˈpala/ | shovel |
| palla | /ˈpalla/ | ball |
However, in such a case it is not easy to decide whether a long vowel or consonant should be treated as having an added chroneme or simply as a geminate sound with phonemes.
Classical Latin, German, some Italian dialects, almost all Uralic languages, Thai, and many other languages also have distinctive length in vowels. An example is the cŭ/cū minimal pair in the Italian dialect that is spoken near Palmi (Calabria, Italy):
| Dialect spoken in Palmi | IPA | Quality | Etymology | Latin | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cŭ voli? | /kuˈvɔːli/ | short | cŭ < lat. qu(is) («who?») | Quis vult? | Chi vuole? | Who wants? |
| Cū voli? | /kuːˈvɔːli/ | long | cū < lat. qu(o) (ill)ŭ(m) («for-what him?») | Quō illum/illud vult? | Per che cosa lo vuole? | For what (reason) does he want him/it? |
Syntactic gemination[edit]
In some languages like Italian, word-initial consonants are geminated after certain vowel-final words in the same prosodic unit. Sometimes, the phenomenon can create some syntactic-gemination-minimal-pairs:
| Italian sandhi | IPA | Meaning | Sample sentence | Meaning of the sample sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dà casa | /dakˈkaza/ | (he/she) gives (his/her) house | Carlo ci dà casa. | Carlo gives us his house. |
| da casa | /daˈkaza/ | from home | Carlo uscì da casa. | Carlo got out from home. |
In the example, the graphical accent on dà is just a diacritical mark that does not change the pronunciation of the word itself. However, in some specific areas, like Tuscany, both phrases are pronounced /daˈkkaːza/ and so can be distinguished only from the context.
Tone[edit]
Minimal pairs for tone contrasts in tone languages can be established; some writers refer to that as a contrast involving a toneme. For example, Kono distinguishes high tone and low tone on syllables:[4][5]
| tone | word | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| high | /kɔ́ɔ́/ | ‘to mature’ |
| low | /kɔ̀ɔ̀/ | ‘rice’ |
Stress[edit]
Languages in which stress may occur in different positions within the word often have contrasts that can be shown in minimal pairs, as in Greek and Spanish:
| language | word | IPA | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek | ποτέ | /poˈte/ | ever |
| Greek | πότε | /ˈpote/ | when |
| Spanish | esta | /ˈesta/ | this (feminine) |
| Spanish | está | /esˈta/ | (he/she/it) is |
In English stress can determine the part of speech of a word: insult as a noun is /ˈɪnsʌlt/ while as a verb it is /ɪnˈsʌlt/. In certain cases it can also differentiate two words: below /bɪˈloʊ/ vs billow /ˈbɪloʊ/.
Juncture[edit]
Anglophones can distinguish between, for example, «great ape» and «grey tape», but phonemically, the two phrases are identical: /ɡreɪteɪp/.[6] The difference between the two phrases, which constitute a minimal pair, is said to be one of juncture. At the word boundary, a «plus juncture» /+/ has been posited and said to be the factor conditioning allophones to allow distinctivity:[7] in this example, the phrase «great ape» has an /eɪ/ diphthong shortened by pre-fortis clipping and, since it is not syllable-initial, a /t/ with little aspiration (variously [t˭], [ɾ], [ʔt], [ʔ], etc., depending on dialect); meanwhile in «grey tape», the /eɪ/ has its full length and the /t/ is aspirated [tʰ].
Only languages with allophonic differences associated with grammatical boundaries may have juncture as a phonological element. There is disagreement over whether or not French has phonological juncture: it seems likely that the difference between, for example, «des petits trous» (some little holes) and «des petites roues» (some little wheels), phonemically both /depətitʁu/, is only perceptible in slow, careful speech.[8][9]
Minimal sets[edit]
The principle of a simple binary opposition between the two members of a minimal pair may be extended to cover a minimal set in which a number of words differ from one another in terms of one phone in a particular position in the word.[10] For example, the vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ of Swahili are shown to be distinct by the following set of words:
pata ‘hinge’, peta ‘bend’, pita ‘pass’, pota ‘twist’, puta ‘thrash’.[11] However, establishing such sets is not always straightforward [12] and may require very complex study of multiple oppositions as expounded by, for example, Nikolai Trubetzkoy.[13]
Teaching[edit]
Minimal pairs were an important part of the theory of pronunciation teaching during its development in the period of structuralist linguistics, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s, and minimal pair drills were widely used to train students to discriminate among the phonemes of the target language.[14] These drills took the form of minimal pair word drills and minimal pair sentence drills. For example, if the focus of a lesson was on the distinction /ɪ/ versus /ɛ/, learners might be asked to signal which sound they heard as the teacher pronounced lists of words with these phonemes such as lid/led, tin/ten, or slipped/slept. Minimal pair sentence drills consisted of paired sentences such as «He slipped on the floor/He slept on the floor.» Again, learners would be asked to distinguish which of the sentences they heard as the teacher read them aloud. Another use of minimal pair drills was in pair work. Here, one member of the pair would be responsible for listening to the other member read the minimal pair word or sentence aloud and would be tasked with identifying which phoneme was being produced. In this form of classroom practice, both the skills of perception and production were practiced. Later writers have criticized the approach as being artificial and lacking in relevance to language learners’ needs.[15] However, even today minimal pair listening and production drills remain a common tool for the teaching of segmental differences.
Some writers have claimed that learners are likely not to hear differences between phones if the difference is not a phonemic one.[16][17] One of the objectives of contrastive analysis[18] of languages’ sound systems was to identify points of likely difficulty for language learners that would arise from differences in phoneme inventories between the native language and the target language. However, experimental evidence for this claim is hard to find, and the claim should be treated with caution.[19]
In sign languages[edit]
In the past, signs were considered holistic forms without internal structure. However, the discovery in the mid-20th century that minimal pairs also exist in sign languages showed that sign languages have sublexical structure.[20] Signs consist of phonemes, which are specifications for location, movement, handshape, orientation, and non-manual elements. When signs differ in only one of these specifications, they form a minimal pair. For instance, the German Sign Language signs shoes and socks are identical in form apart from their handshapes.
See also[edit]
- Minimal pairs in Phoneme
References[edit]
- ^ Jones, Daniel (1944). «Chronemes and Tonemes».
- ^ Pike, Kenneth (1947). Phonemics.
- ^ Swadesh, M. (1934). «The Phonemic Principle».
- ^ Roach, Peter (2001). Phonetics. Oxford. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-19-437239-8.
- ^ Manyeh, Morie Komba (1983). Aspects of Kono Phonology (PhD). University of Leeds. p. 152.
- ^ O’Connor, J.D and Tooley, O. (1964) «The perceptibility of certain word-boundaries» in Abercrombie, D. et al In Honour of Daniel Jones, Longman, pp. 171-176
- ^ Trager, G.L.; Smith, H.L. (1957). An Outline of English Structure. American Council of Learned Societies. p. 37.
- ^ Jones, D. (1931) ‘The «word» as a phonetic entity’, Le Maitre Phonetique, 36, pp. 60-65 JSTOR 44704471
- ^ Passy, P. (1913) Les Sons du Français, Didier, p. 61
- ^ Ladefoged, P. (2006). A Course in Phonetics. Thomson, Wadsworth. pp. 35–6. ISBN 9781413006889.
- ^ Ladefoged, P. (2001). Vowels and Consonants. p. 26.
- ^ Fromkin and Rodman (1993). An Introduction to Language. pp. 218–220.
- ^ Trubetzkoy, N. (1969). Principles of Phonology.
- ^ Celce-Murcia; et al. (1996). Teaching Pronunciation. pp. 3–4.
- ^ Brown, Gillian (1990). Listening to Spoken English. pp. 144–6.
- ^ Lado, R. (1961). Language Testing. p. 15.
- ^ Pennington, M. (1996). Phonology in English Language Teaching. p. 24.
- ^ Lado, R. (1957). Linguistics across Cultures.
- ^ Celce-Murcia; et al. (1996). Teaching Pronunciation. pp. 19–20.
- ^ Stokoe, W. C. (2005-01-01). «Sign Language Structure: An Outline of the Visual Communication Systems of the American Deaf». Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 10 (1): 3–37. doi:10.1093/deafed/eni001. ISSN 1465-7325. PMID 15585746.
Bibliography[edit]
- Brown, G. (1990) Listening to Spoken English, Longman
- Celce-Murcia, M., D. Brinton and J. Goodwin (1996) Teaching Pronunciation, Cambridge University Press
- Fromkin, V. and Rodman, R. (1993) An Introduction to Language, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Jones, Daniel (1931) ‘ðə «wəːd» əz ə fonetik entiti‘ [‘The «Word» as a phonetic entity’], Le Maître Phonétique, XXXVI, pp. 60–65. JSTOR 44704471
- Jones, Daniel (1944) ‘Chronemes and Tonemes’, Acta Linguistica, IV, Copenhagen, pp. 1–10.
- Ladefoged, Peter (2001) Vowels and Consonants, Blackwell
- Ladefoged, Peter (2006) A Course in Phonetics, Thomson
- Lado, R. (1957) Linguistics across Cultures, University of Michigan Press
- Lado, R. (1961) Language Testing, Longman
- O’Connor, J.D. (1973) Phonetics, Penguin
- O’Connor, J.D and Tooley, O. (1964) ‘The perceptibility of certain word-boundaries’, in Abercrombie et al. (eds) In Honour of Daniel Jones, Longman, pp. 171–6.
- Pennington, M. (1996) Phonology in English Language Teaching, Longman
- Pike, Kenneth (1947) Phonemics, University of Michigan Press
- Roach, Peter (2009) English Phonetics and Phonology, Cambridge University Press
- Swadesh, M. (1934) ‘The Phonemic Principle’, Language vol. 10, pp. 117–29
- Trubetzkoy, N., translated by C. Baltaxe(1969) Principles of Phonology, University of California Press
External links[edit]
- Complete List of Minimal pairs for English RP (Received Pronunciation)
Last Update: Jan 03, 2023
This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!
Asked by: Xavier Treutel
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In phonology, minimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases in a particular language, spoken or signed, that differ in only one phonological element, such as a phoneme, toneme or chroneme, and have distinct meanings. They are used to demonstrate that two phones are two separate phonemes in the language.
What is minimal pairs with examples?
A minimal pair or close pair consists of two words with sounds that are very similar but have different meanings. For example, rot and lot may sound similar, especially to some non-native English speakers.
What is the meaning of minimal pair?
: two linguistic units that differ in a single distinctive feature or constituent (such as voice in the initial consonants of bat and pat)
How do you identify minimal pairs?
Minimal pairs. A minimal pair is a pair of words with ONE phonemic difference only. In order to decide whether a pair of words is a minimal pair or not, you need to know what sounds make up the word, and you need to IGNORE the word’s spelling. If you are a native English speaker, you may find this easy.
What are minimal pairs and diphthongs?
Minimal Pair /əʊ/ and /ɔ:/
The sound of /əʊ/ (as in «O», «oh» and «owe») is a diphthong, meaning two vowel sounds blended into one. You should be able to see the mouth moving from one position to the other while making the sound, with the mouth becoming smaller and rounder.
30 related questions found
Are Pit and Pat minimal pairs?
Pairs of words or morphemes that differ minimally from each other: MINIMAL PAIRS. For example: pete, pit, pate, pet pat, pot, boat, put boot, putt, pout, bite, boit?. (isolates the vowels and diphthongs).
Why do we use minimal pairs?
Minimal pairs are two words (a pair) that are identical in all sounds but one. We use them to show which phonemes are distinct, or contrastive in a language. Distinct phonemes are those of which a speaker is aware.
What is minimal pair test?
In linguistics, minimal pairs are two similar sounding words that differ in only one phonological element and have distinct meanings. … Next, the student adds a checkmark for the correct word. During the minimal pairs test, the teacher also has to keep track of correct answers.
What is minimal pair and minimal set?
Minimal set A set of distinct words in a language which differ in only one or a limited number of phonological elements. If there are two words in the set, it is a minimal pair.
What is minimal pairs of vowel?
Minimal pairs are two words that are pronounced almost in the same way, but they have one sound that makes them different. The sound can be a vowel or a consonant. These pairs have nothing to do with spelling or meaning. The words sound similar but they do not mean the same thing.
What are examples of pairs?
Pair means two similar things, often used together, or two persons or animals. An example of a pair is two sneakers, one for the left foot and one for the right foot. An example of a pair is two people who are going to get married.
What are minimal pairs and why are they important?
Minimal pairs are pairs of words that only have one sound different. ‘But’ and ‘bat’ are a minimal pair. Only the vowel sound is different. Minimal pairs are a useful way to highlight a sound in a meaningful context and also to show the learner how important correct pronunciation of the sound is.
Which of the following is a minimal pair?
A minimal pair is two words that vary by only a single sound, usually meaning sounds that may confuse English learners, like the /f/ and /v/ in fan and van, or the /e/ and /ɪ/ in desk and disk.
What is minimal pairs speech therapy?
A minimal pair is a pair of words that vary by only a single sound. In. speech therapy, the differing sounds are usually the sound your child is struggling with, paired with the sound your child is saying instead.
How do minimal pairs work?
In the case of a minimal pair, the two words in the pair differ by a single phoneme and by one or two features across place, manner and voicing. For example, the pair “cap” and “tap”. These two words are identical in terms of the vowel /ae/ and last phoneme /p/.
What are minimal pairs phonetics examples?
43 Minimal Pairs Examples: List for Pronunciation
- Grammar / Glamour. Royal / Loyal. Arrive / Alive. Ramp / Lamp. Bowling / Boring. Belly / Berry. Rock / Lock. …
- Sick / Thick. Mouth / Mouse. Sigh / Thigh. Song / Thong. Pass / Path. Sink / Think. …
- Fast / Vast. Fender / Vendor. Fan / Van. Refuse / Reviews. Foul / Vowel. Fairy / Very.
How are minimal pairs used in speech?
For the Minimal Pairs Approach:
- Identify the target phonological process. …
- Before the session, select 3-5 minimal pairs of words that contrast the paired phonemes. …
- Introduce the minimal pair words to the child by showing them pictures of the pairs and naming them aloud. …
- Have the child point to the words you name.
What is a minimal pair activity?
A minimal pair is a pair of words which differ only in one sound. They are a great way to help your students become more aware of their difficulties with pronunciation. They can focus on just two sounds (e.g. /s/ and /z/) or lots of different sounds — it’s up to you. …
Are T and D minimal pairs?
Below is a list of words that vary only by one having the beginning sound /t/ and the other the beginning sound /d/. You can use this list to practise the sounds, or as a list of words to be careful in pronouncing.
What are suspicious pairs in phonology?
«Suspicious pairs» are pairs of sounds that should be given special attention in working out the phonemic inventory of a language because they are phonetically similar, and/or because they commonly interact in phonological processes found in human languages.
What are the 8 diphthongs?
There are 8 diphtongs sounds in common english pronounciation namely – /aɪ/ , /eɪ/ , /əʊ/ ,/aʊ/ ,/eə/ ,/ɪə/ ,/ɔɪ/, /ʊə/. The word “Diphthong” is basically derived from the Greek word Diphthongs.
Is See saw a minimal pair?
For example, pairs like saw-shore, and spa-star are minimal pairs in Australian English and in other non-rhotic varieties of English, but not in rhotic dialects such as Canadian, Irish, Scottish and most US ‘Englishes’.
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Last updated:
February 14, 2023
There are a few things you can try to learn English more quickly.
One of them is to practice your pronunciation with minimal pairs.
Read on to learn about 20 minimal pairs in the English language.
Contents
- What Are Minimal Pairs?
- Minimal Pairs: Vowel Sounds
-
- 1. Lit and Let
- 2. Pen and Pan
- 3. Cut and Cat
- Minimal Pairs: Consonant Sounds
-
- 4. Lot and Not
- 5. Flight and Fight
- 6. Pat and Bat
- 7. Sip and Zip
- 8. Writer and Rider
- 9. Tease and Knees
- 10. Tie and Lie
- 11. Arrive and Alive
- 12. Grow and Glow
- 13. Sigh and Thigh
- 14. Pin and Bin
- 15. Tent and Tenth
- 16. Sheer and Cheer
- 17. Bowling and Boring
- 18. Kneel and Near
- 19. Hard and Heart
- 20. Bent and Vent
- How to Practice with Minimal Pairs
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What Are Minimal Pairs?
Minimal pairs are two words that are pronounced almost in the same way, but they have one sound that makes them different. The sound can be a vowel or a consonant.
These pairs have nothing to do with spelling or meaning. The words sound similar but they do not mean the same thing. Their definitions have nothing to do with each other.
They might be spelled very differently, but the actual sounds (called phonemes) will be quite similar. Or, the two words in a minimal pair might be spelled very similarly, with just one different letter.
Minimal pairs often confuse English learners. Many English learners will replace one word with another while speaking. This completely changes the meaning of the actual sentence.
However, if you learn minimal pairs, you can really improve your English pronunciation. Practicing minimal pairs is a great way to become a better English listener.
Minimal Pairs: Vowel Sounds
1. Lit and Let
Lit is the past tense of the word light. It means to burn something like a candle or a cigarette. Lit can also be used as an adjective, to say that something is full of light such as a room.
Let is a synonym of allow.
The word lit rhymes with fit or kit. And let sounds more like get.
The vowel in the middle is what differentiates these words.
2. Pen and Pan
A pen is a thin, small tool used to write and draw.
A pan is a circular, flat utensil used to cook food like eggs.
The “e” resembles the vowel in hen or end. Meanwhile, the “a” sounds the same as the one in hand.
The vowel in the middle differentiates these two words.
3. Cut and Cat
To cut is to make an opening or create two or more pieces of something using a sharp tool.
A cat is, of course, an animal.
The middle sound in “cut” is pronounced as “uh,” and in “cat” it sounds like “ah.”
Minimal Pairs: Consonant Sounds
4. Lot and Not
The word lot in English is generally used to talk about a large number of things. For example, “I ate a lot of food.” In American English, it might be used to talk about a piece of land, usually for sale.
Not is used to refuse or negate something. For example, “I am not well today.”
These words sound the same, except for their first consonants, “l” and “n.”
5. Flight and Fight
As a verb, flight refers to the action of flying. It can also refer to a trip in a plane, such as “My flight leaves at 2:00.”
Fight, on the other hand, means to be violent with someone.
The main difference between them is the consonant “l” in the word flight.
6. Pat and Bat
To pat someone is to lightly touch them with the flat surface of your hand. Pat can also mean a piece of something very soft like butter.
Bat is usually a long, wooden thing used in sports like cricket or baseball. It is also a kind of bird that flies at night.
These words might sound very similar. But the “p” in pat sounds slightly harder than the “b” in bat.
When you say pat, some air will come out of your mouth. When you say bat, this won’t happen.
7. Sip and Zip
To sip something is to drink something slowly.
Zip as a noun is a short word for zipper, the thing that you use to close your pants or jacket. As a verb, it means to close a zipper.
The “s” in sip sounds like the hiss of a snake. The “z” in zip sounds like the buzz of a bee.
8. Writer and Rider
A writer is someone who writes, usually for a living.
A rider is someone who rides an animal or a vehicle. This is commonly used in the context of riding a horse.
The consonants in the middle (“t” and “d”) make them different in terms of pronunciation.
9. Tease and Knees
To tease someone is to playfully make fun of someone. And knees are the joints in your leg that connect your upper and lower legs.
Even though their spellings are completely different, they sound very similar. The second part of both these words sounds like “ease.”
But the first part of tease sounds like “tee-“ and the first part of knees sounds like “nee-“ because the “k” is silent.
10. Tie and Lie
As a verb, tie means to join two things with a knot using a string or rope. As a noun, it refers to the piece of clothing that men usually wear around their neck when dressing formally.
To lie is either to say something false, or to be in a horizontal position (such as to lie in bed).
The difference, of course, is the first consonant of each word.
11. Arrive and Alive
To arrive is to get to a place.
To be alive is to have life.
The middle sound in both words will help you separate these pairs. Other than the “r” and “l” sounds, these two words sound exactly the same.
12. Grow and Glow
To grow is to become larger over time.
To glow means to shine, or to create light in a dark place.
In terms of sounds, it is quite easy to separate them since the last part of both the words are spelled as they are written.
The end of each word sounds like “oh”. Like the previous pair, the “r” and “l” consonants are what make them different.
13. Sigh and Thigh
To sigh is to take a deep breath as a sign of sadness, relief or tiredness.
The thigh is the part of your leg that is above your knee.
Since both these words have such different meanings, it is easy to differentiate them.
The “s” in sigh sounds like the hiss of a snake. And the “th” in thigh sounds like the end of the word tooth.
14. Pin and Bin
A pin is a small, sharp metal object used to fasten cloth or paper. It can also refer to the act of pushing someone to the ground or a wall and holding them there.
A bin is a narrow basket-like object. In British English, a bin is a place where you put trash.
The first consonant is what makes these words different.
Like with pat and bat, you can practice by seeing if air comes out of your mouth when you say pin and not when you say bin.
15. Tent and Tenth
A tent is a temporary shelter made from cloth or wood.
Tenth can refer to the number ten in a series. For example, the tenth house on a street.
The final sound is what makes these words different.
The “t” at the end of tent is a hard “t” sound. The “th” at the end of tenth sounds like the end of the word tooth.
16. Sheer and Cheer
Sheer is a word that is used to emphasize an adjective. For example, “The president’s speech was sheer nonsense.”
Sheer can also refer to a kind of cloth that is so thin you can almost see through it.
Cheer is encouraging someone by making loud noises and exaggerated gestures, like at a sporting event.
To differentiate between the two, you need to focus on the first sound.
The “ch” of cheer is pronounced similar to the “ch” of cherry.
The “sh” in sheer sounds like the sound you make to tell somebody to be quiet: shhh!
17. Bowling and Boring
Bowling is a sport played with huge balls and pins.
Boring means the same thing as uninteresting.
The “l” and the “r” sounds make them different. Every other part of the word is pronounced in the same way.
18. Kneel and Near
To kneel is to bend on your knees.
Something is near you when it is close to you physically.
The “k” in kneel is silent, so the first consonants of these words actually sound exactly the same.
The last parts of the words are different, though. These parts are pronounced just like the words eel and ear.
19. Hard and Heart
If something is hard, it is either physically solid or it is difficult to do.
The heart is the organ in our body that constantly pumps our blood.
The different sounds of “d” and “t” in these words make them sound different.
20. Bent and Vent
If something is bent, then it is curved in an angle.
A vent can be an opening in a wall that lets gases pass through a room. The word can be used as a verb, meaning to let out strong emotions.
The “b” and “v” sounds are what make these words different.
One way to practice is to watch what you do with your mouth while saying these words.
When you say bent, your two lips will come together at the beginning.
When you say vent, you will put your upper teeth on your bottom lip.
How to Practice with Minimal Pairs
- Watch a YouTube video to learn the pronunciation of minimal pairs.
- Use a pronunciation dictionary like Forvo to listen to the pronunciation of similar words and try to hear their different sounds.
- Study the sounds on an IPA (International Phonetic Pronunciation) chart.
- Try to identify minimal pairs while listening to people speak English.
If you want to improve your English listening skills, the FluentU language program has authentic English language videos like music videos and movie trailers where you can listen for minimal pairs.
The short videos also have interactive subtitles in English, so you can quickly find those similar words and add them to your own flashcard deck for more pronunciation practice.
We know that separating one word from another in these pairs might feel confusing. In fact, even some native speakers make mistakes while listening or speaking. But if you learn the basics of English pronunciation properly, English speaking actually becomes quite easy.
Noticing how your mouth and tongue move while you speak English words is a great first step. Then, you can learn the different vowel and consonant sounds that exist in English.
You’ll be a master of minimal pairs in no time.
Good luck!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
desk disk, fan van
A minimal pair is two words that vary by only a single sound, usually meaning sounds that may confuse English learners, like the /f/ and /v/ in fan and van, or the /e/ and /ɪ/ in desk and disk.
Vowel Sounds 
Minimal Pair /ɪ/ and /i:/ sit seat
Minimal Pair /e/ and /ɪ/ desk disk
Minimal Pair /e/ and /eɪ/ wet wait
Minimal Pair /æ/ and /ʌ/ bat but
Minimal Pair /əʊ/ and /ɔ:/ so saw
Minimal Pair /ɒ/ and /əʊ/ not note
Minimal Pair /æ/ and /e/ bad bed
Minimal Pair /ɑ:/ and /ɜ:/ fast first
Minimal Pair /æ/ and /ɑ:/ had hard
Minimal Pair /ɒ/ and /ɔ:/ cot caught
Minimal Pair /əʊ/ and /aʊ/ know now
Consonant Sounds
Minimal Pair /b/ and /v/ berry very
Minimal Pair /b/ and /p/ buy pie
Minimal Pair /n/ and /ŋ/ thin thing
Minimal Pair /l/ and /r/ alive arrive
Minimal Pair /ʧ/ and /t/ catch cat
Minimal Pair /s/ and /ʃ/ sea she
Minimal Pair /f/ and /v/ fan van
Minimal Pair /f/ and /h/ fat hat
Minimal Pair /f/ and /θ/ free three
Minimal Pair /s/ and /θ/ sink think
Minimal Pair /ð/ and /z/ with whizz
Minimal Pair /ʤ/ and /z/ page pays
Minimal Pair /d/ and /ʤ/ bad badge
Minimal Pair /f/ and /p/ coffee copy
Minimal Pair /kw/ and /k/ quick kick
Minimal Pair /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ cheap jeep
Minimal Pair /tʃ/ and /ʃ/ chair share
Minimal Pair /d/ and /ð/ day they
Minimal Pair /t/ and /θ/ tree three
Initial Consonant Sounds
Minimal Pair initial /f/ and /p/ fast past
Minimal Pair initial /k/ and /g/ came game
Minimal Pair initial /t/ and /d/ two do
Minimal Pair initial /v/ and /w/ vow wow
Minimal Pair initial /g/ and /w/ gate weight
Minimal Pair initial /h/ and /r/ hat rat
Minimal Pair initial /r/ and /w/ rich which
Minimal Pair initial /ʤ/ and /j/ jaw your
Minimal Pair initial /w/ and no /w/ where air*
Minimal Pair initial /h/ and no /h/ hate eight*
Final Consonant Sounds
Minimal Pair final /k/ and /g/ back bag
Minimal Pair final /m/ and /n/ am an
Minimal Pair final /t/ and /d/ hat had
Minimal Pair final /s/ and /z/ bus buzz
Minimal Pair final /n/ and /ŋ/ thin thing
Minimal Pair final /ŋk/ and /ŋ/ think thing
Minimal Pair final /dʒ/ and /dʒi/ edge edgy*
Minimal Pair final /tʃ/ and /tʃi/ catch catchy*
*Note that this pair may not be considered a true minimal pair by the strictest definition.
These pages use the symbols of the Phonemic Chart. You can listen to the symbols here or print the chart here.
Written for EnglishClub by Alex Case
What are Minimal Pairs?
The list of minimal pairs is perfect for practicing English pronunciation because students have to distinguish between two similar sounds.
For example, ship and sheep both sound the same. But they differ in one sound.
If you want to define minimal pairs in linguistics, they are two similar-sounding words that differ in only one phonological element and have distinct meanings.
Here are a list and examples of a minimal pair to help listening comprehension, pronunciation practice, and countless other skills.
/R/ vs /L/ Minimal Pairs Examples
Grammar / Glamour
Royal / Loyal
Arrive / Alive
Ramp / Lamp
Bowling / Boring
Belly / Berry
Rock / Lock
Light / Right
Grow / Glow
Collect / Correct
Climb / Crime
Rag / Lag
Link / Rink
Gloom / Groom
Lice / Rice
Root / Loot
Elect / Erect
Cloud / Crowd
Lack / Rack
Ram / Lamb
/S/ vs /TH/ Minimal Pairs List
Sick / Thick
Mouth / Mouse
Sigh / Thigh
Song / Thong
Pass / Path
Sink / Think
Force / Fourth
Math / Mass
Thumb / Sum
Saw / Thaw
Myth / Miss
Thing / Sing
That / Sat
/F/ vs /V/ Minimal Pairs List
Fast / Vast
Fender / Vendor
Fan / Van
Refuse / Reviews
Foul / Vowel
Fairy / Very
Phase / Vase
Vine / Fine
Save / Safe
Minimal Pairs and Pronunciation Practice
Because some of these sounds don’t exist in students’ native language, minimal pairs can go into uncharted territories.
If you want to take your English pronunciation lessons to the next level, then you can give these 5 free minimal pair worksheets a shot.
Alternatively, you can flat-out try out our 10 free pronunciation lesson plans.
How do you like working with minimal pairs? Let us know with a comment below.
Do you want to learn more about American English
sounds? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we discuss everything you need to know, starting
with the basics.
Contents
What Are Minimal Pairs? See the examples
Minimal pairs are two words that are pronounced almost in the same way, but they
have one sound that makes them different. The sound can be a vowel or a
consonant.
These pairs have nothing to do with spelling or meaning. The words>sound similar but they do not
mean the same thing. Their definitions have nothing to do with each other.
They might be spelled very differently, but the actual sounds will be quite similar. Or, the two words
in a minimal pair might be spelled very similarly, with just one different letter.
Minimal pairs often confuse English learners. Many English learners will replace one
word with another while speaking. This completely changes the meaning of the actual sentence.
However, if you learn minimal pairs, Practicing minimal pairs is a great way to become a
better English listener.
/R/ vs /L/ Minimal Pairs Examples
- Grammar / Glamour
- Royal / Loyal
- Arrive / Alive
- Ramp / Lamp
- Bowling / Boring
- Belly / Berry
- Rock / Lock
- Light / Right
- Grow / Glow
- Collect / Correct
- Climb / Crime
- Rag / Lag
- Link / Rink
- Gloom / Groom
- Lice / Rice
- Root / Loot
- Elect / Erect
- Cloud / Crowd
- Lack / Rack
- Ram / Lamb
/S/ vs /TH/ Minimal Pairs List
- Sick / Thick
- Mouth / Mouse
- Sigh / Thigh
- Song / Thong
- Pass / Path
- Sink / Think
- Force / Fourth
- Math / Mass
- Thumb / Sum
- Saw / Thaw
- Myth / Miss
- Thing / Sing
- That / Sat
/F/ vs /V/ Minimal Pairs List
- Fast / Vast
- Fender / Vendor
- Fan / Van
- Refuse / Reviews
- Foul / Vowel
- Fairy / Very
- Phase / Vase
- Vine / Fine
- Save / Safe
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Eriberto Do Nascimento has Ph.D. in Speech Intelligibility and Artificial Intelligence and is
the founder of English Phonetics Academy
Minimal pairs theory is a linguistic approach to speech intervention that emphasizes the role of the phoneme (speech sound) in language. The minimal pair method focuses on contrastive differences between phonemes.
What is a Minimal Pair?
A minimal pair is a word that differs from another paired word by a single phoneme. A simple example of minimal pairs is the word tip paired with the word sip. The contrastive phonemes in this instance are the phonemes /t/ and /s/. A guiding principle of minimal pairs therapy is that homonymy drives and prompts the child to change a sound error, or a series of sound errors, to the correct adult form. So a child who means to say, ‘Can I have a sip of your drink?,’ but instead produces an unintended meaning with ‘Can I have a tip of your drink?’ will be motivated to end semantic confusion by learning the adult form /s/ phoneme.
Ok, so far so good. But, now it gets a little more complicated. Have you given thought as to why the two phonemes in the above example — /t/ and /s/ — are considered minimal? Why, in fact, are they called minimal pairs? The word minimal refers to miniscule or least possible. I think the term least possible, or to be more accurate, least possible distance characterizes minimal pairs theory quite well.
What do I mean?
The reason the /s/ and /t/ phonemes are considered minimal and the words sip and tip are considered minimal pairs is because the phonemes /s/ and /t/ have few contrastive differences in relation to place, manner and voice. I’ll cover place, manner and voice in more detail later in the article, but to truly understand minimal vs maximal it’s important to be conscious of contrastive differences between sounds and what makes them contrast. This knowledge is essential to comprehend and correctly use other linguistic methods of speech therapy such as empty set and maximal oppositions.
Minimal Pairs Theory — Non-Major Class Features: Place, Manner and Voice
Understanding the importance of place, manner and voice is essential when choosing phonemes to contrast with a target sound. Place, manner and voice (PMV) are characterized by feature contrasts. Place of articulation refers to the use of lips, and the tongue, both coronal and dorsal features. Manner of articulation refers to whether a phoneme is a stop, fricative, affricate, glide, nasal or liquid. Voice refers to whether a phoneme is voiced or voiceless, i.e. does the larynx vibrate when a sound is produced or remain silent?
By the way, when linguists refer to coronal and dorsal they are describing features of the tongue. Coronal refers to consonants that are produced by the flexible front part of the tongue whereas dorsal refers to the posterior section of the tongue which produces velar and glottal phonemes.
As a group, the PMV features are considered non-major class distinctions, which contrasts them clearly with the major class distinctions in the English sound system, obstruents and sonorants.
Minimal Pairs Theory — Major Class Features
(Obstruents and Sonorants)
As the name suggests, an obstruent is a consonant sound that obstructs the airstream to produce increased air pressure, either partially, as produced in fricative sounds, or completely, as produced in stops. Obstruents can be sub-divided into three main groups: fricatives, which disturb the airstream but don’t block it, stops, which block the airstream and then release it in an explosive burst and affricates, which feature aspects of both fricatives and stops.
In contrast to obstruents, sonorants are phonemes that are non turbulent and are marked by a continuous resonant sound quality. Consonants that are sonorants include nasals, glides and liquids. Vowels are also sonorants.
Minimal Pairs Theory — Minimal vs Maximal
Feature Contrasts
A minimal phoneme contrast has only one or several minor feature differences with a particular phoneme. For instance, the only feature contrast between pea and bee is that /p/ is voiceless and /b/ is voiced. Both the /p/ and /b/ share many features in that they are both labial stops. Similarly, the minimal contrast between pea and key is that the phoneme /p/ is a bilabial whereas the /k/ is a velar. In this instance, the minimal contrast is place, in that the phoneme /p/ is a labial stop, while the phoneme /k/ is a dorsal stop.
A maximal feature contrast is quite different from a minimal feature contrast but still follows the same principles. Phonemes with maximal contrasts have feature differences that are on opposite ends of the spectrum to phonemes with only minimal feature differences. Maximal contrasts can involve major class differences, such as obstruents and sonorants, as well as non-major class differences, specifically voice, manner and place.
For instance, as in our previous example, pea and bee are minimal pairs because the phonemes /p/ and /b/ are obstruents and also bilabial stops. The only difference is that one sound is voiceless, the other is voiced. In comparison, a maximal contrast to the word pea would be ree, where the phoneme /p/ is maximally contrasted with the phoneme /r/.
The phonemes are considered maximal contrasts because they feature significant sound differences in that /p/ is an obstruent whereas /r/ is a sonorant. The /p/ is voiceless, the /r/ is voiced. One is a bilabial stop, the other a coronal palatal.
Please click on the empty set therapy link or the multiple oppositions therapy page to learn more about linguistic methods of speech intervention for severe phonological disorder or childhood apraxia of speech.
References
Barlow, J.A. and Gierut J.A. (2002) Minimal Pair Approaches to Phonological Remediation Seminars in Speech and Language, Volume 23, No 1
Bowen, C. (2009) Children’s Speech Sound Disorders Wiley-Blackwell
Williams, A.L. McLeod, S. & McCauley R.J. (2010) Interventions for Speech Sound Disorders in Children Paul H Brookes Publishing Co
Williams, A.L. (2006) SCIP Sound Contrasts in Phonology: Evidence Based Treatment Program. User Manual Super Duper Publications
Updated 11/2013
Return from Minimal Pairs Theory to Home Page
A minimal pair is a pair of words which differ only in one sound. They are a great way to help your students become more aware of their difficulties with pronunciation. For example, Spanish students often struggle with the pairs «sheet» and «seat», or «cat» and «cut». They can really improve their pronunciation by practising these pairs. The activities below should help them distinguish between the words (listening) and produce the words so the others can understand them (speaking).
Note: these are short activities (5-15 minutes, depending on how much teacher input is necessary). They can focus on just two sounds (e.g. /s/ and /z/) or lots of different sounds — it’s up to you. You can find lots of minimal pair examples for problem sounds here (including problems by nationality), or there is a printable pdf here if you want some words to use with the activities.
I would also thoroughly recommend having a look at the book «Pronunciation Games» by Mark Hancock. The pronunciation journey activity in particular is a terrific way to practise minimal pairs.
Idea 1: number dictation
Idea 1: number dictationWrite the minimal pairs on the board in a table, as in the example opposite. Drill the pronunciation around the class. Then, dictate four of the words, but tell the students they only need to write the number, not the word. For example, if you say «cut, but, ankle, fun» the students should write «1,1,2,1». Then the students work in pairs — one dictates the words, the other says which number.
Idea 2: silent dictation.
Exactly as above, but instead of saying the word, you mouth it silently. Note this only works for sounds which occur in a different place in the mouth — sounds like /p/ and /b/ will look pretty much the same when mouthed!
Idea 3: vocab-grab game
Idea 3: vocab-grab gameStudents work in groups of 3-4. Put a few minimal pair words on slips of paper (one word per paper) and give a set to each group. Then call out a word. The students race to grab the correct word. Keep calling until there’s none left — the winner has the most words. Then get the students working within their groups. One student calls out the words, the others grab the word he/she said. Encourage lots of competition to keep them motivated.
Idea 4: object grab
Similar to the activity above, but less preparation. Each pair of students needs an object on the table between them (e.g. an eraser) — they compete against their partner. Then tell the class which sound they are listening for (e.g. /b/). You call out a list of words («vet, vote, big») and as soon as they hear that sound, they grab the object — if they are right, they get a point.
Idea 5: shouting dictation
Idea 5: shouting dictationA bit noisy, but great to get students exaggerating the mouth shapes. Students work in pairs. Each student has a different set of words which they must dictate to their partner. However, they must stand on opposite sides of the room, so they have to shout. Play background music to make it even more challenging.
Idea 6: stand-up, sit down
As idea 1, you put the table with your minimal pairs on the board. Assign each sound an action. For example, the sound /r/ could be «stand up», and the sound /l/ could be «sit down». Then you call out the words, and the students should perform the action. The last student to do the correct action becomes ‘caller’ and calls out the next word.
Idea 7: minimal pair bingo
I hated bingo at school — I was too shy to draw attention to myself if I thought I’d won. But lots of students love it. Basically, students choose 9 words from the minimal pairs you give and write them in a 3*3 square. You call out the words and they tick them off as they come up. If they think you’ve said all the words, they shout «Bingo!»
Idea 8: minimal pair exploration
You need two different minimal pairs for this (e.g. /s/ + /z/, /p/ + /b/). Put some words from each pair on the board and drill them. Assign each of the sounds a direction (e.g. /s/=left, /z/=right, /p/=up, /b/=down). Draw a 5*5 grid on the board. Draw some obstacles and some treasure in the grid. Then give directions by saying the words from the minimal pairs — students follow the directions and say where you end up. Then they draw their own grids and give directions to each other.
Idea 9: minimal pair fruit salad
You could use a few minimal pairs for this — one pair for each 6 — 8 students. Give each student a sound (e.g. for 18 students you could have three students with /s/, three with /z/, three with /r/, three with /l/, three with /b/ and three with /v/). Students sit in a circle. Then you call out a word (e.g. ‘right’), and students who have their sound in that word (all the /r/ students) should stand and race to swap seats. It gets increasingly chaotic when there is more than one sound in a word (e.g. ‘brings’ — /b/, /r/, /z/). You should steal one of the chairs, so one of the students is left standing. That student then calls out another word and tries to steal a seat so another is left standing.