Englishbix will help you to learn about some of the non-reversible word pairs. These pair of words will appear in similar order and they go together that can be read in back and forth. These words can be used by English learners to improve their vocabulary.
Below are a few common examples of English word pairs that go together from a to z.
| Adam and Eve | life or death |
| back and forth | lock and key |
| bacon and eggs | lost and found |
| bed and breakfast | man and wife |
| birds and bees | name and address |
| black and white | nice and easy |
| body and soul | null and void |
| bread and butter | peaches and cream |
| bread and water | pen and pencil |
| bricks and mortar | pork and beans |
| bride and groom | pots and pans |
| business and pleasure | prim and proper |
| by and large | profit and/or loss |
| cause and effect | pros and cons |
| cloak and dagger | pure and simple |
| coat and tie | rain or shine |
| coffee and doughnuts | ranting and raving |
| cream and sugar | read and write |
| crime and punishment | right and/or wrong |
| cup and saucer | rise and fall |
| dead or alive | salt and pepper |
| down and out | shirt and tie |
| first and last | shoes and socks |
| fish and chips | short and fat |
| flesh and blood | signed and sealed |
| forgive and forget | slip and slide |
| front and center | soap and water |
| fun and games | sooner or later |
| give and take | stars and stripes |
| ham and eggs | suit and tie |
| hammer and nail | supply and demand |
| hemmed and hawed | sweet and sour |
| high and dry | tall and thin |
| high and low | thick and thin |
| hot and bothered | tossed and turned |
| huffing and puffing | touch and go |
| husband and wife | trial and error |
| in and out | trials and tribulations |
| Jack and Jill | up and/or down |
| knife and fork | wait and see |
| ladies and gentlemen | war and peace |
| law and order | wine and cheese |
Keep exploring Englishbix to learn about minimal pairs used in speech therapy and correlative conjunction pairs.
Quick Links
- Examples of Correlative Conjunctions Pairs
- Final Consonant Deletion Word Pairs
Nonreversible word pairs always appear in the same order, e.g., back and forth. It would sound awkward if we read forth and back. For many of us, certain words go together and we will automatically use the correct order. However, nonnative speakers will need to learn nonreversible word pairs.
Common Word Pairs
The following is a list of common word pairs. Collocations are also a good idea to learn if you are a nonnative speaker. These are words commonly used together, e.g., have a headache.
| Adam and Eve | life or death |
| back and forth | lock and key |
| bacon and eggs | lost and found |
| bed and breakfast | man and wife |
| birds and bees | name and address |
| black and white | nice and easy |
| body and soul | null and void |
| bread and butter | peaches and cream |
| bread and water | pen and pencil |
| bricks and mortar | pork and beans |
| bride and groom | pots and pans |
| business and pleasure | prim and proper |
| by and large | profit and/or loss |
| cause and effect | pros and cons |
| cloak and dagger | pure and simple |
| coat and tie | rain or shine |
| coffee and doughnuts | ranting and raving |
| cream and sugar | read and write |
| crime and punishment | right and/or wrong |
| cup and saucer | rise and fall |
| dead or alive | salt and pepper |
| down and out | shirt and tie |
| first and last | shoes and socks |
| fish and chips | short and fat |
| flesh and blood | signed and sealed |
| forgive and forget | slip and slide |
| front and center | soap and water |
| fun and games | sooner or later |
| give and take | stars and stripes |
| ham and eggs | suit and tie |
| hammer and nail | supply and demand |
| hemmed and hawed | sweet and sour |
| high and dry | tall and thin |
| high and low | thick and thin |
| hot and bothered | tossed and turned |
| huffing and puffing | touch and go |
| husband and wife | trial and error |
| in and out | trials and tribulations |
| Jack and Jill | up and/or down |
| knife and fork | wait and see |
| ladies and gentlemen | war and peace |
| law and order | wine and cheese |
If we forgot a word pair, please let us know via our comment form below.
Reader Interactions
In English, there are certain word pairs that always go together. If you try to reverse their order it sounds weird to a native speaker.[1]https://www.sightwordsgame.com/vocabulary-words/word-pairs/
Below are a few popular examples of English word pairs.[2]https://www.thoughtco.com/nonreversible-word-pairs-1209931
Bacon and Eggs
Would you like some bacon
and eggs for breakfast?
Back and Forth
They kept on arguing back
and forth.
Bed and Breakfast
We stayed in a beautiful little bed and breakfast by the beach.
Brick and Mortar
It is an online only store. It doesn’t have any brick and mortar locations.
Bride and Groom
The bride and groom
looked so happy walking down the aisle together.
Business and Pleasure
I try to not mix business
and pleasure.
Cause and Effect
There is a clear cause
and effect to the situation that you find yourself in.
Coffee and Donuts
Would you like to get some coffee and donuts for breakfast?
Cream and Sugar
Do you take cream and
sugar with your coffee?
Dead or Alive
The wanted poster said that they wanted the criminal dead or alive.
Fun and Games
It is all fun and
games until someone gets hurt.
Front and Center
The teacher told me to stand front and center to give my presentation.
Hammer and Nail
This job requires a hammer
and nail to complete.
Knife and Fork
Can you set knives
and forks on the table?
Ladies and Gentlemen
Ladies and Gentlemen
can I have your attention please?
Law and Order
Law and order is
the rule of the land.
Life or Death
The people in the sinking boat are in a life or death situation.
Lost and Found
Check the lost and
found to see if you can find your lost cellphone.
Pots and Pans
I had to clean all the pots
and pans.
Rain or Shine
We will be there rain
or shine.
Salt and Pepper
Can you pass me the salt
and pepper please?
Sooner or Later
Sooner or later
you will need to study if you want to do well in the class.
Sweet and Sour
I really like sweet
and sour chicken.
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up and down
start learning
going alternately up and down/variable
to and fro
start learning
going alternately
up and up
start learning
constantly increasing
ups and downs
start learning
troubles, complications, uncertainties
more and more
start learning
increasingly, more frequently
loads and loads
start learning
a lot
odds and ends
start learning
scraps, remnants
on and off
start learning
sometimes, infrequently
now and then
start learning
infrequently, periodically
from time to time
start learning
intermittently, ocassionally
out and about
start learning
well enough to come and go, especially after an illness
black and white
start learning
monochromatic picture, i.e. without colors
black or white
start learning
clear distinction, without any gradation
in black and white
start learning
written down or in print, therefore official
bits and pieces
start learning
things, elements
far and wide
start learning
for a great distance, over a large area
flora and fauna
start learning
plants and animals
give or take
start learning
approximately
plus or minus
start learning
approximately, nearly
more or less
start learning
approximately, roughly
peace and quiet
start learning
tranquillity and freedom from disturbance
pick and choose
start learning
select with great care
sick and tired
start learning
annoyed and tired by reason of excess
sooner or later
start learning
eventually, at some unspecified future time
song and dance
start learning
an elaborate story or effort to explain and justify something, or to deceive and mislead someone
then and there = there and then
start learning
at that precise time and place, on the spot