Minimal pairs

A minimal pair is two words that differ by only one sound, which may easily confuse English learners, like /ɪ/ in “ship” v.s. /i/ in “sheep”; or /s/ in “place” v.s. /z/ in “plays“.

Minimal pairs: Vowels

1.  ship or sheep (/ɪ/ or /i/) (HIGH FL)
2.  Fill v.s. feel (HIGH FL)
3.  hut or hot (/ʌ/ or /ɑ/) (HIGH FL)
4.  bed or bad /e/ or /æ/ (HIGH FL)
5.  hut or hat (/ʌ/ or /ae/) (HIGH FL)
6.  bag or bug (/ʌ/ or /ae/) (HIGH FL)
7.  beg or big (/e/ or /ɪ/) (HIGH FL)
8.  it or ate (/ɪ/ or /eɪ/) (HIGH FL)
9.  pull or pool /ʊ/ or /u/ (LOW FL)
10.  were or war (/ɜr/ or /ɔr/) (LOW FL)
11.  potty or party (/ɑ/ or /ɑr/) (LOW FL)
12.  were or wall (/ɜr/ or /ɑ/) (HIGH FL)
13. knot or note (/ɑ/ or /oʊ/) (HIGH FL)
14. Different vowels + /l/ (full or fool)

Minimal pairs: Consonants

Sibilant sounds

1.  place or plays (/s/ or /z/) (HIGH FL)
2.  sea or she (/s/ or /ʃ/) (HIGH FL)
3.  Cheap or Jeep (“ch” or /dʒ/) (LOW FL)
4.  you or Jew (/j/ or /ʤ/) (LOW FL)
5.  chain or train (/ʧ/ or /tr/) (LOW FL)

Stop consonants: p, b, t, d, k, g

1.  tank or thank (/t/ or /θ/) (LOW FL)
2.  Day or they (/d/ or /ð/) (LOW FL)
3.  pay or bay (/p/ or /b/) (HIGH FL)
4.  Ant or and (/t/ or /d/) – final sound (HIGH FL)
5.  To or do (/t/ or /d/) (HIGH FL)
6.  Came or game (/k/ or /g/) (HIGH FL)

The rest of the consonants

1. 1. Think or sink (/θ/ or /s/) (LOW FL)
   2. Train or drain (/tr/ or /dr/) (LOW FL)
   3. Tree or three (/tr/ or /θr/) (LOW FL)
   4. Cancel or cancer (/l/ or /r/) (HIGH FL)
   5. Light or right (/l/ or /r/) (HIGH FL)
   6. Play or pray (/l/ or /r/) (HIGH FL)
   7. Low or no (/l/ or /n/) (HIGH FL)
   8. Sin or sing (/n/ or /ŋ/) ((LOW FL)
   9. Thing or think (/ŋ/ or /ŋk/) (LOW FL)
   10. Fan or van (/f/ of /v/ – Initial sound) (HIGH FL)
   11. Grief or grieve (/f/ or /v/ – Final sound) (HIGH FL)
   12. Very or berry (/v/ or /b/) (HIGH FL)
   13. Volley or wally (/v/ or /w/) (LOW FL)