Học phát âm tiếng Anh: sheep hay ship? (Minimal Pairs)

A minimal pair is two words that differs by only one sound, the ones 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” là 2 từ chỉ khác nhau duy nhất 1 âm, những âm dễ gây khó khăn cho người học tiếng Anh, như /ɪ/ trong “ship” v.s. /i/ trong “sheep”, hoặc or /s/ trong “place” v.s. /z/ trong “plays“)

Minimal pairs – vowels 

1.  ship or sheep (/ɪ/ or /i/)
2.  hut or hot (/ʌ/ or /ɒ/)
3.  bed or bad /e/ or /æ/
4.  hut or hat (/ʌ/ or /ae/)
5.  fell or fill (/e/ or /ɪ/)
6.  it or ate (/ɪ/ or /eɪ/)
7.  pull or pool /ʊ/ or /u/
8.  were or war (/ɜr/ or /ɔr/)
9.  potty or party (/ɒ/ or /ɒr/)
10.  were or wall (/ɜr/ or /ɒ/)

Minimal pairs: consonants

– Sibilant sounds

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

– Stop consonants (p, b, t, d, k, g)

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

– The rest of the consonants 

1. Think or sink (/θ/ or /s/)
2.  train or drain (/tr/ or /dr/)
3.  tree or three (/tr/ or /θr/)
4.  cancel or cancer (/l/ or /r/)
5.  low or no (/l/ or /n/)
6.  Sin or sing (/n/ or /ŋ/)
7.  thing or think (/ŋ/ or /ŋk/)