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Minimal Pairs Filter: British English

Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ by only one sound: ship and sheep, berry and very. They are one of the best ways to train your ear to hear the difference between two English sounds, and then to produce that difference yourself. Tap any contrast below to see only the words from those pairs.

More about these minimal pairs

Some of these contrasts only exist in British English. Because British English is non-rhotic (the letter r is not generally pronounced after a vowel), cut and cart differ only in their vowel. And words like aunt, heart and hard take the long /ɑː/ vowel, giving contrasts with /æ/ that American English doesn't have. The /ɒ/ vs /ɔː/ contrast (cot vs caught) is also clearer in British English than in many American accents.

See our US Minimal Pairs filter and the original UK Vowel Sounds Word Filter.

 
Vowel contrasts
Consonant contrasts

🔊 Tap any word to hear its pronunciation.

/ɪ/ vs /iː/

it eat hit heat chip cheap list least hill heel rich reach bit beat grin green still steal fill feel mill meal pitch peach fit feet slip sleep live leave ship sheep sit seat bin bean

/e/ vs /æ/

pet pat said sad guess gas send sand bet bat merry marry bend band men man dead dad met mat kettle cattle gem jam shell shall beg bag flesh flash pen pan

/æ/ vs /ʌ/

track truck cat cut hat hut bag bug ankle uncle stamp stump mad mud match much cap cup fan fun sang sung drank drunk ran run batter butter

/ɒ/ vs /ɔː/

fox forks shot short cod cord pot port cot caught spot sport stock stalk don dawn

/ʌ/ vs /ɑː/

duck dark cut cart bun barn cup carp hut heart hum harm come calm much march

/æ/ vs /ɑː/

hat heart had hard am arm pack park cat cart pat part ban barn ant aunt

/ʊ/ vs /uː/

would wooed full fool pull pool soot suit look Luke

/e/ vs /eɪ/

get gate pepper paper west waist sell sale wet wait let late test taste tell tale pen pain men main

/ɒ/ vs /əʊ/

got goat cost coast rod road not note sock soak hop hope clock cloak cod code

/ɪə/ vs /eə/

beer bear ear air here hair cheer chair fear fair steer stair

/ʃ/ vs /tʃ/

wish witch shop chop sheep cheap ship chip cash catch mash match share chair shin chin dish ditch wash watch shoes choose sherry cherry

/s/ vs /θ/

sought thought sin thin face faith force fourth pass path mouse mouth sick thick worse worth sum thumb sink think

/t/ vs /θ/

taught thought tree three tick thick team theme boat both tin thin tank thank true through

/d/ vs /ð/

dare there doze those den then breed breathe day they

/l/ vs /r/

load road alive arrive glass grass lane rain flee free led red law raw collect correct fly fry belly berry lamp ramp lock rock play pray light right long wrong lice rice

/p/ vs /b/

pull bull pat bat cap cab pin bin peach beach rope robe pear bear pea bee pack back pig big

/b/ vs /v/

best vest bet vet boat vote marble marvel berry very curb curve ban van bat vat

/f/ vs /v/

safe save fan van fault vault leaf leave fast vast ferry very fine vine few view

/v/ vs /w/

vet wet vest west vow wow verse worse veil whale vine wine

/s/ vs /z/

place plays sip zip peace peas price prize rice rise ice eyes bus buzz sue zoo

/n/ vs /ŋ/

kin king thin thing ran rang fan fang win wing ban bang sun sung ton tongue sin sing run rung
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