Unit 7.1
Minimal pairs
Introduction
A minimal pair is a pair of words that differ in a single phoneme.
Form
Minimal pairs show two words together that only change in one phoneme which is in the same position in both words. They normally confuse non-native speakers due to their similarity.
The phoneme that changes can either be a consonant or a vowel sound.
Some typical minimal pairs are:
| Sounds | Words |
| /p/ - /b/ | pin - bin |
| /s/ - /z/ | bus - buzz |
| /f/ - /θ/ | free - three |
| /dʒ/ - /j/ | jaw - your |
| /æ/ - /e/ | bad - bed |
| /ɒ/ - /ɔ:/ | cot - caught |
- As it can be seen, the words are almost equal in sound, not in their written form
Example
- sit –seat;
- bat – but;
- so – saw;
- pin - bin.
Use
Minimal pairs are often used to show that two sounds contrast in a language.