Minimal Pair List Vowels 13 and 15, / eɪ / versus / ɔɪ / 108 pairs


   Minimal pair: Vowels 13 and 15, / eɪ / versus / ɔɪ / 108 pairs

The / eɪ / diphthong is spelled <aCe>, <ai>, <ay> or <ei> in neighs , and occurs in the letter name K . The / ɔɪ / diphthong is spelled <oi> or <oy>.

This is a contrast between two closing diphthongs with very different starting positions. It is not a problem for learners.

Interesting pairs include:

later loiter
mason moisten

As the / ɔɪ / diphthong is fairly rare, the density figure is one of the highest at 13.8%. The set makes 51 semantic contrasts giving a loading of 47.2%.

ail oil
  ailed oiled
  ailing oiling
  ails oils
ale oil
  ales oils
allay alloy
  allayed alloyed
  allaying alloying
  allays alloys
bail boil
  bailed boiled
  bailing boiling
  bails boils
bale boil
  bales boils  
  baled boiled
  baling bpoiling
bay boy
  bays boys
bay buoy  
  bayed buoyed
  baying buoying
  bays buoys
bey boy
  beys boys
bey buoy
  beys buoys  
braille broil
cane coin
  caned coined
  canes coins
  caning coining
chase choice
  chases choices
clay cloy
daily doily
  dailies doilies
decay decoy
  decayed decoyed
  decaying decoying
  decays decoys
distrait destroy 
fable foible
  fables foibles
faced foist
fail foil
  failed foiled
  failing foiling
  fails foils
fey Fowey 
gaiter goitre
  gaiters goitres
grain groin
  grained groined
  grains groins
haste hoist
jade joyed
Jane join
jay joy
  jays joys
K coy
kail coil 
Kate quoit
lain loin
lane loin
  lanes loins
later loiter
mail moil
  mailed moiled
  mailing moiling
  mails moils
male moil
  males moils  
mason moisten
  masons moistens
neighs noise
paint point
  painted pointed
  painting pointing
  paints points
painter pointer
  painters pointers
pays poise
play ploy
  plays ploys
ray Roy
repaint repoint
  repainted repointed
  repainting repointing
  repaints repoints
sail soil
  sailed soiled
  sailing soiling
  sails soils
sale soil
  sales soils  
say soy
survey savoy 
  surveys savoys 
tail toil
  tailed toiled
  tailing toiling
  tails toils
tailor toiler
  tailors toilers
tray troy
vale voile