Minimal Pair List Vowels 2 and 16, / ɪ / and / əʊ / 380 pairs


   Minimal pair: Vowels 2 and 16, / ɪ / and / əʊ / 380 pairs
  Vowel / ɪ / is generally spelled <i> or <y>. The / əʊ / diphthong turns up in numerous different spellings including <o>, <oe>, <oa>, <ow>, <oCe> and in French loan words <eau> and <ot> ( pierrot ).

These two sounds are far enough apart for the contrast to cause no problems, although individually the two sounds are among the trickiest for learners to produce.

Taboo word pairings are pissed/post , tits/totes and willie/willow .

Interesting pairs include:

commission commotion
ditty dhoti
ditty ditto
ellipse elopes
grotty grotto
monarchy Monaco
pittances potencies
tittle total

Although the mean density is 1.9%, this conceals a very high density (17.8%) from the diphthong side. The list makes 214 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 56%.

abbey Abo 
  abbeys Abos 
Ali aloe
alley aloe
  alleys aloes
bandy bandeau 
  bandies bandeaux 
Barry barrow
belly bellow 
  bellied bellowed
  bellies bellows
  bellying bellowing 
Bernie Brno
bestrid bestrode
Bicester boaster
bid bode
  bidding boding
  bids bodes
bill bole
  bills boles
billed bold
billy billow
  billies billows
bin bone
  bins bones
bit boat
  bits boats
bitter boater
  bitters boaters
biz beaux 
built bolt
breeches broaches
brick broke
brig brogue
  brigs brogues
builder bolder 
builders boulders 
Cali Carlow
chick choke
  chicks chokes
click cloak
  clicked cloaked
  clicking cloaking
  clicks cloaks
commission commotion
  commissions commotions
convict convoked
crick croak
  cricked croaked
  cricking croaking
  cricks croaks
Crosby crossbow
dill dole
dim dome
  dimmed domed
  dims domes
dinner donor
  dinners donors
dint don't
dip dope
  dipped doped
  dipping doping
  dips dopes
ditty dhoti
  ditties dhotis 
ditty ditto 
dizzies dozes
djinn Joan 
doggie doggo
dominie domino
  dominies dominoes
drill droll
ellipse elopes
emission emotion
  emissions emotions
evict evoked
fairy Pharaoh 
  fairies Pharaohs 
fickle focal
fill foal
  filled foaled
  filling foaling
  fills foals
fin phone
  finned phoned
  fins phones
Finn phone
  Finns phones
fix folks
fizz foes
flit float
  flits floats
  flitted floated
  flitting floating
folly follow 
  follies follows
frizz froze
galleys gallows
gild gold
gill goal
  gills goals		 
gillie goalie
  gillies goalies
gin Joan
glib globe
grin groan
  grinned groaned
  grinning groaning
  grins groans
grip grope
  gripped groped
  gripping groping
  grips gropes
grist grossed
grit groat
  grits groats
grotty grotto 
gusty gusto 
Halle hallow	
harry harrow
  harried harrowed
  harries harrows
  harrying harrowing 
hicks hoax
hid hoed
hill hole
  hills holes
hilly holy
  hillier holier
  hilliest holiest
him home
hip hope 
  hips hopes
hippie hippo
  hippies hippos
his hoes
hissed host 
holly hollow
homey homo		
hymn home
  hymning homing 
  hymned homed
  hymns homes 
id ode
idiom odium
if oaf
in own
inner owner
inning owning  
inn own
  inns owns
intermezzi intermezzo
is O's 
it oat
  its oats
jib job 
  jibs jobs 
jilt jolt
  jilted jolted
  jilting jolting
  jilts jolts
Judy judo
kick coke 
  kicked coked 
  kicking coking 
  kicks coax 
kid code 
  kidded coded 
  kidding coding 
  kids codes 
kill coal 
  killed coaled 
  killing coaling 
  kills coals 
killers colas 
kilt colt 
  kilts colts 
kin Colne 
kip cope 
  kipped coped 
  kipping coping 
  kips copes 
kissed coast 
kit coat 
  kits coats 
  kitted coated 
  kitting coating 
knit note
  knitted noted
  knitting noting
Kobe kobo
Lib lobe	   
lid lode
lid load	
  lidded loaded
  lids loads
lift loafed
Lily lowly
lip lope
  lipped loped
  lips lopes
lives loaves
Liz lows
limb loam
limn loam
Lymm loam
maestri maestro
Mali Marlow
marry marrow 
  marries marrows
Mick moke
mid mode
middle modal
mill mole
  mills moles
milled mould 
miller molar
  millers molars
milt moult
missed most
mist most
mission motion
  missions motions
mitt moat
  mitts moats
mix mokes
monarchy Monaco 
Ms mows
nibble noble
  nibbles nobles
nil knoll 
nip nope
nit note
  nits notes
obi oboe
  obis oboes
oozy ouzo
paces pesos
panty panto
  panties pantos
peaky pekoe
peri pierrot
  peris pierrots
pick poke
  picked poked
  picking poking
  picks pokes
picker poker
  pickers pokers
pill pole
  pills poles 
pillar polar
pillow polo
pinny pony
  pinnies ponies
pin pone
  pins pones
pip Pope 
  pips Popes 
pissed post
pistil postal  
pitch poach
  pitched poached
  pitches poaches
  pitching poaching
pitcher poacher
  pitchers poachers
pittances potencies
quit quote
  quits quotes
  quitted quoted
  quitting quoting
quitters quotas
remit remote
rib robe
  ribbed robed
  ribbing robing
  ribs robes
rich roach
  riches roaches
rid road
  rids roads
rig rogue
  rigs rogues
rill rôle 
  rills rôles 
rim Rome 
rim roam
  rimmed roamed
  rimming roaming
  rims roams
rip rope
  ripped roped
  ripping roping
  rips ropes
river rover
  rivers rovers
sally sallow
  sallied sallowed
  sallies sallows
  sallying sallowing 
shilling shoaling
shin shewn 
sic soak
sick soak
  sicked soaked
  sicking soaking
  sicks soaks
Sid sewed
sill sole
sills soles
sill soul
  sills souls
sillies solos
silly solely
sip soap
  sipped soaped
  sipping soaping
  sips soaps
skilled scold 
skip scope 
slid slowed
slip slope
  slipped sloped
  slipping sloping
  slips slopes
solely solo
sorry sorrow
spick spoke
stick stoke
  sticked stoked
  sticker stoker
  stickers stokers
  sticking stoking
  sticks stokes
still stole
  stills stoles
strict stroked
tally tallow 
tarry taro 
tic toque
tick togue
  ticks toques
tilde told
till toll
  tills tolls
Tim tome   
tin tone
  tinned toned
  tinning toning
  tins tones
tinny Tony 
tip tope
  tipped toped
  tipping toping
  tips topes
tit tote
  tits totes
tittle total
trill troll
  trilled trolled
  trilling trolling
  trills trolls
trip trope
  trips tropes
truces trousseaus 
verses versos
Wally wallow
whinny winnow
  whinnied winnowed
  whinnies winnows
  whinnying winnowing
whiz woes
wick woke
willed wold
willie willow
  willies willows
windy window 
wrist roast 
  wrists roasts 
writ rote