Minimal Pair List Vowels 3 and 17, /e/ versus / aʊ / 118 pairs
The /e/ vowel is spelled <e>, <ea> in ready and occcurs in the letter name L . The diphthong / aʊ / is spelled <ow>, <ou>, and <au> in one of the two common pronunciations of sauna .
This is a contrast bewteen a short front vowel and a back closing diphthong and is not a problem for learners.
The mean density is 1.3%. The pairs make 61 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 51%.
abet about ate out bed bowed befell befoul bend bound bended bounded bending bounding bends bounds bet bout bets bouts Bren brown Brens browns Cheddar chowder cleanse clowns debt doubt debts doubts den down dens downs Denny downy Des dhows etch ouch expend expound expended expounded expending expounding expends expounds fell foul felled fouled felling fouling fells fouls fend found fended founded fending founding fends founds fender founder fenders founders friend frowned gel jowl gels jowls get gout held howled hell howl hells howls impend impound impended impounded impending impounding impends impounds jelly jowly jest joust jested jousted jesting jousting jests jousts Kent count Kerry cowrie ketch couch ketches couches L owl L's owls lead loud less louse let lout let's louts meant mount mend mound mends mounds merry Maori mess mouse messed moused messes mouses messing mousing messy mousy messier mousier messiest mousiest ness nous net knout nets knouts pence pounce pend pound pending pounding pends pounds penned pound pet pout petted pouted petting pouting pled ploughed Pres prows read rowed ready rowdy readier rowdier readies rowdies readiest rowdiest readily rowdily readiness rowdiness rend round rending rounding rends rounds render rounder renders rounders res rouse says sows send sound sending sounding sends sounds senna sauna shred shroud shredded shrouded shredding shrouding shreds shrouds stet stout ten town tens towns unbend unbound vetch vouch vetches vouches wend wound yell yowl yelled yowled yelling yowling yells yowls
