Minimal Pair List Vowels 4 and 15, /æ/ versus / ɔɪ / 33 pairs


   Minimal pair: Vowels 4 and 15, /æ/ versus / ɔɪ / 33 pairs

The /æ/ vowel is spelled <a> followed by two consonants or by one consonant in a monosyllable. The / ɔɪ / diphthong is spelled <oi> or <oy>.

This contrast is between a short vowel and a diphthong with the sounds well separated in the mouth, so it should not cause any problems.

Interesting pairs include:

dally doily
tracker troika

Since the / ɔɪ / is very infrequent in the language, the density value is unexpectedly high at 4.2%. The pairs make 20 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 60.1%.

Al oil
Ali oily
aster oyster
  asters oysters
bad buoyed
caff coif
  caffs coifs
can coign
  cans coigns
can coin
  cans coins
  canned coined
  canning coining
canna coiner
  cannas coiners
cat quoit
  cats quoits
clad cloyed
dally doily
  dallies doilies
grand groined
hast hoist
Jan join
jazz joys
lads Lloyd's 
latter loiter
massed moist
pant point
  panted pointed
  panting pointing
  pants points   
tracker troika
  trackers troikas