Minimal Pair List Diphthong /aʊ/ versus null, 41 pairs


   Minimal pair: Vowel 7, /ɔ/, versus null, 88 pairs

The contrasts in this list are either from a deleted initial, such as auto/toe, a deleted final open syllable, such as mentor/meant, or from a closed syllable whose consonants permit clustering, such as calling/cling.

In the third of these cases an unstressed component may move up to acquire stress, so that the contrast is not strictly minimal, though in cases where the /ɔ/ is unstressed
the contrast is more truly minimal, such as carport/carped.

There are 69 semantic contrasts in the list, giving a semantic loading of 78%.

          audibility debility
          august gust
          austere steer
          auto toe
            autos toes
          auto tow
            autos tows
          bailor bail
            bailors bails
          bailor bale
            bailors bales
          battledore battled
          before biff
          boric brick
          boring bring
          bylaw bile
          calling cling
            callings clings
          cantor cant
          carport carped
          cawing king
          centaur cent
          centaur scent
          centaur sent
          clawing cling
          concourse conks
          condor conned
          deport dipped
          discourse discs
          eyesore ice
          falling fling
          fallout flout
          folklore focal
          footsore foots
          forelock flock
          forelocks flocks
          forelocks phlox
          fretsaw frets
          hacksaw hacks
          Hawick hick
          landau land
            landaus lands
          lessor less
          matador mattered
          mentor meant
          milord milled
          Nepal nipple
          orate rate
            orated rated
            orates rates
            orating rating
          orbit bit
            orbits bits
          orchestral kestrel
          orchid kid
            orchids kids
          orchis kiss
            orchises kisses
          ordain Dane
            ordains Danes
          ordain deign
            ordained deigned
            ordaining deigning
            ordains deigns
          ordeal deal
            ordeals deals
          oriel real
          Orleans liens
          orlop lop
            orlops lops
          orotund rotund
          pawing ping
          pitsaw pits
          rapport rap
          rapport wrap
          recourse ricks
          report ripped
          restore wrist
          ripsaw rips
          sawing sing
          seaport seeped
          seesaw cease
            seesawing ceasing
          sorting sting
          storing string
          strawing string
          thawing thing
          warrantor warrant

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