Minimal Pair List Consonants /p/ versus /l/, 684 pairs


   Minimal pair: Consonants /p/ versus /l/, 684 pairs

The spelling of /p/ is always either <p> or <pp>. The /l/ sound is spelled <ll> or <l>. There is one minimal pair which contrasts /p/ with a syllabic /l/: wisp/whistle . Another doubtful case is soapy/solely , since in careful speech the /l/ is likely to be held and perceived as two /l/ sounds. Where the contrast is final, inflected forms have been included although they appear not to be strictly minimal. (See "Problems" on the main page.)

The contrast is between a voiceless plosive and a voiced lateral continuant, well apart in the mouth. It causes no problems.

Interesting pairs include:

aptitude altitude
overpay overlay
packer lacquer
panga languor
patent latent
peppered leopard
pottery lottery
spender slender
syrup Cyril

The mean density value is 3.4%. The list makes 357 semantic distinctions, a loading of 52%.

ape ail 
  aped ailed
  aping ailing 
  apes ails
ape ale
  apes ales
aptitude altitude 
  aptitudes altitudes 
armpit armlet 
  armpits armlets 
cape kale
carp Carl 
chip chill 
  chipping chilling 
  chips chills	  
  chipped chilled
chirp churl
  chirps churls
coop cool 
  cooped cooled
  cooping cooling 
  coops cools
cooper cooler
  coopers coolers 
cop col 
cope coal 
  coped coaled
  copes coals
  coping coaling 
cope kohl
coped colt 
copper choler 
  coppers cholers 
copper collar
  coppered collared 
  coppering collaring 
  coppers collars
copy collie 
  copies collies 
Corp call
Corp caul
creep creel 
  creeps creels
cup cull 
  cupped culled
  cupping culling 
  cups culls
Cupar cooler
cuppa colour
  cuppas colours 
cupped cult 
deep deal
  deeps deals
deeper dealer 
dep dell 
dip dill 
  dips dills
dope dole 
  doped doled
  dopes doles
  doping doling 
doped dolt 
drip drill 
  dripped drilled
  dripping drilling 
  drips drills
droop drool 
  drooped drooled
  drooping drooling 
  droops drools
drupe drool
dumpy dumbly 
gap gal 
  gaps gals
gape Gael 
  gapes Gaels
gape gale
  gapes gales
gawp gall
  gawped galled
  gawping galling 
  gawps galls
gawp Gaul 
grape grail 
  grapes grails
grip grill 
  gripped grilled
  gripping grilling 
  grips grills
grip grille
  grips grilles
gyp gill 
gypped jilt
hap Hal 
happy Halle 
heap he'll 
heap heal
  heaped healed
  heaping healing 
  heaps heals
heap heel
  heaped heeled
  heaping heeling
  heaps heels
hep hell 
hip hill 
  hips hills
hippie hilly 
hoop who'll
hope hole
  hoped holed
  hoping holing 
  hopes holes
hope whole
hopper holler 
  hoppers hollers 
jape gaol 
keep keel 
  keeping keeling 
  keeps keels
kept Celt 
kip kill 
  kipping killing 
kipped kilt 
kipper killer 
  kippers killers 
kopje collie
  kopjes collies
lipped lilt 
loop poop
  loops poops 
lop loll 
  lops lolls
  lopping lolling 
mop moll 
  mops molls
mope mole 
  mopes moles
moped moult
nape nail 
  napes nails
neap kneel
  neaps kneels  
neap Neil 
nip nil 
nope knoll 
opine align 
  opined aligned 
  opines aligns 
  opining aligning 
overpay overlay 
  overpaid overlaid 
  overpaying overlaying 
  overpays overlays 
P lea
  P's leas
P lee
  P's lees
P Leigh
pa la 
pace lace 
  paced laced 
  paces laces 
  pacing lacing 
pack lack 
  packed lacked 
  packing lacking 
  packs lacks 
packer lacquer 
  packers lacquers 
packs lax
pact lacked
pad lad 
  pads lads 
Paddy laddie
  Paddies laddies
paean Leon 
pah la
paid lade
pain lain 
pain lane
  pains lanes 
pair lair 
  pairs lairs 
paired laird 
pal lap 
palmer lama
  palmers lamas
palmer llama
  palmers llamas
Pam lam
Pam lamb
pane lain
pane lane
  panes lanes
panga languor
panned land
pap pal 
paper paler 
papist palest 
par la
parch larch 
  parches larches 
pare lair
  pares lairs
pared laird
park lakh 
  parks lakhs 
park lark
  parked larked 
  parking larking 
  parks larks
Parma lama
Parma llama
parr la
parry Larry 
party lathi 
  parties lathis 
passed last 
past last
  pasts lasts 
paste laced
Pat lat
patch latch 
  patched latched 
  patches latches 
  patching latching 
pate late 
patent latent 
path lath
  paths laths 
patter latter 
paunch launch 
  paunches launches 
pause laws 
pave lave 
  paved laved 
  paves laves 
  paving laving 
paw law 
  paws laws
paw lor
paw lore
pawed laud 
pawed lord
pawn lawn 
  pawns lawns 
pawn lorn
pax lacks
pax lax
pay lay 
  paid laid
  paying laying 
  pays lays 
pay ley
  pays leys
payee lei
  payees leis
payer layer 
  payers layers 
pays laze
pea lea
  peas leas
pea lee
  peas lees
pea Leigh
peace lease
peach leach 
  peached leached 
  peaches leaches 
  peaching leaching 
peach leech
  peaches leeches
peak leak
  peaked leaked
  peaking leaking
  peaks leaks
peak leek
  peaks leeks
peaky leaky 
  peakier leakier 
  peakiest leakiest 
pear lair
  pears lairs
pease leas
pease lees
peat lied
pee lea
  pees leas
pee lee
  pees lees
pee Leigh
peed lead
peek leak
  peeked leaked
  peeking leaking
  peeks leaks
peek leek
  peeks leeks
peep peal 
  peeped pealed
  peeping pealing 
  peeps peals
peeper peeler 
  peepers peelers 
peer leer 
  peered leered 
  peering leering 
  peers leers 
peeve leave
  peeves leaves
  peeving leaving
peg leg
  pegging legging 
  pegs legs 
Peggy leggy
peke leak
  pekes leaks
peke leek
  pekes leeks
Peking leaking
pen Len 
pending lending 
penned lend 
penny Lenny 
pens lens 
peon Leon
pepped pelt 
pepper leper 
  peppers lepers 
peppered leopard 
perch lurch 
  perched lurched 
  perches lurches 
  perching lurching 
perk lurk 
  perked lurked 
  perking lurking 
  perks lurks 
pest lest 
pester Leicester 
pet let 
  pets lets
  pets let's 
  petting letting 
Pete lied
peter litre
  peters litres
pi lie 
  pis lies
pi lye
  pis lyes
pick lick
  picked licked
  picking licking
  picks licks
picker liquor 
  pickers liquors 
pie lie
  pied lied
  pies lies 
pie lye
  pies lyes
piece lease
  pieced leased
  pieces leases
  piecing leasing
pieced least
pier leer
  piers leers
pike like 
  pikes likes 
pillion Lilian 
pimp limp 
  pimped limped 
  pimping limping 
  pimps limps 
pimply limply 
pin Lynn
pinch lynch 
  pinched lynched 
  pinches lynches 
  pinching lynching 
pine line 
  pined lined 
  pines lines 
  pining lining 
ping ling
  pings lings 
pink link 
  pinked linked 
  pinking linking 
  pinks links 
pinks lynx
pip pill 
  pips pills
pipe pile
  piped piled
  piping piling 
  pipes piles
pique leak
  piqued leaked
  piques leaks
  piquing leaking
pique leek
  piques leeks
pissed list
pit lit
PO Leo
pock lock
  pocked locked 
  pocks locks 
pocket locket 
  pockets lockets 
podgier loggia
poll loll
  polls lolls 
poly lolly
  polys lollies 
pone loan 
  pones loans 
pone lone
pooh lieu 
pooh loo
Poona lunar
poop loop 
  poops loops
poor lure 
pop lop
  popped lopped 
  popping lopping 
  pops lops 
pop poll 
  pops polls
Pope lope
  Popes lopes
Pope pole 
  Popes poles
popish Polish 
poppy poly
  poppies polys 
pore law
  pores laws
pore lor
pore lore
pored laud
pored lord
porn lawn
porn lorn
pose lows 
posses losses
pot lot 
  pots lots 
potion lotion 
  potions lotions 
pottery lottery 
  potteries lotteries 
pour law
  pours laws
pour lor
pour lore
poured laud
poured lord
pout lout 
  pouts louts
powder louder 
power lour 
  powered loured 
  powering louring 
  powers lours 
pox locks
puck luck 
pucks luxe 
puff luff 
  puffed luffed 
  puffing luffing
  puffs luffs 
pug lug 
  pugs lugs 
pump lump 
  pumped lumped 
  pumping lumping 
  pumps lumps 
punch lunch
  punched lunched 
  punches lunches
  punching lunching 
pups pulse 
Pyle lisle
pyre liar 
  pyres liars 
pyre lyre
  pyres lyres
Pyrrhic lyric
pyx licks
quip quill 
quipped quilt 
rape rail 
  raped railed
  rapes rails
  raping railing 
rapid rallied 
reap reel
  reaped reeled
  reaping reeling
  reaps reels
reap real
repay relay 
  repaid relayed 
  repaying relaying 
  repays relays 
repent relent 
  repented relented 
  repenting relenting 
  repents relents 
rip rill 
  rips rills
rip Rhyl
ripe rile 
rope roll
  roped rolled
  ropes rolls
  roping rolling 
rope role
sapient salient 
  sapience salience 
sappy sally 
scoop school 
  scooped schooled
  scooping schooling 
  scoops schools
scupper sculler 
  scuppers scullers 
seep seal 
  seeped sealed
  seeping sealing
  seeps seals
seeping ceiling 
sepia Celia 
shape shale 
sheep she'll 
shipping shilling 
sip sill 
  sips sills
sipped silt 
skip skill 
soap Seoul
soap sole
  soaped soled
  soaping soling
  soaps soles
soap soul
  soaps souls
soapy solely
sop Sol
sopped SALT
spade sleighed 
Spain slain
spake slake 
spam slam 
spat slat 
  spats slats 
  spatted slatted 
spate slate 
  spates slates 
spay slay 
  spaying slaying 
  spays slays 
spay sleigh
  spayed sleighed
  spaying sleighing
  spays sleighs
speak sleek
  speaking sleeking 
  speaks sleeks
speaker sleeker
sped sled 
spender slender 
spice slice 
  spiced sliced 
  spices slices 
  spicing slicing 
spick slick
spied slide 
spire slyer 
spit slit 
  spitting slitting 
  spits slits
spite sleight 
  spites sleights 
spite slight
  spited slighted 
  spiting slighting 
  spites sleights 
Spode slowed
spore slaw
spot slot 
  spots slots 
  spotted slotted 
  spotting slotting 
spouse sloughs 
spunk slunk 
spur slur 
  spurred slurred 
  spurring slurring 
  spurs slurs 
spy sly 
steep steal 
  steeping stealing 
  steeps steals
steep steel
  steeped steeled
  steeping steeling
  steeps steels
stoop stool 
stoup stool
syrup Cyril 
tape tail 
  taped tailed
  taping tailing 
  tapes tails
tape tale
  tapes tales
taper tailor 
  tapered tailored 
  tapering tailoring 
  tapers tailors 
tapir tailor
  tapirs tailors
tip till 
  tipped tilled
  tipping tilling 
  tips tills
tipped tilt
tope toll 
  toping tolling 
torpor taller 
trip trill 
  tripped trilled
  tripping trilling 
  trips trills
trope troll 
  tropes trolls
twerp twirl
  twerps twirls
type tile 
  typed tiled
  typing tiling 
  types tiles
underpay underlay 
vapid valid 
  vapidity validity 
  vapidly validly 
viper viler 
warp wall 
  warped walled
  warping walling 
  warps walls
warps waltz 
weep weal
  weeps weals
weep we'll 
weep wheel
  weeping wheeling
  weeps wheels
wept welt 
whip will
  whipped willed
  whipping willing
  whips wills
whipped wilt
whippy Willie
whoop who'll
whoopee woolly
  whoopees woolies
whopper wallah
  whoppers wallahs 
wipe while 
  wiped whiled
  wiping whiling 
  wipes whiles
wipe wile
  wipes wiles
wisp whistle

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