Minimal Pair List Consonants /p/ versus /h/, 378 pairs


   Minimal pair: Consonants /p/ versus /h/, 378 pairs

The spelling of /p/ is always either <p> or <pp>. The /h/ sound is spelled <h> or <wh> in who and whore . Notice that this contrast only occurs with the initial sound in the word. The /h/ sound, of course, does not occur finally in RP, and it seems that there are no pairs of the *bepest/behest pattern, although there is no reason why they should not exist. The pair partake/heartache differ in stress, but seemed close enough to include in this set.

The contrast is between a stop and a fricative, both voiceless but fairly well separated in the mouth. It is unlikely to be a problem.

The only pairs involving any taboo words are pee/he and piss/hiss and their inflections.

Interesting pairs include

paddock haddock
pardon harden
pelmet helmet
permit hermit
pierrot hero
pillory Hilary
pollster holster
puma humour

The mean density value is 4.1%. The list makes 195 semantic distinctions, a loading of 52%.

P he
  P's he's
pa ha 
paced haste 
pack hack 
  packed hacked 
  packing hacking 
  packs hacks 
pact hacked
pad had 
paddock haddock 
pah ha
pail hail 
  pails hails 
pail hale
pair hair
  pairs hairs
pair hare
  paired hared 
  pairing haring 
  pairs hares
pair Herr 
pal Hal 
pale hail
  paled hailed 
  pales hails
  paling hailing
pale hale
paling Hayling 
pall hall
  palls halls 
pall haul
  palled hauled 
  palling hauling 
  palls hauls
pally Halle 
palm harm 
  palmed harmed 
  palming harming
  palms harms 
palter halter 
  palters halters 
Pam ham
pamper hamper 
  pampered hampered 
  pampering hampering 
  pampers hampers 
pang hang
  pangs hangs 
panned hand
pap hap 
par ha
pardon harden 
  pardoned hardened 
  pardoning hardening
  pardons hardens 
pare hair
  pares hairs
pare hare
  pared hared
  pares hares
  paring haring
pare Herr
park hark 
  parked harked 
  parking harking 
  parks harks 
parr ha
parry harry 
  parried harried 
  parries harries 
  parrying harrying 
part hart
  parts harts
part heart
  parts hearts
  parted hearted 
partake heartache
  partakes heartaches
partly Hartley 
party hearty 
pasha harsher
paste haste
pasty hasty 
  pastier hastier 
  pastiest hastiest 
pastings Hastings 
pat hat
  pats hats
patch hatch
  patched hatched 
  patches hatches 
  patching hatching 
pate hate 
  pates hates 
path hearth
patter hatter 
  patters hatters 
Paul hall
Paul haul
paunch haunch
  paunches haunches 
pause haws 
pause whores
paw haw 
  pawed hawed 
  pawing hawing 
  paws haws
paw hoar
paw whore
  paws whores
pawed hoard
pawed horde
pawl hall
  pawls halls
pawl haul
  pawls hauls
pawn horn 
  pawned horned 
  pawning horning 
  pawns horns 
pax hacks
pay hay 
pay hey
payday heyday 
pays haze 
pea he
  peas he's
peal heal
  pealed healed 
  pealing healing 
  peals heals
peal heel
  pealed heeled
  pealing heeling
  peals heels
peal he'll
pear hair
  pears hairs
pear hare
  pears hares
pear Herr
pearl hurl
  pearled hurled 
  pearling hurling 
  pearls hurls 
pease he's
peat heat
peck heck 
  pecks hecks 
pectic hectic 
pee he
  peed he'd
  pees he's
peed heed
peel heal
  peeled healed
  peeling healing
  peels heals
peel heel
  peeled heeled
  peeling heeling
  peels heels
peel he'll
peeler healer 
  peelers healers 
peeped heaped 
  peeping heaping 
peer hear 
  peering hearing 
  peers hears 
peer here
  peers here's
peeve heave 
  peeved heaved 
  peeves heaves 
  peeving heaving 
pelmet helmet 
  pelmets helmets 
pen hen 
  pens hens 
pence hence 
pep hep 
per her 
perilled herald 
permit hermit 
  permits hermits 
pert hurt 
Pete heat
peter heater
  peters heaters 
pew hew
  pews hews 
pew hue
  pews hues
pew Hugh
pi hi 
pi hie
  pis hies
pi high
pica hiker
pick hick
  picks hicks
pie hi
pie hie
  pied hied
  pies hies 
pie high
pied hide
pied Hyde
pier hear
  piers hears
pier here
  piers here's
pierrot hero 
  pierrots heroes 
pike hike 
  pikes hikes 
pill hill
  pills hills
pillory Hilary 
pined hind 
piss hiss
  pissed hissed
  pisses hisses
  pissing hissing
pit hit 
  pitting hitting 
  pits hits
pitch hitch
  pitched hitched
  pitches hitches
  pitching hitching
pock hock 
  pocked hocked 
  pocks hocks 
pod hod 
  pods hods 
pokes hoax 
pole hole
  poles holes
pole whole
  poles wholes
poll hole
  polled holed
  polling holing
  polls holes
poll whole
  polls wholes
pollard hollered 
polled hold 
pollster holster 
  pollsters holsters 
Polly holly
poly holly
pone hone 
  pones hones 
poof hoof 
  poofs hoofs 
pooh Hoo 
pooh who
pool who'll
Poole who'll
poop hoop 
  poops hoops 
pop hop 
  popped hopped 
  popping hopping 
  pops hops 
pope hope 
  popes hopes
poppas hoppers 
pore haw
  pored hawed
  pores haws
pore hoar
pore whore
  pores whores
pored hoard
pored horde
pork hawk 
porker hawker 
  porkers hawkers 
porn horn
pose hoes 
pose hose
  posed hosed 
  poses hoses 
  posing hosing 
posies hoses
post host 
  posted hosted 
  posting hosting 
  posts hosts 
pot hot 
  pots hots 
  potted hotted 
  potting hotting 
pothead hothead 
  potheads hotheads 
pothouse hothouse 
  pothouses hothouses 
potter hotter 
pouffe hoof
  pouffes hoofs
pound hound 
  pounded hounded 
  pounding hounding 
  pounds hounds 
pour haw
  poured hawed
  pours haws
pour hoar
pour whore
  pours whores
poured hoard
poured horde
powder howdah
  powders howdahs 
powered Howard 
pox hocks
pub hub 
  pubs hubs 
pud hood 
pudding hooding 
puddle huddle 
  puddled huddled 
  puddles huddles 
  puddling huddling 
puff huff 
  puffed huffed 
  puffing huffing
  puffs huffs 
puffy huffy 
  puffier huffier 
  puffiest huffiest 
pug hug 
  pugs hugs 
puma humour
  pumas humours 
pump hump 
  pumped humped 
  pumping humping 
  pumps humps 
pun Hun
  puns Huns 
punch hunch
  punched hunched 
  punches hunches
  punching hunching 
punk hunk 
  punks hunks 
punkahs hunkers 
punt hunt 
  punted hunted 
  punting hunting 
  punts hunts 
punter hunter 
  punters hunters 
purl hurl
  purled hurled
  purling hurling
  purls hurls
purr her
  purrs hers 
purred heard 
purred herd
purse hearse 
  purses hearses 
putt hut 
  putts huts 
  putted hutted 
puttied hutted
pyre higher 
pyre hire
  pyres hires 
pyx hicks

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