Minimal Pair List Vowels 1 and 6, /i/ and /ɒ/ 361 pairs


   Minimal pair: Vowels 1 and 6, /i/ and /ɒ/ 361 pairs

We see the usual range of spellings for /i/ in this list, with <ee> and <ea> being the commonest. The /ɒ/ vowel is normally <o> in a monosyllable or before two consonants. We also have <oCV> in dolour , <au> in Aussie , and <a> after <w> in swap , was and wand .

In this list we have a long vowel in contrast with a short one, so that all the contrasts occur in closed syllables. The two sounds are sufficiently remote to cause no difficulty for any groups of learners.

The only slight potential for an embarrassing confusion would be wees / was .

Interesting pairs include:

beetle bottle
creeper cropper
fiend fond
needed nodded
Modena madonna
Maureen moron
pieces posses
scenic sonic
sepia soppier
squealer squalor

The mean density is 5.1%. The set makes 181 semantic contrasts giving a loading of almost exactly 50%.

beach botch
  beached botched
  beaches botches
  beaching botching
beady body
beagle boggle
  beagles boggles
  beagling boggling
beaks box
beam bomb
  beamed bombed
  beaming bombing
  beams bombs
bean Bonn
beast bossed
beech botch
  beeches botches
been Bonn
beetle bottle
  beetled bottled
  beetles bottles
  beetling bottling
betel bottle
  betels bottles
bleach blotch
  bleaches blotches
bleak bloc
bleak block
bleat blot
  bleated blotted
  bleating blotting
  bleats blots
bean Bonn
canteen canton
  canteens cantons
cede sod
  ceded sodded
  cedes sods
  ceding sodding
cheap chop
  cheaper chopper
cheek choc
  cheeks chocs
cheek chock
  cheeked chocked
  cheeking chocking
  cheeks chocks
cheap chop
cheep chop
  cheeped chopped
  cheeping chopping
  cheeps chops
chic shock
cleat clot
  cleats clots
clique clock
  cliques clocks
creak crock
  creaked crocked
  creaking crocking
  creaks crocks
crease cross
  creased crossed
  creases crosses
  creasing crossing
creek crock
  creeks crocks
creep crop
  creeper cropper
  creepers croppers
  creeping cropping
  creeps crops
deal doll
  deals dolls
dealer dolour
  dealers dolours
dealer dollar
  dealers dollars
dealing dolling
dean don
  deans dons
e'en on
E's oz
ease oz
easy Aussie
eases Aussies
eater otter
  eaters otters
eked Oct
ekes ox
Ely Ollie
eve of
feeder fodder
fiend fond
fleece floss
freak frock
  freaks frocks
gene John
genie Johnny
greet grot
  greets grots
he'd hod
healer holler
  healers hollers
heap hop
  heaped hopped
  heaping hopping
  heaps hops
heat hot
  heated hotted
  heater hotter
  heating hotting
  heats hots
heed hod
  heeds hods
jean John
Jeanie Johnny
keel col
  keels cols 
keen con 
  keened conned 
  keening conning
  keens cons
keep cop
keeper copper 
  keepers coppers 
  keeping copping 
  keeps cops 
keeps copse
keyed cod
knead nod
  kneaded nodded
  kneading nodding
  kneads nods
leads Lodz
leafed loft
league log
  leagued logged
  leagues logs
  leaguing logging
leak loch
  leaks lochs
leak lock
  leaked locked
  leaking locking
  leaks locks
leak lough
  leaks loughs
leal loll
leap lop
  leaped lopped
  leaping lopping
  leaps lops
lease loss
  leased lost
  leases losses
least lost
Leeds Lodz
leek loch
  leeks lochs
leek lock
  leeks locks
leek lough
  leeks loughs
lied lot
liege lodge
  lieges lodges
Lille loll
Maureen moron
mead mod
  meads mods
meal moll
  meals molls
mealie Molly
mealy Molly
Meath moth
meek mock
  meeker mocker
mead Mod 
  meads Mods
mealie Molly
meed mod
  meeds mods
meek mock
  meeker mocker
meeker mocha
Modena Madonna
neat knot 
neat not
need nod
  needed nodded
  needing nodding
  needs nods
needle noddle
  needles noddles
peaceable possible
  peaceably possibly
peak pock
  peaked pocked
  peaks pocks
peaks pox
peal poll
  peals polls
peat pot
peaty potty
  peatier pottier
  peatiest pottiest
peed pod
peek pock
  peeked pocked
  peeks pocks
peeks pox
peel poll
  peels polls
peep pop
  peeped popped
  peeping popping
  peeps pops
peeper poppa
  peepers poppas
peke pock
  pekes pocks
pekes pox
Pete pot
peter potter
  petered pottered
  petering pottering
  peters potters
phoenix phonics
pieces posses
pique pock
  piqued pocked
  piques pocks
piques pox
plead plod
  pleaded plodded
  pleading plodding
  pleadingly ploddingly
  pleads plods
pleat plot
  pleated plotted
  pleating plotting
  pleats plots
protein proton
  proteins protons
quiche cosh 
  quiches coshes 
read rod
  reads rods
ream rhomb
  reams rhombs
reed rod
  reeds rods
reek roc
  reeks rocs
reek rock
  reeked rocked
  reeking rocking
  reeks rocks
Rheims rhombs
Rita rotter
scenic sonic
seal Sol 
seat sot
  seats sots
seed sod
  seeded sodded
  seeding sodding
  seeds sods
seek Soc
seek sock
  seeking socking
  seeks socks
seeker soccer
seep sop
  seeped sopped
  seeping sopping
  seeps sops
senior Sonia
sepia soppier
she'd shod
sheen shone
sheep shop
sheet shot
  sheets shots
Sikh sock
  Sikhs socks
skeet Scot 
  skeets Scots
sleep slop
  sleepier sloppier
  sleepiest sloppiest
  sleepily sloppily
  sleepiness sloppiness
  sleeping slopping
  sleeps slops
  sleepy sloppy
sleet slot
  sleeted slotted
  sleeting slotting
  sleets slots
squealer squalor 
steep stop
  steeped stopped
  steeper stopper
  steeping stopping
  steeps stops
suite swat
  suites swats
suite swot
  suites swots
sweep swap 
  sweeping swapping
  sweeps swaps
sweet swat
  sweets swats
sweet swot
  sweets swots
team Tom
teat tot
  teats tots
teem Tom
teeter totter
  teetered tottered
  teetering tottering
  teeters totters
team Tom 
treat trot
  treated trotted
  treating trotting
  treats trots
treed trod
veal vol
wean wan
weaned wand
weed wad
  weeded wadded 
  weeding wadding 
  weeds wads
weedy wadi
weeds wads 
wean wan 
weaned wand
wees was
wheat watt 
wheat what
weep whop
  weeping whopping
  weeps whops
wheedle waddle 
  wheedled waddled 
  wheedles waddles
  wheedling waddling 
wheeze was
wreak roc
  wreaks rocs
wreak rock
  wreaked rocked
  wreaking rocking
  wreaks rocks
wreath wrath