Minimal Pair List Vowels 3 and 14, /e/ versus / aɪ / 241 pairs


   Minimal pair: Vowels 3 and 14, /e/ versus / aɪ / 241 pairs

The /e/ vowel is spelled <e>, <ea> in bread and occcurs in the letter names L , M and S . The diphthong / aɪ / is usually spelled with <iCe>, <i>, and <ei> in loan words from German such as Reich .

This is a contrast bewteen a short vowel and a diphthong and is not in general a problem for learners.

Interesting pairs include:

append opined
Freddie Friday
treble tribal

The mean density is 2.7%. The pairs make 138 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 57%.

abed abide
append opined
ascend assigned
beck bike
  becks bikes
bed bide
  bedded bided
  bedding biding
  beds bides
bell bile
ben bine
  bens bines
bend bind
  bending binding
  bends binds
bet bight
  bets bights
bet bite
  betting biting
  bets bites
blend blind
  blended blinded
  blending blinding
  blends blinds
bread bride
  breads brides
bred bride
Bren brine
  Brens brines
Cecil sisal
crest Christ
Clem climb
coalmen coalmine
compel compile
  compelled compiled
  compelling compiling
  compels compiles
Cres cries
dead died
deck dike
  decked diked
  decking diking
  decks dikes
defend defined
den dine
  dens dines
Des dies
dread dried
Ed I'd
Elland island
ever Ivor 
fell file
  felled filed
  felling filing
  fells files
fen fine
  fens fines
fend find
  fending finding
  fends finds
fender finder
  fenders finders
fennel final
fetter fighter
  fetters fighters
Fred fried
Freddie Friday
fret fright
  frets frights
  fretted frighted
  fretting frighting
fretful frightful
  fretfully frightfully
gels Giles 
head hide
  heads hides
heading hiding
  headings hidings
heck hike
  hecks hikes
Hetton heighten
indebted indicted
inset insight
  insets insights
ken kine
kenned kind
L I'll 
lead lied
leaden Leiden 
leaven liven
  leavened livened
  leavening livening
  leavens livens
lemming liming
Len line
lend lined
lens lines
Les lies
less lice
let light
let's lights
letter lighter
  lettered lightered
  lettering lightering
  letters lighters
letting lighting
L's aisles
M I'm 
Mecca mica
men mine
menace minus
  menaces minuses
mend mind
  mended minded
  mending minding
  mends minds
mender minder
  menders minders
mess mice
Met might
ness nice
net knight 
  nets knights 
  netted knighted 
net night
  net night  
nether neither 
Netley knightly
netting knighting 
network nightwork
peck pike
  pecks pikes
pen pine
  penned pined
  penning pining
  pens pines
pep pipe
  pepped piped
  pepping piping
  peps pipes
pepper piper
  peppers pipers
pled plied
Pres pries
Pres prize
press price
  pressed priced
  presses prices
  pressing pricing
read ride
Reading riding
red ride
  reds rides
redder rider
ref rife
rend rind
  rends rinds
Rennes Rhine
rep ripe
res rise
revel rival
  revelled rivalled
  revelling rivalling
  revelry rivalry
  revelries rivalries
  revels rivals
Rex Reichs 
S ice
  S's ices
send signed
set cite
  sets cites 
  setting citing 
set sight			
  setting sighting
  settings sightings
set site
  sets sites  
  setting siting
shed shied
sled slide 
  sleds slides
smell smile
  smelled smiled
  smelling smiling
  smells smiles
spec spike
speck spike
  specked spiked
  specks spikes
sped spied
swept swiped
tech tike
  techs tikes
Ted tide
  Teds tides
teddy tidy
  teddies tidies
tel tile
  tels tiles
tell tile  
  telling tiling
  tells tiles
ten tine 
  tens tines
tend tined
then thine
tread tried
treble tribal
tress trice
  tresses trices
unbend unbind
  unbending unbinding
  unbends unbinds
wed wide
weld whiled
weld wild
welder wilder
well while
  welling whiling
  wells whiles
wen whine
  wens whines
wen wine
  wens wines  
wend whined	 
wend wind
  wending winding
  wends winds
wept wiped
wet Wight 
wet white
  wets whites
  wetter whiter
  wettest whitest
wetting whiting
when whine
when wine
wreck Reich   
  wrecks Reichs
wren Rhine