Minimal Pair List Consonants /ʃ/ versus /h/, 150 pairs


   Minimal pair: Consonants /ʃ/ versus /h/, 150 pairs

The /ʃ/ sound is spelled with <sh> or <ch> in words of French origin. The /h/ sound is spelled with <h>. The contrast can only occur initially.

This is a contrast between an alveolar fricative and a glottal fricative, both voiceless. It is a known problem for speakers of Spanish, Greek and Russian.

The mean density value is 2.2%. The list makes 79 semantic distinctions, a loading of 53%.

chaise haze
  chaises hazes
Charlotte harlot
chute hoot
  chutes hoots
schist hissed 
Sean horn
shack hack 
  shacked hacked 
  shacking hacking 
  shacks hacks 
shackles hackles 
shad had 
shaddock haddock 
shaft haft 
  shafts hafts 
shag hag 
  shags hags 
shah ha 
shake hake 
shale hail 
shale hale
shall Hal 
shallow hallow 
  shallowed hallowed 
  shallowing hallowing 
  shallows hallows 
sham ham 
  shammed hammed 
  shamming hamming 
  shams hams 
shandy handy 
shank hank 
  shanks hanks 
shard hard 
share Herr 
share hair
  shares hairs 
share hare
  shared hared 
  sharing haring 
  shares hares
shark hark 
  sharks harks 
sharp harp 
  sharps harps 
  sharping harping
sharper harper 
  sharpers harpers 
sharpest harpist 
shatter hatter 
  shatters hatters 
shaven haven 
shawl hall 
  shawls halls 
shawl haul 
  shawls hauls 
she he 
shear hear 
  shearing hearing 
  shears hears 
sheaves heaves 
shed head 
  shedding heading 
  sheds heads
sheerer hearer 
she-goat he-goat 
  she-goats he-goats 
shekel heckle 
  shekels heckles 
shell hell 
  shells hells 
shelled held 
shelve helve 
  shelves helves 
sherbet Herbert 
shied hide 
shield healed 
ship hip
  ships hips 
shire higher 
shire hire
  shires hires 
shirt hurt 
  shirting hurting 
  shirts hurts
shirts hertz 
shoal hole 
  shoals holes 
  shoaled holed
  shoaling holing 
shoaled hold 
shock hock 
  shocked hocked 
  shocking hocking 
  shocks hocks 
shod hod 
shoe who
  shoes whose
shoo who
  shoos whose
shone Hon 
shook hook 
shoot hoot
  shoots hoots
  shooting hooting 
shooter hooter 
  shooters hooters 
shop hop 
  shopped hopped 
  shopping hopping 
  shops hops 
shopper hopper 
  shoppers hoppers 
shore haw
  shored hawed 
  shores haws 
shore hoar 
shorn horn 
shorten Houghton 
shot hot 
  shots hots
shoulder holder 
  shoulders holders 
show ho 
show hoe
  showed hoed 
  showing hoeing 
  shows hoes 
shown hone 
showered Howard 
shun Hun
  shuns Huns 
shunt hunt 
  shunted hunted 
  shunting hunting 
  shunts hunts 
shunter hunter 
  shunters hunters 
shut hut 
  shuts huts 
shy hi 
shy hie
  shies hies
  shied hied
  shying hieing
shy high
  shyest highest 
  shyly highly 
  shyness highness 

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