Minimal Pair List Consonants /ʃ/ versus /l/, 212 pairs


   Minimal pair: Consonants /ʃ/ versus /l/, 212 pairs

The /ʃ/ sound is spelled with <sh> in this set apart from <ch> in chic . The /l/ sound is spelled with <l> or <ll>.

This is a contrast between a voiceless alveolar fricative and a voiced lateral continuant. It is not a problem, though the /l/ sound may be difficult for some learners.

Taboo word pairs include shag/lag and shit/lit .

Interesting pairs include:

officiate affiliate
shepherd leopard
shivery livery

The mean density value is 1.2%. The list makes 120 semantic distinctions, a loading of 57%.

ash Al 
ashes alleys 
ashy Ali 	
ashy alley
assure allure 
  assured allured 
  assures allures 
  assuring alluring 
borsch ball 
bush bull 
bushes bullies 
bushy bully 
chaise lays
chaise laze
  chaises lazes
chassis lassie
chauffeur loafer
  chauffeurs loafers
chic leak
chic leek 
chute loot
  chutes loots
cosh col 
coshes collies 
dashes dallies 
dish dill 
fish fill 
  fishing filling 
  fished filled
fishes fillies 
fishy filly 
gash gal 
gashes galleys 
gauche goal
gush gull 
  gushing gulling 
gushes gullies 
hash Hal 
hush hull 
  hushing hulling 
  hushed hulled
leash Lille 
lush lull 
marsh marl 
marshy Mali 
meshed melt 
mush mull 
officiate affiliate 
  officiated affiliated 
  officiates affiliates 
  officiating affiliating 
pasha parlour
  pashas parlours 
posh poll 
poshes polys 
push pull 
  pushing pulling 
pushes pulleys 
pushover pullover 
  pushovers pullovers 
rashes rallies 
sashes sallies 
satiable salable 
schist list 
shack lack 
  shacked lacked 
  shacking lacking 
  shacks lacks 
shacks lax
shad lad 
shade lade
  shading lading 
shady lady 
shaft laughed 
shag lag 
  shagged lagged 
  shagging lagging 
  shags lags 
shah la 
shake lake 
  shakes lakes 
sham lam 
  shams lams
  shammed lammed
  shamming lamming
sham lamb
  shams lambs
  shammed lambed 
  shamming lambing 
shame lame 
  shamed lamed 
  shames lames 
  shaming laming 
shank lank 
shard lard 
share lair 
  shares lairs 
share layer
  shares layers
shared laird 
shark lakh 
  sharks lakhs 
shat lat 
shatter latter 
shave lave 
  shaved laved 
  shaves laves 
  shaving laving 
she Leigh 
she lea
she lee
sheaf leaf 
shear leer 
  sheared leered 
  shearing leering 
  shears leers 
sheer leer  
shed lead 
  shedding leading 
shepherd leopard 
  shepherds leopards 
shepherdess leopardess 
  shepherdesses leopardesses 
shift lift 
  shifted lifted 
  shifting lifting 
  shifts lifts 
shine line 
  shines lines 
  shining lining 
ship lip
  shipped lipped 
  ships lips 
  shipping lipping
shire liar 
  shires liars 
shire lyre 
  shires lyres 
shirk lurk 
  shirked lurked 
  shirking lurking 
  shirks lurks 	
shit lit
shiver liver 
  shivers livers 
shivery livery 
shock loch 	 
  shocks lochs
shock lock
  shocked locked 
  shocking locking 
  shocks locks 
shocker locker 
  shockers lockers 
shoe lieu 
shoe loo
  shoes loos
shook look 
shoot loot
  shoots loots
  shooting looting 
shooter looter 
  shooters looters 
shop lop 
  shopped lopped 
  shopping lopping 
  shops lops 
shore law
  shores laws
shore lor 
shore lore
shored laud 
shored lord
shorn lawn 
shot lot 
  shots lots
shout lout 
  shouts louts 
shove love 
  shoved loved 
  shoves loves 
  shoving loving 
show lo 
show low
  showing lowing 
  shows lows 
  showed lowed
showed lode 
shower lour 
  showered loured 
  showering louring 
  showers lours 
shown loan 
shuck luck 
shucks luxe
shy lie 
  shying lying 
  shies lies
  shied lied
sure lure 
swish swill 
  swishing swilling 
  swished swilled
washer wallah
  washers wallahs 
washy Wally 
wish will 
  wishing willing 
wished wilt 
wishes willies 
wishful wilful 
  wishfully wilfully 

.