Minimal Pair List Vowels 2 and 6, / ɪ / and / ɒ / 438 pairs


   Minimal pair: Vowels 2 and 6, / ɪ / and / ɒ / 438 pairs

The / ɪ / vowel is spelled with <i> or <y>. The vowel / ɒ / is spelled with <o> except after <qu> and <w> as in the words quad , quaff , twaddle , and wash .

The sounds are sufficiently far apart as to give no problems to learners, and there are no dangerous rude-word confusions.

The contrast is heard in the adjective wishy-washy meaning unimpressive. Other interesting pairs include:

furling furlong
sidling sidelong
skittish Scottish
typical topical
yearling yearlong

The mean density is 1.9%. The list makes 222 semantic contrasts, a loading of 51%.

begin begone
bib bob 
  bibbed bobbed
  bibs bobs
big bog
bin Bonn 
bingo bongo
bitch botch
  bitched botched
  bitches botches
  bitching botching
blitz blots
camping kampong
chick choc
  chicks chocs
chick chock
  chicks chocks
chip chop
  chipped chopped
  chipping chopping
  chips chops
Chris cross
click clock
  clicked clocked
  clicking clocking
  clicks clocks
cretin cretonne 
crick crock
  cricked crocked
  cricking crocking
  cricks crocks
crypt cropped 
cynic sonic
Cyril sorrel
Dick dock
dicker docker
  dickers dockers
dicta doctor
dig dog
  digging dogging
  digs dogs
dill doll
din don 
  dinned donned
  dinning donning
  dins dons
dinky donkey
ditty dotty
djinn John 
drip drop
  dripped dropped
  dripping dropping
  drips drops
excise oxeyes
fib fob
  fibbed fobbed
  fibbing fobbing
  fibs fobs
fig fog
  figs fogs
filly folly
  fillies follies
fix fox
  fixed foxed
  fixes foxes
  fixing foxing
flick flock
  flicked flocked
  flicking flocking
  flicks flocks
flicks phlox
flip flop
  flipped flopped
  flipping flopping
  flips flops
furling furlong
gibber jobber
  gibbers jobbers
giggle goggle
  giggled goggled
  giggles goggles
  giggling goggling
gillie golly
gin John
glister Gloucester 
grit grot
  grits grots
gritty grotty
  grittier grottier
  grittiest grottiest
hick hock
  hicks hocks
hid hod
hilly holly
hip hop
  hips hops
hit hot
  hits hots
  hitting hotting
id odd
if off
in on
ingoing ongoing
inn on
inner honour 
inrush onrush
  inrushes onrushes
inset onset
  insets onsets
inshore onshore
into onto
inward onward
  inwards onwards
is oz
jib job
  jibbed jobbed
  jibbing jobbing
  jibs jobs
jig jog
  jigged jogged
  jigging jogging
  jigs jogs
jigger jogger
  jiggers joggers
jiggle joggle
  jiggled joggled
  jiggles joggles
  jiggling joggling
jitters jotters
kick cock 
  kicked cocked 
  kicking cocking 
  kicks cocks 
kicks cox
kid cod 
  kidded codded 
  kidding codding 
  kids cods 
kill col 
  kills cols 
killer choler 
  killers cholers 
killer collar
  killers collars
kin con 
kink conk 
  kinked conked 
  kinking conking 
  kinks conks 
kip cop 
  kipped copped
  kipping copping 
  kips cops 
kipped Copt 
kipper copper 
  kippers coppers 
kips copse
kiss cos
kissed cost 
kit cot 
  kits cots 
kitten cotton 
  kittens cottons 
knickers knockers
knit knot
  knits knots
  knitted knotted
  knitting knotting
knit not
lib lob
lick loch
  licks lochs
lick lock
  licked locked
  licking locking
  licks locks
lids Lodz 
lift loft
  lifted lofted
  lifting lofting
  lifts lofts
lily lolly
  lilies lollies
ling long
  lings longs
linger longer
lip lop
  lipped lopped
  lipping lopping
  lips lops
liquor locker
  liquors lockers
list lost
lit lot
Mick mock
mid mod 
midden modern
  middens moderns
middle model
  middles models
mill moll
  mills molls
Millie Molly
mingle Mongol 
  mingles Mongols 
minnow mono
minster monster
  minsters monsters
misc mosque
miss moss
  misses mosses
missy mossy
mix mocks
myth moth 
  myths moths 
nib knob 
  nibs knobs 
nib nob
  nibs nobs
nibble nobble 
  nibbled nobbled
  nibbles nobbles 
  nibbling nobbling
niche notch
  niches notches
nick knock
  nicked knocked 
  nicking knocking 
  nicks knocks 
nit knot 
  nits knots
nit not
nix knocks
pick pock
  picked pocked
  picks pocks
picket pocket
  picketed pocketed
  picketing pocketing
  pickets pockets
picks pox
pill poll
  pills polls
pillared pollard
pimp pomp
pinned pond
pip pop
  pipped popped
  pipping popping
  pips pops
piston postern
  pistons posterns
pit pot
  pits pots
  pitted potted
  pitting potting
pithead pothead
  pitheads potheads
pitied potted
pities potties
pitman potman
  pitmen potmen
pity potty
pricks prox
prim prom
  prims proms
primmest promised
primped prompt
pyx pocks
pyx pox
quid quad 
  quids quads 
quiff quaff 
  quiffs quaffs 
rib rob
  ribbed robbed
  ribbing robbing
  ribs robs
rick roc
  ricks rocs
rick rock
  ricked rocked
  ricking rocking
  ricks rocks
rickets rockets
Ricky rocky
rid rod 
  rids rods
rim rhomb 
  rims rhombs 
ring wrong
  ringed wronged
  ringing wronging
  rings wrongs
shin shone
ship shop
  shipped shopped
  shipping shopping
  ships shops
shipper shopper
  shippers shoppers
shit shot
  shits shots
sic sock
sick sock
  sicked socked
  sicking socking
  sicks socks
Sid sod
sidling sidelong 
sift soft
sifter softer
sill Sol 
sing song
  sings songs
sip sop
  sipped sopped
  sipping sopping
  sips sops
sit sot
  sits sots
six socks
sizzled sozzled
skiff scoff 
  skiffs scoffs 
skin scone 
  skins scones 
skit scot 
  skits scots 
skittish Scottish 
slip slop
  slipped slopped
  slipping slopping
  slips slops
slippy sloppy
slit slot
  slits slots
  slitting slotting
spit spot
  spits spots
  spitting spotting
squib squab 
  squibs squabs 
squid squad 
  squids squads 
stick stock
  sticking stocking
  sticks stocks
sticky stocky
  stickier stockier
  stickiest stockiest
  stickily stockily
string strong
strip strop
  stripped stropped
  stripping stropping
  strips strops
Styx stocks
Syria sorrier
therein thereon
thing thong
  things thongs
tiddler toddler
  tiddlers toddlers
tiff toff
  tiffs toffs
Tim Tom
Timmy Tommy
tings tongs
tip top
  tipped topped
  tipping topping
  tips tops
tipple topple
  tippled toppled
  tipples topples
  tippling toppling
tit tot
  tits tots
titter totter
  tittered tottered
  tittering tottering
  titters totters
twiddle twaddle 
  twiddled twaddled 
  twiddles twaddles 
  twiddling twaddling 
typical topical 
  typically topically 
wherein whereon
which watch
whin wan 
whip whop
  whipped whopped
  whipping whopping
  whips whops
whit watt 
  whits watts
whit what
  whits what's
whittle wattle
  whittles wattles 
whittle what'll
whiz was
Willie Wally 
willow wallow 
  willows wallows 
win wan
wind wand 
  winds wands 
winner wanna
winner wanner
Winnie whinny
wish wash 
  wished washed
  wishes washes 
  wishing washing 
wisp wasp 
  wisps wasps 
wit watt
  wits watts
wit what
  wits what's
witch watch
  witches watches 
  witching watching 
wrick roc 
  wricks rocs
wrick rock
  wricked rocked 
  wricking rocking 
  wricks rocks 
wring wrong
  wrings wrongs
writ rot
  writs rots 
written rotten 
yearling yearlong