What Are Minimal Pairs?

PHONETICS II

Minimal pairs are two words that are

LESSON 3 pronounced almost in the same way, but they have one
sound that makes them different. The sound can be a
CONSONANT PAIRS vowel or a consonant.

Differences In Position
Initial: chop – shop, day – they, sink – zinc.

Middle: alive - arrive; decree - degree; money –

mummy.

BY: MR. FER Final: badge – batch, life – live, sin – sing.
 Consonant Pairs /ʧ/ - /ʤ/
These sounds are similar to the /t/ and /d/ but
/p/ - /b/
they are longer and the sound is produced by pushing
The shape of the mouth is the same when air over the tongue and through the teeth. The /ʤ/ is
pronouncing the sounds /p/ and /b/. Both lips stop the voiced and the /ʧ/ is aspirated.
flow of the air. The only difference is that the /b/ is
Examples:
voiced and the /p/ is aspirated. Examples:
Choke - Joke
Batch - badge
Rich - Ridge

/k/ and /g/

/t/ - /d/
These sounds are produced by stopping the flow of
air with the tongue just behind the teeth and then
releasing it. But /d/ is voiced and /t/ is aspirated.
Examples:
These sounds are produced by stopping and
releasing air flow with the back of the tongue almost at
the top of your throat. /g/ is voiced and /k/ is
aspirated. Examples:
 /f/ - /v/ /s/ - /z/
To make these sounds correctly your bottom lip With these sounds, air is pushed over our tongue
needs to touch your upper teeth. /v/ is voiced and /f/ is and through our teeth. /z/ is voiced.
aspirated. Examples:

/θ/ - /ð/
With these sounds you need to stick your tongue
out a little bit, because the sound is made by the air
flow being directed through the top teeth with the
tongue. /ð/ is voiced and /θ/ is aspirated. Examples: /ʃ/ - /ʒ/
We push the air through our teeth but our lips are
more rounded and our tongue is lower in our mouth so
the air flow is less intense.
Examples:
Education - Information
Television - confusion