Contrasting consonants in pairs

[f] – [v]
feel – veal; ferry – very; fan – van; fast – vast; few – view; fine – vine; focal – vocal;
infest – invest; refuse – reviews; rifle – rival; often ['ofən] – oven ['əvən]; off [of] – of [əv];
safe – save; leaf – leave; knife – knives; half – halves; loaf – loaves; shelf – shelves; wolf –
wolves;
life (n.) [laif] – lives (n.) [laivz] – live (adj.) [laiv] – live (v.) [liv] – lives (v.) [livz];
[f] – [v]: fine voice; first variant; five visitors; flight vehicle; fade from view; fair visibility; few
reviews; fully developed; feel very sad; find Vicky;
[v] – [f]: very funny; every Friday; prevent fighting; invest funds; movie fans; veil of fog; river
flow; heavy traffic; vain efforts; love affair; alive and safe;
[v] – [w]
veal – wheel; Vic – wick; Vin – win; vet – wet; very – well; verb – word; verse – worth;
veil – whale; vain – Wayne; vine – wine; vie – why; vile – while; vow – wow;
[v] – [w]: Vince is away; Victor won; very well; very worried; vintage wine; evil will; every
word; he is overweight; overwhelming wealth; overwhelming evidence;
[w] – [v]: where's Vera; watch a video; wonderful view; what value; white vest; wide river;
water valve; worst review; wise investment; worth investing;
[sh] – [zh]
mission – vision; expression – explosion; special – casual;
machine [mə'shi:n] – regime [rei'zhi:m], [rə'zhi:m];
rush [rəsh] – mirage [mi'ra:zh]; cache [kæsh] – collage [kə'la:zh];
marsh [ma:rsh] – massage [mə'sa:zh], ['mæsa:zh];
rash [ræsh] – garage [gə'ra:zh], ['gærij];
[sh] – [zh]: official decision; special measures; sensual pleasure; ancient treasures;
[zh] – [sh]: casual inspection; usual conditions; visual perception; measure pressure;
[s] – [z]
seal – zeal; sink – zinc; sip – zip; said – zed; sap – zap; soon – zoom; so – zone;
sign – design; assign – resign; insist – resist; use (n.) – use (v.);
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race – raise; rice – rise; price – prize; advice – advise; loose – lose; lease – tease; dose – doze;
niece – knees; piece – peas; since – sins; lace – lays; lice – lies;
lacks – lags; tacks – tags; safes (n.) – saves (v.); fights – finds;
[s] – [z]: central zoo; signs of the zodiac; so zealous; nice presents; listen to music; price rise;
[z] – [s]: zebra crossing; busy season; easy solutions; design a dress; raise prices; lose a case;
[w] – [r]
weed – read; whip – rip; wick – Rick; wed – red; west – rest; wack – rack; wag – rag; won –
run;
way – ray; wake – rake; wait – rate – great; white – right; wide – ride; wound – round; woe –
roe;
[w] – [r]: one room; white roses; wet road; wait for Ron; where's Rita; we are worried; what's
wrong;
[r] – [w]: terrible weather; rear wheel; really well; red and white; read the words; it's really
warm;
[w] – [l]
weed – lead; weak – leak; wit – lit; whip – lip; wick – lick; Willy – Lily; wed – led; west – lest;
wack – lack; wag – lag; work – lurk; way – lay; wake – lake; wait – late; why – lie; white –
light;
[w] – [l]: work late; white lies; white list; why are you lying; wait a little longer; willy-nilly;
Willy and Lily;
[l] – [w]: lose weight; learn the words; lethal weapon; little whittle; lie awake; feel well; it's a
small world;
[n] – [ŋ]
sin [sin] – sing [siŋ]; kin – king – kings [kiŋz]; pan – pang; ban [bæn] – bang [bæŋ]; clan –
clang;
Ron [ron] – wrong [roŋ]; run [rən] – wrung [rəŋ]; ton [tən] – tongue [təŋ];
son [sən] – song [soŋ]; won [wən] – wing [wiŋ]; lone [loun] – long [loŋ]; tone [toun] – tongs
[toŋz];
ban [bæn] – bank [bæŋk]; sin – sink [siŋk]; sun [sən] – sunk [səŋk];
hon [hən] – hunk [həŋk] – honk [hoŋk];

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Contrasting pairs for [θ] as in THIN and [ð] as in THIS
[θ] – [ð]
thank [θæŋk] – than [ðæn]; thin – this; thought [θo:t] – though [ðou]; thumb [θəm] – thus [ðəs];
breath (n.) [breθ] – breathe (v.) [bri:ð]; bath (n.) [bæθ] – bathe (v.) [beið];
teeth (n.) [ti:θ] – teethe (v.) [ti:ð];
cloth (n.) [kloθ] – cloths (n.) [kloθs], cloths [kloðz];
clothe (v.) [klouð] – clothes (n.) [klouðz], [klouz] – clothing (n.) ['klouðiŋ];
both [bouθ] – bother ['boðər]; worth [wərθ] – worthy ['wərði];
north [no:rθ] – northern ['no:rðərn]; south [sauθ] – southern ['səðərn];
nothing ['nəθiŋ] – other ['əðər]; anything ['eniθiŋ] – another [ə'nəðər];
[θ] – [ð]: both mothers; three brothers; thank your father; north of this city; throw out this junk;
[ð] – [θ]: this thing; that theory; this path; other authors; gather strength; neither health nor
wealth;
[s] – [θ]
seem – theme; sick – thick; sin – thin; sing – thing; sink – think; sank – thank;
sought – thought; sore – thorn; saw – thaw; sum – thumb; Sy – thigh;
miss – myth; six – sixth; mass – math; pass – path; moss – moth; face – faith [feiθ]; gross –
growth;
[s] – [θ]: simple things; so thin; sore throat; seven and three; sixty and thirty; say something;
saw nothing; solar month; South Pacific; save your breath; classical myth;
[θ] – [s]: thick skin; think small; thoughtful son; thorough search; think up something; thaw ice;
thorn in my side; teeth of a saw; worthless excuses; toothpaste; northwest;
[s] – [ð]
seize – these; sat – that; say – they; so – though; lesser ['lesər] – leather ['leðər];
base – bathe; close (adj.) – clothe (v.); cease [si:s] – seethe [si:ð];
[s] – [ð]: some other time; nice weather; silvery feathers; stick together; said soothingly;
Southern Cross; smooth surface;
[ð] – [s]: this story; this lesson; this close; they said yes; that's nice; their new Mercedes; leather
seat; seethe with madness;

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[z] – [ð]
Zen – then; zone – though; prison ['priz(ə)n] – prism ['priz(ə)m] – rhythm ['rið(ə)m];
breeze [bri:z] – breathe [bri:ð]; tease [ti:z] – teethe [ti:ð];
close [klouz] (v.) – clothe [klouð] (v.); bays – bathe [beið]; whiz [wiz] – with [wið];
[z] – [ð]: Zack's brother; is Lizzy there; whose clothes are these; zip up that bag; wise mother; crazy
weather; choose another quiz;
[ð] – [z]: this is Zack; that's a zoo; this puzzle; these museums; these clothes are theirs; either
zero or one; breathe easily; worthy of praise;
[z] – [θ]
owes [ouz] – oath [ouθ]; bows – both; Ms. [miz] – myth [miθ]; tease [ti:z] – teeth [ti:θ];
[z] – [θ]: busy on Thursdays; crazy theory; easy method; zip through space; lose faith;
[θ] – [z]: thank you, Zack; three zeros; thermal zone; thriving business; authorized user;
[f] – [θ]
fin – thin; first – thirst; fought – thought; free – three; fruit – through; roof – Ruth;
[f] – [θ]: feel thankful; first think then say; fear of thunder; filthy threats; floor-through; full
authority; fair health;
[θ] – [f]: throw a fit; think fast; thumb and forefinger; truth and freedom; breath of fresh air;
cloth filter; oath of office;
[f] – [ð]
fees – these; fan – than; fair – their; fare – there; fat – that; foe – though;
[f] – [ð]: Fred's father; further information; fluffy feathers; feel the rhythm; fill out this form;
finish this work; find those photos;
[ð] – [f]: these fees; this film; my brother and his wife; their family; either friend or foe; breathe
freely; soothing effect;
[v] – [ð]
van – than; vie [vai] – thy [ðai]; vine – thine [ðain]; vow [vau] – thou [ðau]; clove – clothe;
[v] – [ð]: visited those cities; vote for them; vouch for them; very soothing; leave it there; over
there; avoid either of them;
[ð] – [v]: mother's voice; other visitors; this minivan; open this vent; they're in the vault; breathe
heavily; they avoid one another;

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[v] – [θ]
[v] – [θ]: very thin; very thick; very thorough; vain thoughts; valuable things; various authors;
seven thousand; vast depth; heaven on earth;
[θ] – [v]: thank you very much; three events; thick volume; thorough investigation; authentic
version; thin veil of mist; ethical values; length of a visit;
[t] – [θ]
team – theme; tick – thick; tin – thin; torn – thorn; taught – thought; tug – thug; tie – thigh;
tree – three; tread – thread; trash – thrash; true – through; trust – thrust;
bat – bath; mat – math; rat – wrath; debt [det] – death; clot – cloth; root – Ruth; boat – both;
[t] – [θ]: tiny theater; petty theft; Tom Thumb; terrible thunderstorm; take a breath; teach math;
stop thief; telephone booth;
[θ] – [t]: theater tickets; thrifty customer; think twice; think tank; authentic texts; birth rate; both
boats; ruthless tyrant;
[t] – [ð]
ten – then; tan – than; tease – these; tear – there; toe – though; toes – those;
letter – leather; wetter – weather; bait – bathe; soot – soothe [su:ð]; moot – smooth [smu:ð];
[t] – [ð]: try this; take these keys; Tom's mother; Tina's brother; Tracy's father; tell that man to
leave;
[ð] – [t]: they took it; this time; that moment; these tickets; those letters; though tired; there's no
time;
[d] – [ð]
den – then; day – they; dine – thine; dare – there; doze – those; diesel ['di:zəl] – these [ði:z];
breed – breathe [bri:ð]; read – wreathe [ri:ð]; load – loathe [louð] (v.); mood – smooth;
[d] – [ð]: how dare they; read these ads; do this exercise; devoted father; dear brother; don't
bother;
[ð] – [d]: then do the dishes; this is Diana; these days; that's a deal; those goods; breathing
deeply;

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[d] – [θ]
dumb – thumb; dug – thug; drill – thrill; drew – threw; drop – throb;
drive – thrive; drove – throve; driven – thriven; drone – throne; bird – birth;
[d] – [θ]: good health; had a bath; found a path; disease and death; dear Theodore; dear Seth;
[θ] – [d]: three days; through doors and windows; thanks to Don; think hard; one-third length.

Exercise One: Word Repetition

Listen to the following words from your tape and repeat them.
vest navel west wood
vine drive once wagon
vivid several worry narrow
verb arrive few were
vote carve twelve twine

Exercise Two: Minimal Pair Distinction

Listen to the following words and repeat them.
vest west vest best
veil wail groove grew
vine wine roving rowing
viper wiper west rest
vast fast wine Rhine
very berry vine fine