crash · crush The difference in meaning and sound
What they mean
Crash means to hit something hard and noisily, or to fail suddenly: "a car crash", "my laptop crashed". Crush means to press something until it breaks or loses its shape: "crush garlic". To "have a crush on" someone is to be infatuated with them.
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Hear both words in 10 voices
Each row is one speaker saying both words. Play one, then the other, and switch to slow when the difference hides.
- American woman, younger
- American woman, older
- American man, younger
- American man, older
- British woman, younger
- British woman, older
- British man, younger
- British man, older
- Australian woman
- Australian man
What's different
The kr at the start rounds the lips and darkens the first moment of both vowels, so the difference shows a beat later. Crash then opens into a wide, bright æ, and crush stays short and central until the sh.
Katakana sets one more trap: clash, a third word, is クラッシュ too. Clash has the æ of crash, with an L in place of the R.
Studies: Lambacher et al. 2002 · Lambacher et al. 2005 · Nishi & Kewley-Port 2007
æ (hat) is wide and bright. ʌ (hut) is short and relaxed.
More word pairs with these sounds
Hearing hat and hut apart: all 18 pairs →This collection is free in the app
In the TellApart app, all 18 pairs in this collection are free to practice, with no purchase.
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