Minimal pairs in English 233 word pairs for listening practice
17 sound contrasts · 3 levels
A minimal pair is two words that differ in only one sound, like light and right, or sip and ship. If your ear doesn't separate that sound, the two words sound the same. That's why minimal pairs are the standard way to practice hearing a difference your first language doesn't make.
This list has every pair in the TellApart app: 233 word pairs for 17 sound contrasts, grouped into consonants and vowels and sorted by level within each.
How to use this list
To practice with a partner, have them read one word from a pair while you say which one you heard, then swap. Contrasts with a practice page also have a short listening quiz and a guide to what to listen for. Teachers can print the list: the printout leaves out the menus and keeps each contrast together.
- Lv 1 · Easy
- Short, common words. For consonants, the sound is at the start of the word.
- Lv 2 · Medium
- Clusters, word endings or less common words.
- Lv 3 · Hard
- Middle of the word and longer words.
Consonants
L vs R Hearing L and R apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forR has a darker, rounded ring. L sounds lighter and clearer.
Lv 1 · Easy · 16 pairs
- light · right
- lead · read
- lock · rock
- load · road
- lane · rain
- late · rate
- long · wrong
- lice · rice
- lip · rip
- low · rowrow = /roʊ/ (a line), not /raʊ/
- law · raw
- lake · rake
- lamp · ramp
- lot · rot
- lap · rap
- lid · rid
Lv 2 · Medium · 18 pairs
- play · pray
- glass · grass
- fly · fry
- clown · crown
- flesh · fresh
- blush · brush
- cloud · crowd
- glow · grow
- flame · frame
- bland · brand
- climb · crime
- flee · free
- blew · brew
- clue · crew
- glue · grew
- flight · fright
- clash · crash
- plank · prank
Lv 3 · Hard · 8 pairs
- collect · correct
- alive · arrive
- belly · berry
- elect · erect
- miller · mirror
- file · fire
- tile · tire
- while · wire
B vs V Hearing B and V apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forV has a soft buzz before the vowel. B starts with a small pop.
Lv 1 · Easy · 7 pairs
- berry · very
- best · vest
- ban · van
- boat · vote
- bat · vat
- bet · vet
- bent · vent
Lv 2 · Medium · 3 pairs
- bowel · vowel
- curb · curve
- dub · dovedove = /dʌv/ (the bird)
Lv 3 · Hard · 3 pairs
- marble · marvel
- rebel · revelrebel = noun /ˈrɛbəl/
- saber · saver
TH vs S Hearing TH (think) and S apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forTH is a soft, flat breath. S is a sharp hiss.
Lv 1 · Easy · 8 pairs
- think · sink
- thick · sick
- thing · sing
- thank · sank
- thin · sin
- theme · seem
- thumb · sum
- thought · sought
Lv 2 · Medium · 5 pairs
- path · pass
- mouth · mouse
- faith · face
- math · mass
- myth · miss
Lv 3 · Hard · 2 pairs
- worth · worse
- tenth · tense
TH vs Z Hearing TH (then) and Z apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forTH in 'then' is a soft buzz. Z is a sharper, stronger buzz.
Lv 1 · Easy · 1 pairs
- then · zen
Lv 2 · Medium · 5 pairs
- breathe · breeze
- bathe · bays
- teethe · tease
- seethe · seize
- writhe · rise
Lv 3 · Hard · 1 pairs
- clothing · closingclosing = /ˈkloʊzɪŋ/
S vs SH Hearing S and SH apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forS is a thin, high hiss. SH is deeper and wider.
Lv 1 · Easy · 10 pairs
- sea · she
- seat · sheet
- sip · ship
- sin · shin
- seen · sheen
- sell · shell
- save · shave
- sort · short
- same · shame
- sign · shine
Lv 2 · Medium · 4 pairs
- mass · mash
- class · clash
- lease · leash
- gas · gash
F vs H Hearing F and H apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forF has a light friction of air. H is just an open breath.
Lv 1 · Easy · 10 pairs
- fall · hall
- fold · hold
- fit · hit
- fat · hat
- feel · heel
- fight · height
- fear · hear
- fair · hair
- fill · hill
- fire · hire
Lv 2 · Medium · 2 pairs
- fur · her
- food · who'dJapanese ふ is between F and H, so F/H before 'oo' is the hardest case.
Y vs – Hearing the Y glide (year vs ear)
Listen and read the guide →Listen forYear starts with a squeezed 'y' glide. Ear starts clean.
Lv 1 · Easy · 2 pairs
- year · ear
- yeast · east
Lv 2 · Medium · 3 pairs
- yearn · earn
- yolk · oak
- yam · am
N vs NG Hearing N and NG apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forNG rings in the back of the nose. N ends crisply at the front.
Lv 1 · Easy · 7 pairs
- sin · sing
- thin · thing
- win · wing
- ran · rang
- ban · bang
- sun · sung
- run · rung
Lv 2 · Medium · 5 pairs
- kin · king
- fan · fang
- ton · tongue
- tan · tang
- pan · pang
Lv 3 · Hard · 1 pairs
- sinner · singer
Vowels
æ vs ʌ Hearing hat and hut apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen foræ (hat) is wide and bright. ʌ (hut) is short and relaxed.
Lv 1 · Easy · 8 pairs
- hat · hut
- cap · cup
- bag · bug
- cat · cut
- fan · fun
- mad · mud
- lack · luck
- bat · but
Lv 2 · Medium · 8 pairs
- match · much
- ran · run
- hang · hung
- sang · sung
- rang · rung
- track · truck
- crash · crush
- staff · stuffUS voices only: UK staff = /stɑːf/
Lv 3 · Hard · 2 pairs
- ankle · uncle
- batter · butter
ʌ vs ɑ Hearing buddy and body apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forʌ (buddy) is short and relaxed. ɑ (body) is open and deep.
Lv 1 · Easy · 6 pairs
- hut · hot
- cut · cot
- nut · not
- cup · cop
- duck · dock
- luck · lock
Lv 2 · Medium · 2 pairs
- shut · shot
- stuck · stock
Lv 3 · Hard · 2 pairs
- buddy · body
- rubber · robber
æ vs ɑ Hearing hat and hot apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen foræ (hat) is bright and spread. ɑ (hot) is dark and open.
Lv 1 · Easy · 8 pairs
- hat · hot
- cap · cop
- cat · cot
- map · mop
- tap · top
- pat · pot
- sack · sock
- rack · rock
Lv 2 · Medium · 2 pairs
- black · block
- lag · log
Lv 3 · Hard · 1 pairs
- packet · pocket
iː vs ɪ Hearing seat and sit apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen foriː (seat) is long and tense. ɪ (sit) is short and loose, a little like 'e'.
Lv 1 · Easy · 9 pairs
- seat · sit
- sheep · ship
- leave · livelive = verb /lɪv/
- feel · fill
- heat · hit
- beat · bit
- eat · it
- feet · fit
- deep · dip
Lv 2 · Medium · 6 pairs
- green · grin
- sleep · slip
- reach · rich
- cheek · chick
- peach · pitch
- wheel · will
Lv 3 · Hard · 3 pairs
- beaten · bitten
- feeling · filling
- leaving · living
uː vs ʊ Hearing pool and pull apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen foruː (pool) is long, with rounded lips. ʊ (pull) is short and relaxed.
Lv 1 · Easy · 5 pairs
- pool · pull
- fool · full
- Luke · look
- suit · soot
- who'd · hood
Lv 2 · Medium · 3 pairs
- stewed · stoodUS voices: stewed = /stuːd/
- cooed · could
- wooed · would
Lv 3 · Hard · 1 pairs
- pooling · pulling
ɜː vs ɑː Hearing heard and hard apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forɜː (heard) is a muffled, central sound. ɑː (hard) is open and clear.
Lv 1 · Easy · 7 pairs
- heard · hard
- fur · far
- firm · farm
- burn · barn
- hurt · heart
- curt · cart
- bird · bard
Lv 2 · Medium · 3 pairs
- stir · star
- perk · park
- lurk · lark
Lv 3 · Hard · 2 pairs
- further · farther
- person · parson
ɜː vs ɔː Hearing work and walk apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen forɜː (work) is muffled and flat. ɔː (walk) is rounded and deeper.
Lv 1 · Easy · 7 pairs
- work · walk
- word · ward
- worm · warm
- firm · form
- bird · board
- burn · born
- turn · torn
Lv 2 · Medium · 2 pairs
- shirt · short
- curse · course
Lv 3 · Hard · 1 pairs
- worker · walker
oʊ vs ɔː Hearing bowl and ball apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen foroʊ (bowl) glides into 'oo' at the end. ɔː (ball) stays still.
Lv 1 · Easy · 6 pairs
- bowl · ball
- boat · bought
- coat · caught
- low · law
- so · saw
- hole · hall
Lv 2 · Medium · 4 pairs
- cold · called
- woke · walk
- close · clauseclose = verb /kloʊz/
- coast · costUK cost = /kɒst/, a short vowel
eɪ vs e Hearing bait and bet apart
Listen and read the guide →Listen foreɪ (bait) glides toward 'ee'. e (bet) is short and stays put.
Lv 1 · Easy · 10 pairs
- bait · bet
- late · let
- main · men
- pain · pen
- sale · sell
- wait · wet
- gate · get
- date · debt
- raid · red
- laid · led
Lv 2 · Medium · 3 pairs
- taste · test
- paste · pest
- waste · west
Lv 3 · Hard · 1 pairs
- later · letter
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