Minimal pairs practice
A minimal pair is two words that differ in exactly one sound, like “ship” and “sheep”. If you cannot hear the difference, you cannot produce it. Play a word, choose which one you heard, and train your ear before your mouth.
Which word did you hear?
Ten rounds. Press the button, listen, then choose.
| Sound contrast | Word 1 | Word 2 |
|---|---|---|
| /ɪ/ and /i/ | ship /ʃɪp/ | sheep /ʃip/ |
| /ɪ/ and /i/ | sit /sɪt/ | seat /sit/ |
| /ɪ/ and /i/ | fill /fɪl/ | feel /fil/ |
| /ʊ/ and /u/ | full /fʊl/ | fool /ful/ |
| /ʊ/ and /u/ | pull /pʊl/ | pool /pul/ |
| /æ/ and /ɛ/ | bad /bæd/ | bed /bɛd/ |
| /æ/ and /ɛ/ | man /mæn/ | men /mɛn/ |
| /æ/ and /ʌ/ | cat /kæt/ | cut /kʌt/ |
| /æ/ and /ʌ/ | cap /kæp/ | cup /kʌp/ |
| /æ/ and /ɑ/ | hat /hæt/ | hot /hɑt/ |
| /θ/ and /s/ | think /θɪŋk/ | sink /sɪŋk/ |
| /θ/ and /t/ | three /θri/ | tree /tri/ |
| /ð/ and /d/ | then /ðɛn/ | den /dɛn/ |
| /θ/ and /s/ | mouth /maʊθ/ | mouse /maʊs/ |
| /v/ and /w/ | vet /vɛt/ | wet /wɛt/ |
| /v/ and /w/ | vine /vaɪn/ | wine /waɪn/ |
| /l/ and /r/ | light /laɪt/ | right /raɪt/ |
| /l/ and /r/ | glass /ɡlæs/ | grass /ɡræs/ |
| final /t/ and /d/ | bet /bɛt/ | bed /bɛd/ |
| final /k/ and /ɡ/ | back /bæk/ | bag /bæɡ/ |
| final /s/ and /z/ | rice /raɪs/ | rise /raɪz/ |
| /n/ and /ŋ/ | thin /θɪn/ | thing /θɪŋ/ |
| /n/ and /ŋ/ | sin /sɪn/ | sing /sɪŋ/ |
| /f/ and /v/ | fan /fæn/ | van /væn/ |
How to practise with minimal pairs
- Listen first. Play the game until you score 9 or 10. Until your ear separates two sounds, your mouth will keep producing one.
- Feel the difference. Say both words slowly and notice what changes: tongue height, lip shape, voice, or length.
- Say them in a row: ship, sheep, ship, sheep. Then put each in a sentence.
- Test yourself. Say one word into the pronunciation checker and see which one it writes.
Which pairs to start with
Start with the contrast your own language lacks. Speakers of Russian, Spanish and Italian usually need the short and long vowels (ship / sheep). Japanese and Korean speakers need L and R. German and Russian speakers need final voiced consonants (bed / bet) and TH. Almost everyone needs /æ/ against /ɛ/ (bad / bed).
Vowel length is half the difference
In “bed” and “bet” the consonants are not the main clue. The vowel before a voiced consonant is noticeably longer: “beeed” against “bet”. If you lengthen the vowel, listeners hear the voiced ending even when you barely pronounce it.
Questions people ask
What is a minimal pair?
Two words with different meanings that differ in only one sound, such as “pin” and “bin” or “ship” and “sheep”.
Why can I not hear the difference?
Your brain sorts sounds into the categories of your first language. Two English sounds that fall into one category of your language sound identical until you train the contrast.
How long does it take?
Studies of high-variability training show a clear improvement after a few hours of practice spread over two to three weeks.
Related
- Pronunciation checkerPaste any text, read it aloud and see which words were not understood.
- The TH soundTongue between the teeth: the two TH sounds, with words to say and check.
- IPA sounds chartEvery vowel and consonant of English with its symbol, example words and audio.
- Accent testRead 8 sentences aloud and get a 0–100 clarity score with the sounds to fix first.