50+ English Minimal Pair Examples for Pronunciation Practice (2024)

When speaking English, tiny differences in pronunciation can lead to big differences in meaning. Minimal pairs are two words that only differ by one sound but have two distinct meanings.

Practicing minimal pairs can help you improve your English pronunciation and make yourself better understood, so you can sound more like a native speaker and understand small differences during a conversation.

In this post, we’ve gathered lots of minimal pair examples for you to practice. So, let’s get into it.

What are minimal pairs?

A minimal pair is a set of words that mean two different things but differ by a single speech sound. If a unit of sound changes the meaning of a word, it is called a phoneme in linguistics.

For example, bat and bad are similar-sounding words that differ by one consonant sound at the end (/t/ vs /d/). Since this sound changes the meaning of the word, it is a phoneme.

As a non-native speaker, you may find some minimal pairs in English confusing if your native language doesn’t have those sounds (or those sounds don’t make a difference in meaning):

For example:

• /r/ and /l/ such as row and low for Japanese speakers
• /b/ and /v/ such as berry and very for Spanish speakers
• /w/ and /v/ such as wine and vine for Hindi and Urdu speakers
• /ɪə/ and /eə/ such as cheer and chair for Arabic speakers

Why should you practice minimal pairs?

Since replacing just one sound in these words can completely change the meaning of the word and thus the sentence, practicing minimal pairs will help you express yourself in English, improving both your speaking and listening comprehension.

As an English learner, you may have trouble pronouncing similar sounds or you may have trouble hearing the difference between them (known as auditory discrimination). But you can polish your pronunciation and overall understanding of single words and complete sentences by practicing these pairs.

Preply tutor Martin Sketchley describes how “Learners who practice minimal pairs discover greater subtle awareness between short and long vowel sounds. They also develop a greater understanding of certain sounds in English, which are not common in their first language. This enhances their confidence by getting students to become more intelligible or articulate.”

For English language students, minimal pairs are often used in listening tests and pronunciation exercises. You can practice your English pronunciation by putting the words in this post into an online dictionary to listen to them and say them out loud. You can also use the activities suggested later in this post to practice your target words.

Consonant sound examples

Some words differ by a consonant sound. For example, some students learning English have trouble with the “th” sound (/θ/). When they want to say “three,” they may drop the ‘h’ and just say “tree.” However, “tree” means something completely different in English, potentially leading to confusion.

Practice your consonant phonemes by reading the following minimal pairs out loud, focusing on clear articulation. To help understand the symbols below, you can use a phonemic chart (which gives a transcription of different sounds).

Vowel sound examples

Vowel sounds in English often sound very similar to non-native speakers, sometimes making pronunciation and comprehension more difficult. For example, some learners have trouble distinguishing between the vowel sounds in chip (/ɪ/) and cheap (/i:/), two words with very different meanings.

The following examples help you practice common vowel sounds:

Minimal pairs practice activities

In addition to practicing minimal pairs by reading the words out loud yourself, you can make it a group activity if you have someone to practice with.

Preply language expert Sylvia Johnson notes that games are effective learning aids because they lower students’ stress, spur their motivation, and make space for more spontaneous and freer speaking practice. She said:

“Positive emotions create dopamine and serotonin and when those substances are released into the brain it has positive effects on our memory as well as our brain’s ability to learn. Using games as part of your learning will make you more creative and improve your problem-solving skills.”

Try writing words (or pairs of words) with the target sounds on flashcards and having your partner pronounce them. You can also turn it into a game with the minimal pairs activities below.

Pronunciation pyramid

Here’s how to play:

Getting ready:

• You need two people (person A and person B).
• If you have a blank pyramid, both people fill in the two parts of each step on the pyramid with minimal pair words. Or you can use the example below.
• Both people should have the same words in their pyramids.

Playing the game:

1. Person A reads a word from the first pair on the pyramid. Person B traces it with their finger or a pencil on their worksheet.
2. Person A reads a word from the next step. Person B follows on their pyramid.
3. Repeat until the bottom of the pyramid.
4. A and B compare if they ended up at the same number.

Try practicing with the following pronunciation pyramid:

Minimal pairs bingo

Here’s how to play:

Getting ready:

• You need two people.
• Each person has a blank five-by-five bingo card and the same list of minimal pairs.
• Each person chooses words from the list of minimal pairs and writes them in the spaces on the card.

Playing the game:

1. You and your partner take turns reading out words from the list of minimal pairs in random order. Check them off after you’ve read them.
2. When one person hears a word on their card (listen carefully), they mark it.
3. The first person to get five in a row shouts “bingo!” and is the winner.
4. Check together using the list to make sure you heard the correct word.

3 advanced ways to improve your English pronunciation

If you’re looking for more challenging ways to improve your English pronunciation, try out the following ideas.

1. Say tongue twisters

Tongue twisters are a great way to work on pronunciation by comparing different sounds, practicing moving your mouth, and focusing on speed. Minimal pairs frequently appear in English tongue twisters. For example, “sea /she” (/s/ vs /ʃ/) from the list above is in this famous tongue twister: “She sells seashells by the seashore.”

If you have an upcoming presentation or phone call in English, tongue twisters are a great way to warm up. You can also use this activity before you have an English lesson or just to practice pronunciation solo.

2. Record yourself

Recording your own voice and playing it back can help you find mistakes in your pronunciation.
If you’re not sure what to say, try repeating phrases from a textbook, reading your written work, or describing a picture.

Describing a photo is a common part of many speaking exams. You could even combine activities and record yourself reading various sets of minimal pairs.

3. Listen to native speakers

While you know that focusing on your listening can improve your understanding of English, did you know it can help your pronunciation too? Practice listening to native speakers, either in person or through media (movies, TV, YouTube, podcasts).

While you’re doing that, try shadowing – listen to a short sentence or phrase, then repeat it back and copy the pronunciation.

Learn English pronunciation with Preply

Minimal pairs are two words with distinct meanings that differ by just one sound. Practicing them can help not only your pronunciation but also your understanding of English. You can work on your skills with English speaking exercises including using minimal pairs cards, watching TV in English, and playing a variety of pronunciation games.

However, the best way to improve your language skills is to say the minimal pairs out loud with a knowledgeable English speaker listening to you. Although you can practice words and phrases on your own, if you’re invested in learning another language, 1-on-1 tutoring can best support your language-learning journey.

Whether you need to learn a language for business or simply want to broaden your language horizons, a Preply English tutor can give you feedback on your pronunciation or help you in any other area of English. No matter what your English learning goal is, a Preply tutor will be able to help.

So, sign up for your trial lesson today, and if you’re not satisfied after the first lesson, you can try another tutor for free or get a full refund.