Not quite minimal pairs

**IPA consonants**

In English there are many words that when only one letter is added or changed (an orthographic minimal pair) two or more sounds are modified. These are a special kind of nasty neighbors.

## Changing or adding a consonant also changes a vowel

* amber /ˈæmbər/ - chamber /ˈtʃeɪmbər/
* anger /ˈæŋɡər/ - danger /ˈdeɪndʒər/
* cook /kʊk/ - cool /cuːl/
* crow /krəʊ/ - crowd /kraʊd/, crown /kraʊn/
* desert /ˈdezərt/ - dessert /dɪˈzɜːrt/ *(note that the verb* desert *is also pronounced* /dɪˈzɜːrt/)
* doll /dɒl/ - roll /rəʊl/
* ear /ɪər/ - earn /ɜːrn/
* father /ˈfɑːðər/ - gather /ˈɡæðər/, rather /ˈræðər/
* foot /fʊt/ - food /fuːd/
* leader /liːdər/ - header /hedər/
* limb /lɪm/ - climb /klaɪm/
* owl /aʊl/ - bowl /bəʊl/
* paid /peɪd/ - said /sed/
* pint /paɪnt/ – print /prɪnt/
* say /seɪ/ - says /sez/

This situation is common when the vowel is "o" and the new consonant is "m", "n", "v" or "w".
See Decoding and spelling exercises: "o" adjacent to "m", "n", "v" or "w".

* along /əˈlɒŋ,*BrE* əˈlɔːŋ*AmE*/ - among /əˈmʌŋ/
* bother /ˈbɒðər/ - mother /ˈmʌðər/
* cone /kəʊn/ - come /kʌm/
* globe /gləʊb/ - glove /glʌv/
* love /lʌv/ - move /muːv/
* open /ˈəʊpən/ - oven /ˈʌvən/
* ponder ˈpɒndər/ - wonder /ˈwʌndər/
* pork /pɔːrk/ - work /wɜːrk/

Sometimes another consonant is changed and the "o" also changes.

* bother /ˈbɒðər/ - other /ˈʌðər/
* one /wʌn/ - bone /bəʊn/
* word /wɜːrd/ - sword /sɔːrd/

## Changing or adding a vowel also changes a consonant

* bath /bɑːθ,*BrE* bæθ*AmE*/ - bathe /beɪð/
* breath /breθ/ - breathe /briːð/
* cloth /klɒθ,*BrE* klɔːθ*AmE*/ - clothe /kləʊð/

## Irregular plurals

Some words ending in /θ/ have a plural ending in /ðz/.

* bath /bɑːθ,*BrE* bæθ*AmE*/- baths /bɑːðz,*BrE* bæðz*AmE*/
* mouth /maʊθ/ - mouths /maʊðz/
* path /pɑːθ,*BrE* pæθ*AmE*/- paths /pɑːðz,*BrE* pæðz*AmE*/
* youth /juːθ/ - youths /juːðz/

Some words derived from Greek have an irregular plural. Two sounds are changed but only one letter.

* axis /ˈæksɪs/ - axes /ˈæksiːz/
* thesis /ˈθiːsɪs/ - theses /ˈθiːsiːz/

## Irregular past tense

* deal /diːl/ - dealt /delt/
* dream /driːm/ - dreamt /dremt/
* hear /hɪər/ - heard /hɜːrd/
* lean /liːn/ - leant /lent/
* mean /miːn/ - meant /ment/

## Standard changes

In the following cases there is a regular rule that explains that changing one letter changes two sounds.

### Regular past tense pronunciation

Some verbs ending in "te" or "de" have their silent e become sounded in the past tense.

* include /ɪnˈkluːd/ - included /ɪnˈkluːdɪd/
* note /nəʊt/ - noted /ˈnəʊtɪd/
* provide /prəˈvaɪd/ - provided /prəˈvaɪdɪd/
* state /steɪt/ - stated /ˈsteɪtɪd/

Regular past tense sounds /d/ in some cases and /t/ in others.

* formed /fɔːrmd/ - forced /fɔːrst/

### Regular plural and third person

See Pronunciation of the morpheme “-s”.

Some nouns ending in silent e have the e sounded in the plural. The same is true for the third person of some verbs.

* /s/: case /keɪs/ - cases /ˈkeɪsɪz/
* /z/: freeze /friːz/ - freezes /ˈfriːzɪz/
* /dʒ/: bridge /brɪdʒ/ - bridges /ˈbrɪdʒɪz/
* /ʃ/: cache /kæʃ/ - caches /ˈkæʃɪz/
* /ʒ/ (or /dʒ/): garage - garages /ˈɡærɑːʒ, ˈɡærɑːʒɪz/,*BrE* /ɡəˈrɑːʒ, ɡəˈrɑːʒɪz/;*AmE* also /ˈɡærɑːdʒ, ˈɡærɑːdʒɪz/,*BrE* /ˈɡærɪdʒ, ˈɡærɪdʒɪz/*BrE* and /ɡəˈrɑːdʒ, ɡəˈrɑːdʒɪz/*AmE*

### Changing or adding a vowel also changes a consonant

C and G normally have a sound before A, O and U and another before E and I.

C
* call /kɔːl/ - cell /sel/

G
* gene /dʒiːn/ - gone /ɡɒn, ɡɔːn*AmE*/

### Changing a consonant to an R also changes the vowel

* cat /kæt/ - car /kɑːr/
* deal /diːl/ - dear /dɪər/
* fail /feɪl/ - fair /feər/
* film /fɪlm/ - firm /fɜːrm/
* fine /faɪn/ - fire /ˈfaɪər/