English minimal pairs with audio

A minimal pair is two words that differ by exactly one sound — like "pen" and "ban," or "ship" and "sheep." Minimal pairs are the fastest way to train a learner's ear: if they can hear and reproduce the difference in a minimal pair, they have learned the contrast, not just memorized a word.

Vowel contrasts

• /i/ vs /ɪ/ (8 pairs)
• /e/ vs /æ/ (8 pairs)
• /æ/ vs /ə/ (8 pairs)
• /æ/ vs /ɑ/ (8 pairs)
• /ə/ vs /ɑ/ (8 pairs)
• /ə/ vs /ʊ/ (5 pairs)
• /ʊ/ vs /u/ (6 pairs)
• /ɝ/ vs /ɑr/ (7 pairs)
• /ɝ/ vs /or/ (8 pairs)

Consonant contrasts

• /p/ vs /b/ (8 pairs)
• /t/ vs /d/ (8 pairs)
• /t/ vs /θ/ (8 pairs)
• /d/ vs /ð/ (8 pairs)
• /k/ vs /g/ (8 pairs)
• /tʃ/ vs /dʒ/ (7 pairs)
• /tʃ/ vs /ʃ/ (8 pairs)
• /dʒ/ vs /j/ (8 pairs)
• /f/ vs /v/ (8 pairs)
• /v/ vs /w/ (7 pairs)
• /θ/ vs /s/ (8 pairs)
• /ð/ vs /z/ (4 pairs)
• /s/ vs /z/ (8 pairs)
• /s/ vs /ʃ/ (7 pairs)
• /m/ vs /n/ (8 pairs)
• /n/ vs /ŋ/ (8 pairs)
• /l/ vs /r/ (8 pairs)