Phoneme
/l/ vs /r/

/l/ vs /r/ minimal pairs

/l/ is a voiced alveolar lateral; /r/ is a voiced approximant. Phoneme has 8 word pairs to practice this contrast, each with native-speaker audio.

8 word pairs
/l//r/
lampramp
leadread
flyfry
lightright
lockrock
liprip
glassgrass
playpray

How to teach this contrast

  1. Listen and point. Play each word and have learners point to or repeat the symbol they hear.
  2. Say and check. Learners say one word from a pair; a partner (or you) identifies which one.
  3. Drill it. Use Phoneme's Train mode minimal-pair drill for randomized, self-checking practice.