English Pronunciation · Consonants
Consonant Contrasts
Minimal pairs for the English consonants – at the start and end of words, TH contrasts, W/V, L/R and more – each with two short phrases to say aloud.
Konsonanten-Minimalpaare mit kurzen Übungsphrasen – am Wortanfang, am Wortende und mehr.
bet /t/≠bed /d/
- 55 consonant pairs + 20 vowel pairs
- Phrase for every word
- “Which word?” game
- Bonus vowel contrasts
- 6-question quiz
1 How to Practise
- Say the pair slowly: pit – bit, pit – bit.
- Feel the difference: hand on your throat for voicing; paper in front of your mouth for the puff of air in /p t k/.
- Say the two phrases – the context helps your listener (and you).
- Test a partner: say one word; they point to the one they heard.
2 Initial Consonants
Voiceless vs voiced at the start of a word. Voiceless /p t k/ have a little puff of air.
/p/ – /b/
pitDig a pit.bitTake a bit.
patGive it a pat.batSwing the bat.
pigSee the pig.bigIt’s big.
/t/ – /d/
timeWhat time is it?dimeFind a dime.
tearA tear in her eye.dearMy dear!
townGo to town.downSit down.
/k/ – /g/
coatWear your coat.goatFeed the goat.
coldI feel cold.goldShe has gold.
crowHear the crow.growPlants grow.
/f/ – /v/
fineI’m fine.vineGrapes on the vine.
fanTurn on the fan.vanDrive the van.
ferryTake the ferry.veryIt’s very hot.
/s/ – /z/
sinkWash it in the sink.zincZinc is a metal.
SueAsk Sue.zooVisit the zoo.
sealSee the seal.zealWork with zeal.
3 Final Consonants
The most important section for German speakers: keep final voiced consonants voiced – and make the vowel a little longer before them.
/t/ – /d/
betMake a bet.bedGo to bed.
hatWear a hat.hadI had fun.
seatTake a seat.seedPlant a seed.
/k/ – /g/
backMy back hurts.bagCarry a bag.
pickPick one.pigSee the pig.
duckFeed the duck.dugHe dug deep.
/f/ – /v/
leafA green leaf.leaveTime to leave.
halfEat half.halveHalve the apple.
proofShow me proof.proveProve it.
/s/ – /z/
busTake the bus.buzzHear the buzz.
peaceWorld peace.peasEat your peas.
raceWin the race.raiseRaise your hand.
4 TH Contrasts
Key contrasts for German speakers: TH vs S, T, F and D.
/θ/ – /s/
thankSay thank you.sankThe boat sank.
thinShe’s thin.sinThat’s a sin.
thoughtI thought so.soughtWe sought help.
mouthOpen your mouth.mouseA little mouse.
/θ/ – /t/
threeCount to three.treeClimb the tree.
thinA thin book.tinA tin of beans.
/θ/ – /f/
threeCount to three.freeIt’s free.
thoughtI thought so.foughtThey fought.
thirstThirst in summer.firstFirst place.
/ð/ – /d/
theyThey’re here.dayA sunny day.
thenAnd then?denA fox’s den.
/θ/ – /ð/
thighMy thigh hurts.thyThy kingdom come.
teethBrush your teeth.teetheBabies teethe.
mouth (noun)Open your mouth.mouth (verb)Mouth the words.
5 More Consonant Contrasts
/w/ – /v/
westGo west.vestWear a vest.
wineDrink wine.vineGrapes on the vine.
worseIt got worse.verseSing a verse.
/l/ – /r/
lightTurn on the light.rightTurn right.
longIt’s long.wrongThat’s wrong.
leadLead the way.readRead this.
/n/ – /ŋ/
sinDon’t sin.singLet’s sing.
ranShe ran.rangThe bell rang.
tonA ton of sand.tongueStick out your tongue.
/s/ – /st/
singLet’s sing.stingWatch out for the sting.
sinkWash it in the sink.stinkThat stinks!
sailThe boat will sail.staleThe bread is stale.
/ʃ/ – /ʒ/
dilutionWater dilution.delusionIt’s a delusion.
ConfucianConfucian ideas.confusionTotal confusion.
6 Bonus: Vowel Contrasts
Not consonants – but often confused. Full practice on Vowel Minimal Pairs.
| Contrast | Pairs |
|---|
| /ɪ/ – /iː/ | sit – seat · bit – beat · lick – leak |
| /æ/ – /ʌ/ | bat – but · cat – cut · ran – run |
| /ɑː/ – /ɔː/ | park – pork · farm – form · star – store · card – cord |
| /ʊ/ – /uː/ | full – fool · pull – pool · look – Luke |
| /ɜː/ – /ɔː/ | bird – bored · work – walk · fern – fawn · shirt – short |
| /ɪə/ – /eə/ | here – hair · beer – bear · fear – fair · cheer – chair |
British English: no r sound in bird, bored, park, here, hair.
7 Which Word?
Choose the word that fits the phrase – then say the phrase aloud. Twelve random items each round.
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8 Quiz
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