# Minimal pairs for voiced/unvoiced fricatives **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633 "2021-05-08T04:24:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/1 "2021-05-08T04:24:28Z")
A minimal pair is two words where the pronunciation is identical except that one phoneme is different in one aspect. For this question, that aspect is that one has a voiced fricative and the other unvoiced. Fricatives are phonemes where the air flow through the mouth is not stopped, but rather just modified by the placement of the tongue and shape of the mouth. The voiced fricatives in English are /v ð z ʒ/ and the voiceless are /f θ s ʃ h/. /h/ doesn’t have a corresponding voiced phoneme, so we can ignore that. /s/ and /z/ I expect to have quite a few. Off the top of my head, I can think of muscle/muzzle and sap/zap and I’m sure there are many more. /ð/ and /θ/ (both represented in writing by TH) only have two minimal pairs: thy/thigh and either/ether. So what about the other two sets? Are there any minimal pairs for /f/ and /v/ and for /ʒ/ and /ʃ/? (Note: /ʃ/ is the SH sound; /ʒ/ is the ZH sound, although we don’t write it that way except in Russian names. It can be found in the middle of a number of words like _decision_, _pleasure_ and _seizure_ as well as the last sound in _garage_. It’s also part of what we think of as the J-sound /dʒ/.) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/2 "2021-05-08T04:57:26Z")
Assure and azure come close but the accent is on a different syllable ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/3 "2021-05-08T13:45:39Z")
Fife and five Over and offer ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/4 "2021-05-08T13:52:15Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > So what about the other two sets? Are there any minimal pairs for /f/ and /v/ and for /ʒ/ and /ʃ/? (Note: /ʃ/ is the SH sound; /ʒ/ is the ZH sound, although we don’t write it that way except in Russian names. It can be found in the middle of a number of words like _decision_ , _pleasure_ and _seizure_ as well as the last sound in _garage_ . It’s also part of what we think of as the J-sound /dʒ/.) fife and five, knifes and knives, wife and wive, focal and vocal, fine and vine… Thinking about the other set ETA ninja’ed by RealityChuck on the first one. There must be a bunch if you start with f/v. fan and van, fain and vain, fat and vat… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/5 "2021-05-08T14:35:20Z")
Off and of Often\* and oven Garish and garage are close \*The “t” is silent in most pronunciations ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/6 "2021-05-08T15:08:02Z")
For me, the vowel “i” is also different in “five” and “fife.” “Fife” starts with a kind of “uh” sound to me and “five” starts with more of an “ah” sound before eliding into the second half of the diphthong. That very well may be my accent, as wiktionary transcribes them the same in IPA. It’s the same sort of difference as in “writer” and “rider” in the way my long I is pronounced, so it must be some raising thing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/7 "2021-05-08T15:18:50Z")
Ok in that one, the initial vowel is definitely different. “Aw” vs “uh.” /ɔ/ vs /ʌ/. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/8 "2021-05-08T15:27:35Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Assure and azure come close but the accent is on a different syllable That seems to be true for the standard pronunciation of azure, but I’ve definitely encountered people who put the accent on the second syllable. I think it may be a valid alternative. If it is, that would work as a minimal pair. That said, I have another one: “liege” and “leash.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/9 "2021-05-08T15:46:25Z")
life and live (as in “live concert”) leave and leaf fast and vast ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/10 "2021-05-08T15:52:26Z")
If you count contractions as a single word (which, really, you probably shouldn’t), you have another minimal pair for “th” in _thistle_ and _this’ll_. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/11 "2021-05-08T15:54:00Z")
OK, thanks. I think we have enough f/v pairs. So far we only have liege/leash for the other, so any more for that one? (I don’t think I’ve heard ‘azure’ spoken out loud often enough say on that one, so I’m going by M-W and it has the accent on different syllables.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/12 "2021-05-08T15:55:31Z")
That’s a good pair, but I do find “liege” with a “j” or “dzh ” pronunciation to be the more common one. Don’t know if that matters or not. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/13 "2021-05-08T16:00:37Z")
How about “Jacques” and “shock”? Got another: “luge” and “louche”, though the latter is somewhat obscure (I know it from drink aniseed liquors). ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/14 "2021-05-08T16:02:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > … but I do find “liege” with a “j” or “dzh ” pronunciation to be the more common one. Don’t know if that matters or not. M-W does show it with a J (dzh), so apparently you’re right. My personal pronunciation is just ZH, so it sounds like a good one to me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/15 "2021-05-08T16:04:08Z")
Both are common to me, so just depending on what your personal rules are. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/16 "2021-05-08T16:22:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > How about “Jacques” and “shock”? > > Got another: “luge” and “louche”, though the latter is somewhat obscure (I know it from drink aniseed liquors). Both of those sound like good ones. Although admittedly I never heard the word ‘louche’ before, so I’m going by M-W for that. Well, I’m satisfied there are some ZH/SH pairs, so I don’t need more. I was pretty sure there were f/v ones before posting the OP (just having a brainfart), but I wasn’t sure about the other. Thanks everyone. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/17 "2021-05-08T16:38:11Z")
Aleutian / allusion ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/18 "2021-05-08T18:01:36Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > /ð/ and /θ/ (both represented in writing by TH) only have two minimal pairs: thy/thigh and either/ether. There are several more: teeth / teethe wreath / wreathe sooth / soothe sheath /sheathe mouth (noun) / mouth (verb) loath / loathe Also for some speakers, but not me, possibly swath (/swɔθ/) and swathe (/swɔð/) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/19 "2021-05-08T19:07:30Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > There are several more: Funny how none of those additional ones are ever cited when this topic comes up. Not saying you’re wrong, it’s just that no one ever mentions them. Only the two I mentioned in the OP plus sometimes that “this’ll” thing that I was studiously ignoring (but should have figured someone would bring up anyway). At any rate, thanks for the Aleutian/allusion pair. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/20 "2021-05-08T19:28:17Z")
A few more sh/zh pairs I found using the Moby Pronunciator file: ruche / rouge glacier / glazier dilution / delusion discission / decision malacia / Malaysia [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633.md?page=2)