# Minimal pairs for voiced/unvoiced fricatives

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633>\
**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:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**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, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/21 "2021-05-08T19:42:05Z")

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> [@bibliophage](#):
>
> glacier / glazier

Looking up the pronunciations in M-W, I find a lot of options on these. Glacier can be pronounced with either SH or ZH, or if you’re British, an S. Glazier can be pronounced with either ZH or Z. Personally, I use SH and Z, so they aren’t an SH/ZH pair in my dialect.

> [@bibliophage](#):
>
> dilution / delusion

ETA: this is the best one so far. Neither are obscure or capitalized.

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**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/22 "2021-05-08T20:37:13Z")

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Interestingly, there’s a near-miss that covers both: _vision - fission_.

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/23 "2021-05-09T13:10:36Z")

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This isn’t perfect, though, since “dilution” is often pronounced with a long I (/aɪ/ in IPA) rather than a schwa.

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/24 "2021-05-09T16:54:57Z")

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Ravel and raffle. But aren’t the final sounds in batch and badge fricatives too?

BTW, in my dialect, off and of have different vowels as do often and oven. The first of each pair is aw and the second is uh.

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**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 16, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/25 "2021-05-16T13:42:28Z")

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Another minimal pair for “th” occurred to me today, after doing The NY Times crossword. It involves slang: “thou” (as in the pronoun) and “thou” as in slang for “thousand.”

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**Author:** ![Jebbilene](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jebbilene/32/3414_2.png) [@Jebbilene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebbilene)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2021, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimal-pairs-for-voiced-unvoiced-fricatives/941633/26 "2021-05-17T08:16:36Z")

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They are affricates. There is a stop just before the fricative. ‘Batch’ without the stop is ‘bash’.

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