Minimal Pairs /tʃ/ And /ʃ/ (Chip And Ship)
27 pairs of words that differ only in /tʃ/ and /ʃ/. /tʃ/ is a voiceless palato-alveolar affricate and /ʃ/ is a voiceless palato-alveolar fricative. They differ in manner of articulation.
| With /tʃ/ | With /ʃ/ |
|---|---|
| chew /tʃuː/ | shoe /ʃuː/ |
| chip /tʃɪp/ | ship /ʃɪp/ |
| chop /tʃɒp/ | shop /ʃɒp/ |
| much /mʌtʃ/ | mush /mʌʃ/ |
| catch /kætʃ/ | cash /kæʃ/ |
| cheek /tʃiːk/ | chic /ʃiːk/ |
| chore /tʃɔː/ | sure /ʃɔː/ |
| ditch /dɪtʃ/ | dish /dɪʃ/ |
| hutch /hʌtʃ/ | hush /hʌʃ/ |
| latch /lætʃ/ | lash /læʃ/ |
| match /mætʃ/ | mash /mæʃ/ |
| notch /nɒtʃ/ | nosh /nɒʃ/ |
| watch /wɒtʃ/ | wash /wɒʃ/ |
| which /wɪtʃ/ | wish /wɪʃ/ |
| witch /wɪtʃ/ | wish /wɪʃ/ |
| catch /kætʃ/ | cache /kæʃ/ |
| chair /tʃeə/ | share /ʃeə/ |
| cheap /tʃiːp/ | sheep /ʃiːp/ |
| cheat /tʃiːt/ | sheet /ʃiːt/ |
| cheer /tʃɪə/ | sheer /ʃɪə/ |
| chore /tʃɔː/ | shore /ʃɔː/ |
| march /mɑːtʃ/ | marsh /mɑːʃ/ |
| putsch /pʊtʃ/ | push /pʊʃ/ |
| chant /tʃɑːnt/ | shan't /ʃɑːnt/ |
| cheese /tʃiːz/ | she's /ʃiːz/ |
| crutch /krʌtʃ/ | crush /krʌʃ/ |
| chatter /ˈtʃæt.ə/ | shatter /ˈʃæt.ə/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /tʃ/ and /ʃ/?
Word pairs that differ only in /tʃ/ and /ʃ/ in the same position, such as chew and shoe. This page lists 27 of them.
Why practise minimal pairs?
Because the two words mean different things, a minimal pair proves that the two sounds are separate phonemes. Saying and hearing them side by side trains you to keep the sounds apart.
More Minimal Pairs
/p/ And /b/ (60)/t/ And /d/ (60)/k/ And /ɡ/ (60)/f/ And /v/ (34)/s/ And /z/ (33)/f/ And /p/ (60)/v/ And /b/ (23)/v/ And /w/ (15)/θ/ And /s/ (28)/θ/ And /t/ (27)/θ/ And /f/ (11)/ð/ And /d/ (17)/ð/ And /z/ (7)/s/ And /ʃ/ (49)/tʃ/ And /ʃ/ (27)/tʃ/ And /dʒ/ (9)/j/ And /dʒ/ (8)/l/ And /r/ (60)/m/ And /n/ (60)/n/ And /ŋ/ (12)/h/ And /f/ (42)/ɪ/ And /iː/ (60)/ɪ/ And /e/ (51)/e/ And /æ/ (44)/æ/ And /ʌ/ (60)/æ/ And /ɑː/ (22)/ʌ/ And /ɑː/ (25)/ɒ/ And /ʌ/ (36)/ɒ/ And /ɔː/ (12)/ɜː/ And /ɑː/ (22)/e/ And /eɪ/ (52)/əʊ/ And /ɔː/ (60)/aɪ/ And /eɪ/ (60)/ɪə/ And /eə/ (28)