Minimal Pairs /f/ And /p/ (Fan And Pan)
60 pairs of words that differ only in /f/ and /p/. /f/ is a voiceless labio-dental fricative and /p/ is a voiceless bilabial plosive. They differ in place of articulation and manner of articulation.
| With /f/ | With /p/ |
|---|---|
| fan /fæn/ | pan /pæn/ |
| fee /fiː/ | pea /piː/ |
| few /fjuː/ | pew /pjuː/ |
| fit /fɪt/ | pit /pɪt/ |
| for /fɔː/ | paw /pɔː/ |
| fry /fraɪ/ | pry /praɪ/ |
| fun /fʌn/ | pun /pʌn/ |
| fur /fɜː/ | per /pɜː/ |
| foot /fʊt/ | put /pʊt/ |
| for /fɔː/ | poor /pɔː/ |
| for /fɔː/ | pore /pɔː/ |
| for /fɔː/ | pour /pɔː/ |
| four /fɔː/ | paw /pɔː/ |
| fur /fɜː/ | purr /pɜː/ |
| phew /fjuː/ | pew /pjuː/ |
| beef /biːf/ | beep /biːp/ |
| cough /kɒf/ | cop /kɒp/ |
| face /feɪs/ | pace /peɪs/ |
| fact /fækt/ | pact /pækt/ |
| fade /feɪd/ | paid /peɪd/ |
| fail /feɪl/ | pale /peɪl/ |
| fair /feə/ | pair /peə/ |
| fair /feə/ | pare /peə/ |
| fair /feə/ | pear /peə/ |
| fall /fɔːl/ | pall /pɔːl/ |
| fare /feə/ | pair /peə/ |
| fare /feə/ | pare /peə/ |
| fare /feə/ | pear /peə/ |
| farm /fɑːm/ | palm /pɑːm/ |
| fast /fɑːst/ | past /pɑːst/ |
| fear /fɪə/ | peer /pɪə/ |
| feel /fiːl/ | peal /piːl/ |
| feel /fiːl/ | peel /piːl/ |
| felt /felt/ | pelt /pelt/ |
| file /faɪl/ | pile /paɪl/ |
| fill /fɪl/ | pill /pɪl/ |
| fine /faɪn/ | pine /paɪn/ |
| fire /faɪə/ | pyre /paɪə/ |
| flee /fliː/ | plea /pliː/ |
| foal /fəʊl/ | pole /pəʊl/ |
| folk /fəʊk/ | poke /pəʊk/ |
| fond /fɒnd/ | pond /pɒnd/ |
| fool /fuːl/ | pool /puːl/ |
| fork /fɔːk/ | pork /pɔːk/ |
| fort /fɔːt/ | port /pɔːt/ |
| four /fɔː/ | poor /pɔː/ |
| four /fɔː/ | pore /pɔː/ |
| four /fɔː/ | pour /pɔː/ |
| full /fʊl/ | pull /pʊl/ |
| gaffe /ɡæf/ | gap /ɡæp/ |
| gulf /ɡʌlf/ | gulp /ɡʌlp/ |
| half /hɑːf/ | harp /hɑːp/ |
| hoof /huːf/ | hoop /huːp/ |
| leaf /liːf/ | leap /liːp/ |
| reef /riːf/ | reap /riːp/ |
| rife /raɪf/ | ripe /raɪp/ |
| wife /waɪf/ | wipe /waɪp/ |
| cliff /klɪf/ | clip /klɪp/ |
| farce /fɑːs/ | pass /pɑːs/ |
| feign /feɪn/ | pain /peɪn/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /f/ and /p/?
Word pairs that differ only in /f/ and /p/ in the same position, such as fan and pan. This page lists 60 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)