Minimal Pairs /f/ And /v/ (Fan And Van)
34 pairs of words that differ only in /f/ and /v/. /f/ is a voiceless labio-dental fricative and /v/ is a voiced labio-dental fricative. They differ in voicing.
| With /f/ | With /v/ |
|---|---|
| off /ɒf/ | of /ɒv/ |
| fan /fæn/ | van /væn/ |
| few /fjuː/ | view /vjuː/ |
| fire /faɪə/ | via /ˈvaɪ.ə/ |
| fail /feɪl/ | veil /veɪl/ |
| fast /fɑːst/ | vast /vɑːst/ |
| fear /fɪə/ | veer /vɪə/ |
| file /faɪl/ | vile /vaɪl/ |
| fine /faɪn/ | vine /vaɪn/ |
| phew /fjuː/ | view /vjuː/ |
| safe /seɪf/ | save /seɪv/ |
| calf /kɑːf/ | carve /kɑːv/ |
| fairy /ˈfeə.ri/ | vary /ˈveə.ri/ |
| feign /feɪn/ | vain /veɪn/ |
| feign /feɪn/ | vein /veɪn/ |
| ferry /ˈfer.i/ | very /ˈver.i/ |
| half /hɑːf/ | halve /hɑːv/ |
| leaf /liːf/ | leave /liːv/ |
| phial /ˈfaɪ.əl/ | vial /ˈvaɪ.əl/ |
| fault /fɔːlt/ | vault /vɔːlt/ |
| proof /pruːf/ | prove /pruːv/ |
| rifle /ˈraɪ.fəl/ | rival /ˈraɪ.vəl/ |
| grief /ɡriːf/ | grieve /ɡriːv/ |
| safer /ˈseɪ.fə/ | savour /ˈseɪ.və/ |
| staff /stɑːf/ | starve /stɑːv/ |
| define /dɪˈfaɪn/ | divine /dɪˈvaɪn/ |
| figure /ˈfɪɡ.ə/ | vigour /ˈvɪɡ.ə/ |
| infest /ɪnˈfest/ | invest /ɪnˈvest/ |
| strife /straɪf/ | strive /straɪv/ |
| belief /bɪˈliːf/ | believe /bɪˈliːv/ |
| relief /rɪˈliːf/ | relieve /rɪˈliːv/ |
| shuffle /ˈʃʌf.əl/ | shovel /ˈʃʌv.əl/ |
| surface /ˈsɜː.fɪs/ | service /ˈsɜː.vɪs/ |
| reference /ˈref.ər.əns/ | reverence /ˈrev.ər.əns/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /f/ and /v/?
Word pairs that differ only in /f/ and /v/ in the same position, such as off and of. This page lists 34 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)