Minimal Pairs /h/ And /f/ (Hat And Fat)
42 pairs of words that differ only in /h/ and /f/. /h/ is a voiceless glottal fricative and /f/ is a voiceless labio-dental fricative. They differ in place of articulation.
| With /h/ | With /f/ |
|---|---|
| he /hiː/ | fee /fiː/ |
| hat /hæt/ | fat /fæt/ |
| her /hɜː/ | fur /fɜː/ |
| hit /hɪt/ | fit /fɪt/ |
| his /hɪz/ | fizz /fɪz/ |
| hail /heɪl/ | fail /feɪl/ |
| hair /heə/ | fair /feə/ |
| hair /heə/ | fare /feə/ |
| hall /hɔːl/ | fall /fɔːl/ |
| harm /hɑːm/ | farm /fɑːm/ |
| hate /heɪt/ | fate /feɪt/ |
| haul /hɔːl/ | fall /fɔːl/ |
| hawk /hɔːk/ | fork /fɔːk/ |
| he'd /hiːd/ | feed /fiːd/ |
| heal /hiːl/ | feel /fiːl/ |
| hear /hɪə/ | fear /fɪə/ |
| heat /hiːt/ | feet /fiːt/ |
| heel /hiːl/ | feel /fiːl/ |
| hell /hel/ | fell /fel/ |
| here /hɪə/ | fear /fɪə/ |
| hill /hɪl/ | fill /fɪl/ |
| hire /haɪə/ | fire /faɪə/ |
| hold /həʊld/ | fold /fəʊld/ |
| hole /həʊl/ | foal /fəʊl/ |
| home /həʊm/ | foam /fəʊm/ |
| howl /haʊl/ | foul /faʊl/ |
| howl /haʊl/ | fowl /faʊl/ |
| halt /hɔːlt/ | fault /fɔːlt/ |
| haze /heɪz/ | phase /feɪz/ |
| he'll /hiːl/ | feel /fiːl/ |
| whole /həʊl/ | foal /fəʊl/ |
| hairy /ˈheə.ri/ | fairy /ˈfeə.ri/ |
| hence /hens/ | fence /fens/ |
| higher /ˈhaɪ.ə/ | fire /faɪə/ |
| honey /ˈhʌn.i/ | funny /ˈfʌn.i/ |
| horse /hɔːs/ | force /fɔːs/ |
| hound /haʊnd/ | found /faʊnd/ |
| height /haɪt/ | fight /faɪt/ |
| hoarse /hɔːs/ | force /fɔːs/ |
| hollow /ˈhɒl.əʊ/ | follow /ˈfɒl.əʊ/ |
| humble /ˈhʌm.bəl/ | fumble /ˈfʌm.bəl/ |
| horrid /ˈhɒr.ɪd/ | forehead /ˈfɒr.ɪd/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /h/ and /f/?
Word pairs that differ only in /h/ and /f/ in the same position, such as he and fee. This page lists 42 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)