Minimal Pairs /n/ And /ŋ/ (Thin And Thing)
12 pairs of words that differ only in /n/ and /ŋ/. /n/ is a voiced alveolar nasal and /ŋ/ is a voiced velar nasal. They differ in place of articulation.
| With /n/ | With /ŋ/ |
|---|---|
| kin /kɪn/ | king /kɪŋ/ |
| pan /pæn/ | pang /pæŋ/ |
| ran /ræn/ | rang /ræŋ/ |
| run /rʌn/ | rung /rʌŋ/ |
| sin /sɪn/ | sing /sɪŋ/ |
| son /sʌn/ | sung /sʌŋ/ |
| sun /sʌn/ | sung /sʌŋ/ |
| win /wɪn/ | wing /wɪŋ/ |
| gone /ɡɒn/ | gong /ɡɒŋ/ |
| run /rʌn/ | wrung /rʌŋ/ |
| thin /θɪn/ | thing /θɪŋ/ |
| sinner /ˈsɪn.ə/ | singer /ˈsɪŋ.ə/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /n/ and /ŋ/?
Word pairs that differ only in /n/ and /ŋ/ in the same position, such as kin and king. This page lists 12 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)