Minimal Pairs /θ/ And /s/ (Think And Sink)
28 pairs of words that differ only in /θ/ and /s/. /θ/ is a voiceless dental fricative and /s/ is a voiceless alveolar fricative. They differ in place of articulation.
| With /θ/ | With /s/ |
|---|---|
| thaw /θɔː/ | saw /sɔː/ |
| thin /θɪn/ | sin /sɪn/ |
| moth /mɒθ/ | moss /mɒs/ |
| myth /mɪθ/ | miss /mɪs/ |
| path /pɑːθ/ | pass /pɑːs/ |
| thaw /θɔː/ | soar /sɔː/ |
| thaw /θɔː/ | sore /sɔː/ |
| thumb /θʌm/ | sum /sʌm/ |
| youth /juːθ/ | use /juːs/ |
| faith /feɪθ/ | face /feɪs/ |
| theme /θiːm/ | seam /siːm/ |
| theme /θiːm/ | seem /siːm/ |
| thick /θɪk/ | sick /sɪk/ |
| thigh /θaɪ/ | sigh /saɪ/ |
| thing /θɪŋ/ | sing /sɪŋ/ |
| think /θɪŋk/ | sink /sɪŋk/ |
| thumb /θʌm/ | some /sʌm/ |
| mouth /maʊθ/ | mouse /maʊs/ |
| tenth /tenθ/ | tense /tens/ |
| truth /truːθ/ | truce /truːs/ |
| worth /wɜːθ/ | worse /wɜːs/ |
| fourth /fɔːθ/ | force /fɔːs/ |
| growth /ɡrəʊθ/ | gross /ɡrəʊs/ |
| thought /θɔːt/ | sort /sɔːt/ |
| sleuth /sluːθ/ | sluice /sluːs/ |
| thimble /ˈθɪm.bəl/ | symbol /ˈsɪm.bəl/ |
| thunder /ˈθʌn.də/ | sunder /ˈsʌn.də/ |
| youthful /ˈjuːθ.fəl/ | useful /ˈjuːs.fəl/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /θ/ and /s/?
Word pairs that differ only in /θ/ and /s/ in the same position, such as thaw and saw. This page lists 28 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)