Minimal Pairs /j/ And /dʒ/ (Yet And Jet)
8 pairs of words that differ only in /j/ and /dʒ/. /j/ is a voiced palatal approximant and /dʒ/ is a voiced palato-alveolar affricate. They differ in place of articulation and manner of articulation.
| With /j/ | With /dʒ/ |
|---|---|
| yam /jæm/ | jam /dʒæm/ |
| yet /jet/ | jet /dʒet/ |
| your /jɔː/ | jaw /dʒɔː/ |
| use /juːs/ | juice /dʒuːs/ |
| year /jɪə/ | jeer /dʒɪə/ |
| yoke /jəʊk/ | joke /dʒəʊk/ |
| yolk /jəʊk/ | joke /dʒəʊk/ |
| you're /jɔː/ | jaw /dʒɔː/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /j/ and /dʒ/?
Word pairs that differ only in /j/ and /dʒ/ in the same position, such as yam and jam. This page lists 8 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)