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Minimal Pairs: Listening Exercises

42 interactive listening discrimination exercises for practising differences between English vowel and consonant sounds. Choose an exercise below. Return to this menu to work through the collection systematically.

1. 1. Bit or Bet – /ɪ/ versus /e/
2. 2. Ship or Sheep – /ɪ/ versus /i:/
3. 3. Bet or Bat – /e/ versus /æ/
4. 4. Bet or But – /e/ versus /ʌ/
5. 5. Bet or Bert – /e/ versus /ɜ:/
6. 6. Sell or Sale? – /e/ versus /eɪ/
7. 7. Cat or Cut – /æ/ versus /ʌ/
8. 8. Cat or Cart- /æ/ versus /ɑː/
9. 9. Cot or Caught – /ɒ/ versus /ɔː/
10. 10. Bud or Bird – /ʌ/ versus /ɜː/
11. 11. Pull or Pool – /ʊ/ versus /uː/
12. 12. Cart or Cot – /ɑː/ versus /ɒ/
13. 13. Cart or Caught – /ɑ:/ versus /ɔ:/
14. 14. Four or Fur – /ɔ:/ versus /ɜː/
15. 15. Court or Coat – /ɔ:/ and /əʊ/
16. 16. Day or Die - /eɪ/ versus /aɪ/
17. 17. Here or Hair - /ɪə/ versus /eə/
18. 18. Peer or Poor - /ɪə/ versus /ʊə/
19. 19. Pair or Poor - /eə/ versus /ʊə/
20. 20. Coat or Cot – /əʊ/ versus /ɒ/
21. 21. Load or Loud – /əʊ/ and /aʊ/
22. 22. Bow or Bower – /aʊ/ versus /aʊə/
23. 23. Pin or Bin – /p/ versus /b/
24. 24. Ten or Den - /t/ versus /d/
25. 25. Coal or Goal - /k/ versus /g/
26. 26. Fan or Van – /f/ versus /v/
27. 27. Thigh or Tie - /θ/ versus /t/
28. 28. Thigh or Die – /θ/ versus /d/
29. 29. Thigh or Thy – /θ/ versus /ð/
30. 30. Thin or Sin - /θ/ versus /s/
31. 31. Then or Den – /ð/ versus /d/
32. 32. Then or Zen - /ð/ versus /z/
33. 33. Sip or Zip – /s/ versus /z/
34. 34. Thin or Thing – /n/ versus /ŋ/
35. 35. Thing or Think – /ŋ/ versus /ŋk/
36. 36. Load or Road – /l/ versus /r/
37. 37. Wet or Vet – /w/ versus /v/
38. 38. Sheet or Cheat – /ʃ/ versus /tʃ/
39. 39. Sheep or Jeep – /ʃ/ versus /dʒ/
40. 40. Watch or What – /tʃ/ versus /t/
41. 41. Cheap or Jeep – /tʃ/ versus /dʒ/
42. 42. Jet or Yet – /dʒ/ versus /j/