{"id":4335,"date":"2021-04-05T19:39:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T02:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/?p=4335"},"modified":"2021-04-12T10:05:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T17:05:32","slug":"commonly-confused-vowels-minimal-pairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/commonly-confused-vowels-minimal-pairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Commonly Confused Vowels: Minimal Pairs"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What are minimal pairs and how can they help me with pronunciation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Do you struggle to pronounce certain vowels sounds in English? English vowels can be tricky to distinguish and this results in many commonly confused vowels and misunderstandings.\u00a0 What can help? Practicing with commonly confused minimal pairs can help you isolate the sounds you struggle with.\u00a0 Minimal pairs are two words that are pronounced almost in the same way, but they have one sound that makes them different, a vowel or a consonant.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you learn to distinguish minimal pairs by practicing them back to back, you can really improve your English pronunciation. Learning to hear the difference between minimal pairs is also a great way to become a better English listener. Most importantly, by practicing the following minimal pairs, you can learn to avoid common mistakes and misunderstandings when communicating in English.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Commonly confused vowels: \/\u00e6\/ vs.\u00a0 \/e\/\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Notice how the mouth is more open in \/\u00e6\/ and more narrow for \/e\/<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"a ae minimal pairs\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/533352595?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Annie\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">any<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gnats\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">nets<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">axes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">X&#8217;s<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">knack\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">neck<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">rack\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">wreck<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bad\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bag<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">beg<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">madly\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">medley<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sad\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">said<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ban\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ben<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sand\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">send<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">slapped\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">slept<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bat\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bet<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">mat\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">met<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">paddle\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pedal<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">batter\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">better<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pan\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pen<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">tamper\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">temper<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bland\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">blend<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pack\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">peck<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">than\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">then<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fanatic\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">phonetic<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Confused vowels: \/i:\/ vs. \/I\/ \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Notice how \/i:\/ is longer and is produced with a wider mouth position while the \/I\/ sounds shorter and is pronounced with a narrower mouth position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"long e short i\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/532429209?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">beach<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bitch* (swear word in English)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">beat<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bit<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">cheap<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">chip<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">cheek<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">chick<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">deal\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">dill<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">each<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">itch<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">feel\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fill<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gene<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gin<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">green<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">grin<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">keen<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">kin<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lead\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lid<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">leak<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lick\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">leave<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">live<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">meal<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">mill<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">peach<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pitch<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">peak\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pick<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reach<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">rich<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">scene\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sin<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">seat<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sit<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Commonly mixed up: \/o\u028a\/ vs. \/a\u028a\/<\/strong> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take note of how the lips are rounded and then becomes smaller to pronounce \/o\u028a\/ while the \/a\u028a\/ starts in a wide positions that then narrows to a more rounded position<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"long o vs ow\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/532429364?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">arose<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">arouse<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">phoned\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">found<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">boat\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bout<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pro\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">prow<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">hole<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">howl<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">hose<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">house<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">crowed\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">crowd<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">coach\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">couch\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">so\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sow<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">tone<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">town<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sews<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sows<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">groaned\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ground<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Commonly confused vowels: \/o\u028a\/ vs. \/\u0254\/<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Notice how the lips start in a larger rounded position and then become smaller for \/o\u028a\/ while the mouth is consistently rounded in a medium position for the \/\u0254\/ sound.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"long o vs aw\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/532429294?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bowl\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ball<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">so\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">saw<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">drone\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">drawn<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">note\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">nought<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">close\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">claws<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">foal\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fall<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Low<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">law<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">drone\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">drawn<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">goal\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gall<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">oat\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ought<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sew\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">saw<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">tote\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">taught<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">choke\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">chalk<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">close\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">claws<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Commonly confused vowels: \/o\u028a\/ vs. \/\u0254\u02d0r\/<\/strong> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Notice how the mouth starts in a larger rounded position and then becomes smaller for \/o\u028a\/ while the mouth starts in a medium rounded position and then widen slightly for \/\u0254\u02d0r\/. The tip of your tongue should be pulled back in the middle of the \/\u0254\u02d0r\/ pronunciation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"long o vs or\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/532429325?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">folk\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fork<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Know<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">nor<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">mow\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">more<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">poke\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pork<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">show\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sure<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">chose<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">chores<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">doe\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">door<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">dome\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">dorm<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">doze\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">doors<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">foe<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">four<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">go\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gore<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">know\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">nor<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">moaning\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">morning<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">owe\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">or<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">snow\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">snore<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">stow\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">store<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Need help?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still not sure if you\u2019re pronouncing those sounds correctly? Do you need some feedback on your pronunciation to determine if you\u2019re on the right track?\u00a0 To learn more about English pronunciation and practice it in conversation, <a href=\"https:\/\/speaking.magoosh.com\/\">join SpeakUp<\/a>, a dynamic program that engages you in authentic conversations on relevant topics and provides you with feedback from a professional and experienced English teacher.\u00a0 The first week is free for you to try it out!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are minimal pairs and how can they help me with pronunciation? Do you struggle to pronounce certain vowels sounds in English? English vowels can be tricky to distinguish and this results in many commonly confused vowels and misunderstandings.\u00a0 What can help? Practicing with commonly confused minimal pairs can help you isolate the sounds you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":4495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-pronunciation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Commonly Confused Vowels: Minimal Pairs - SpeakUp resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Struggling to pronounce some English vowel sounds? 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