Minimal Pairs /ʌ/ And /ɑː/ (Cut And Cart)
25 pairs of words that differ only in /ʌ/ and /ɑː/. /ʌ/ is a central open unrounded vowel and /ɑː/ is a back open unrounded vowel.
| With /ʌ/ | With /ɑː/ |
|---|---|
| cut /kʌt/ | cart /kɑːt/ |
| buck /bʌk/ | bark /bɑːk/ |
| come /kʌm/ | calm /kɑːm/ |
| duck /dʌk/ | dark /dɑːk/ |
| hut /hʌt/ | heart /hɑːt/ |
| muck /mʌk/ | mark /mɑːk/ |
| musk /mʌsk/ | mask /mɑːsk/ |
| must /mʌst/ | mast /mɑːst/ |
| puck /pʌk/ | park /pɑːk/ |
| sum /sʌm/ | psalm /sɑːm/ |
| fuss /fʌs/ | farce /fɑːs/ |
| hush /hʌʃ/ | harsh /hɑːʃ/ |
| lover /ˈlʌv.ə/ | lava /ˈlɑː.və/ |
| much /mʌtʃ/ | march /mɑːtʃ/ |
| mush /mʌʃ/ | marsh /mɑːʃ/ |
| some /sʌm/ | psalm /sɑːm/ |
| budge /bʌdʒ/ | barge /bɑːdʒ/ |
| gruff /ɡrʌf/ | graph /ɡrɑːf/ |
| grunt /ɡrʌnt/ | grant /ɡrɑːnt/ |
| musk /mʌsk/ | masque /mɑːsk/ |
| stuff /stʌf/ | staff /stɑːf/ |
| brunch /brʌntʃ/ | branch /brɑːntʃ/ |
| butter /ˈbʌt.ə/ | barter /ˈbɑː.tə/ |
| gutter /ˈɡʌt.ə/ | garter /ˈɡɑː.tə/ |
| mutter /ˈmʌt.ə/ | martyr /ˈmɑː.tə/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /ʌ/ and /ɑː/?
Word pairs that differ only in /ʌ/ and /ɑː/ in the same position, such as cut and cart. This page lists 25 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/ (22)/v/ And /w/ (15)/θ/ And /s/ (27)/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/ (50)/e/ And /æ/ (44)/æ/ And /ʌ/ (60)/æ/ And /ɑː/ (22)/ʌ/ And /ɑː/ (25)/ɒ/ And /ʌ/ (35)/ɒ/ And /ɔː/ (12)/ɜː/ And /ɑː/ (21)/e/ And /eɪ/ (52)/əʊ/ And /ɔː/ (60)/aɪ/ And /eɪ/ (60)/ɪə/ And /eə/ (28)