Minimal Pairs /ð/ And /z/ (Breathe And Breeze)
7 pairs of words that differ only in /ð/ and /z/. /ð/ is a voiced dental fricative and /z/ is a voiced alveolar fricative. They differ in place of articulation.
| With /ð/ | With /z/ |
|---|---|
| bathe /beɪð/ | baize /beɪz/ |
| booth /buːð/ | booze /buːz/ |
| scythe /saɪð/ | size /saɪz/ |
| writhe /raɪð/ | rise /raɪz/ |
| clothe /kləʊð/ | close /kləʊz/ |
| seethe /siːð/ | seize /siːz/ |
| breathe /briːð/ | breeze /briːz/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /ð/ and /z/?
Word pairs that differ only in /ð/ and /z/ in the same position, such as bathe and baize. This page lists 7 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)