Minimal Pairs /e/ And /eɪ/ (Wet And Wait)
52 pairs of words that differ only in /e/ and /eɪ/. /e/ is a front half-open unrounded vowel and /eɪ/ is a diphthong.
| With /e/ | With /eɪ/ |
|---|---|
| edge /edʒ/ | age /eɪdʒ/ |
| get /ɡet/ | gait /ɡeɪt/ |
| get /ɡet/ | gate /ɡeɪt/ |
| let /let/ | late /leɪt/ |
| men /men/ | main /meɪn/ |
| met /met/ | mate /meɪt/ |
| pen /pen/ | pain /peɪn/ |
| red /red/ | raid /reɪd/ |
| wet /wet/ | wait /weɪt/ |
| ate /et/ | eight /eɪt/ |
| bell /bel/ | bail /beɪl/ |
| cell /sel/ | sail /seɪl/ |
| cell /sel/ | sale /seɪl/ |
| debt /det/ | date /deɪt/ |
| fell /fel/ | fail /feɪl/ |
| hell /hel/ | hail /heɪl/ |
| less /les/ | lace /leɪs/ |
| mess /mes/ | mace /meɪs/ |
| sell /sel/ | sail /seɪl/ |
| sell /sel/ | sale /seɪl/ |
| tell /tel/ | tail /teɪl/ |
| tell /tel/ | tale /teɪl/ |
| well /wel/ | wail /weɪl/ |
| when /wen/ | wane /weɪn/ |
| cent /sent/ | saint /seɪnt/ |
| pest /pest/ | paste /peɪst/ |
| sent /sent/ | saint /seɪnt/ |
| shed /ʃed/ | shade /ʃeɪd/ |
| tent /tent/ | taint /teɪnt/ |
| test /test/ | taste /teɪst/ |
| wedge /wedʒ/ | wage /weɪdʒ/ |
| well /wel/ | whale /weɪl/ |
| west /west/ | waist /weɪst/ |
| west /west/ | waste /weɪst/ |
| wet /wet/ | weight /weɪt/ |
| wreck /rek/ | rake /reɪk/ |
| bread /bred/ | braid /breɪd/ |
| chess /tʃes/ | chase /tʃeɪs/ |
| debtor /ˈdet.ə/ | data /ˈdeɪ.tə/ |
| fleck /flek/ | flake /fleɪk/ |
| scent /sent/ | saint /seɪnt/ |
| shell /ʃel/ | shale /ʃeɪl/ |
| beckon /ˈbek.ən/ | bacon /ˈbeɪ.kən/ |
| fret /fret/ | freight /freɪt/ |
| heaven /ˈhev.ən/ | haven /ˈheɪ.vən/ |
| impel /ɪmˈpel/ | impale /ɪmˈpeɪl/ |
| letter /ˈlet.ə/ | later /ˈleɪ.tə/ |
| nettle /ˈnet.əl/ | natal /ˈneɪ.təl/ |
| pepper /ˈpep.ə/ | paper /ˈpeɪ.pə/ |
| phlegm /flem/ | flame /fleɪm/ |
| sever /ˈsev.ə/ | savour /ˈseɪ.və/ |
| cellar /ˈsel.ə/ | sailor /ˈseɪ.lə/ |
Questions Students Ask
What are minimal pairs for /e/ and /eɪ/?
Word pairs that differ only in /e/ and /eɪ/ in the same position, such as edge and age. This page lists 52 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)