Minimal pairs - phonemic chart

This phonemic chart helps you hear and say the sounds of the English language. To hear the sounds, click on the IPA symbols that represent the sounds. Click on word to hear sample word of the sounds.

Minimal pairs are the simplest way to practice pronunciation, contrasting two similar sounds in order to differentiate between them. Here is an example of four pairs of words, one set of four contrasts the short /i/ and the long /i:/, the other contrasts the unvoiced /g/ and the voiced /k/. Minimal pairs are fairly easy to invent quickly and can be done in different ways e.g. T-S, S-T, spoken, whispered, spoken silently (to notice mouth shapes).