Minimal pairs and word-list generator
Pick the target sound, where it sits in the word, and the sound the child uses instead. The page finds every pair in its word list that differs by exactly that sound — or by leaving it off — and gives you the practice list to go with it.
- Word list
- SideClick's own, single syllables
- Contrasts
- Substitution or deletion
- Output
- Copy, or print as cards
Use the tool
Nothing to store — the lists are generated on the page from SideClick's own word list.
- Pairs
- 257
- Practice words
- 59
- Word list
- 1002
- SideClick's own list
/k/ as in key — start of the word
/k/ vs /p/ · 24
- cat – pat
- can – pan
- catch – patch
- kit – pit
- kick – pick
- cot – pot
- cop – pop
- cup – pup
- cuff – puff
- cane – pain
- cage – page
- key – pea
- keep – peep
- keys – peas
- coal – pole
- coach – poach
- cool – pool
- cart – part
- core – pour
- cork – pork
- care – pair
- curl – pearl
- couch – pouch
- cause – paws
/k/ vs /t/ · 24
- cap – tap
- cab – tab
- can – tan
- kick – tick
- cop – top
- cub – tub
- cuff – tough
- cake – take
- came – tame
- cape – tape
- key – tea
- kite – tight
- cone – tone
- code – toad
- cold – told
- cool – tool
- cook – took
- car – tar
- cart – tart
- corn – torn
- core – tore
- coil – toil
- call – tall
- caught – taught
/k/ vs /h/ · 21
- cat – hat
- catch – hatch
- calf – half
- kit – hit
- kid – hid
- kiss – hiss
- cot – hot
- cop – hop
- cut – hut
- cub – hub
- cope – hope
- coal – hole
- comb – home
- cold – hold
- cook – hook
- card – hard
- corn – horn
- course – horse
- care – hair
- cow – how
- call – hall
/k/ vs /r/ · 20
- cat – rat
- cap – rap
- can – ran
- cash – rash
- kid – rid
- king – ring
- cot – rot
- cob – rob
- cut – rut
- cub – rub
- cuff – rough
- cake – rake
- cane – rain
- kite – right
- coat – wrote
- cope – rope
- coal – roll
- code – road
- coach – roach
- cool – rule
/k/ vs /b/ · 19
- cat – bat
- kit – bit
- kid – bid
- cut – but
- cake – bake
- key – bee
- keys – bees
- kite – bite
- coat – boat
- cone – bone
- coal – bowl
- cook – book
- car – bar
- corn – born
- core – bore
- care – bear
- coil – boil
- call – ball
- caught – bought
/k/ vs /f/ · 18
- cat – fat
- can – fan
- kit – fit
- cake – fake
- key – fee
- kite – fight
- cone – phone
- comb – foam
- cold – fold
- cool – fool
- car – far
- core – four
- cork – fork
- course – force
- care – fair
- coil – foil
- call – fall
- caught – fought
/k/ vs /m/ · 15
- cat – mat
- cap – map
- can – man
- cash – mash
- catch – match
- kiss – miss
- cop – mop
- cob – mob
- cake – make
- cane – main
- kite – might
- coat – moat
- coal – mole
- core – more
- call – mall
/k/ vs /s/ · 15
- cat – sat
- kit – sit
- kick – sick
- king – sing
- cob – sob
- cub – sub
- came – same
- cave – save
- key – sea
- kite – sight
- cope – soap
- cold – sold
- core – sore
- curve – serve
- coil – soil
/k/ vs /l/ · 14
- cap – lap
- cab – lab
- catch – latch
- calf – laugh
- kit – lit
- kid – lid
- kick – lick
- cot – lot
- cake – lake
- cane – lane
- kite – light
- code – load
- cook – look
- cost – lost
/k/ vs /w/ · 13
- kit – wit
- kick – wick
- king – wing
- cake – wake
- cage – wage
- cave – wave
- key – we
- kite – white
- corn – worn
- core – wore
- care – wear
- cow – wow
- call – wall
/k/ vs /n/ · 11
- cat – gnat
- cap – nap
- kit – knit
- cot – not
- cut – nut
- came – name
- key – knee
- kite – night
- coat – note
- curve – nerve
- cow – now
/k/ vs /ʃ/ · 11
- cop – shop
- cut – shut
- cake – shake
- came – shame
- cave – shave
- cape – shape
- key – she
- keep – sheep
- cook – shook
- core – shore
- care – share
/k/ vs /g/ · 10
- cap – gap
- cot – got
- cut – gut
- came – game
- cane – gain
- cave – gave
- coat – goat
- coal – goal
- cold – gold
- curl – girl
/k/ vs /tʃ/ · 8
- cat – chat
- cap – chap
- kick – chick
- cop – chop
- cane – chain
- keys – cheese
- cart – chart
- care – chair
/k/ vs /d/ · 8
- cab – dab
- cash – dash
- kid – did
- cot – dot
- keep – deep
- comb – dome
- cart – dart
- core – door
/k/ vs /dʒ/ · 6
- cab – jab
- cob – job
- keep – jeep
- car – jar
- coin – join
- cause – jaws
/k/ vs /v/ · 5
- cat – vat
- can – van
- cane – vain
- coat – vote
- cow – vow
/k/ vs sound left off · 4
- cup – up
- cart – art
- coil – oil
- cough – off
/k/ vs /ð/ · 4
- cat – that
- can – than
- keys – these
- care – there
/k/ vs /θ/ · 4
- kick – thick
- king – thing
- corn – thorn
- caught – thought
/k/ vs /z/ · 2
- cap – zap
- cone – zone
/k/ vs /j/ · 1
- card – yard
Practice words · 59
cat, cap, cab, can, cash, catch, calf, kit, kid, kick, king, kiss, cot, cop, cob, cut, cup, cub, cuff, cake, came, cane, cage, cave, cape, key, keep, keys, kite, coat, cope, cone, coal, code, comb, coach, cold, cove, cool, cook, car, cart, card, corn, core, cork, course, care, curl, curve, cow, couch, coin, coil, call, caught, cause, cough, cost
How the pairs are found
Every word in the list carries a phonemic transcription. For the target sound in the chosen position, the page looks for words whose transcription is identical except at that one slot — a different consonant there (cat / tat, sip / ship) or nothing there at all (seat / sea, stop / top). The second kind is how final-consonant deletion and cluster reduction are contrasted, so those processes get pairs too.
The contrast picker lists only the sounds the list actually pairs with for that target and position, with a count beside each, so a fronting target (/k/ against /t/) or a stopping target (/s/ against /t/) is two clicks.
The word list
Some seven hundred common single-syllable words, written for this page rather than taken from a dictionary, so there is no licence to carry and no obscure vocabulary to explain to a four-year-old. It is organised by rhyme family because that is where pairs live. If a pair you rely on is missing, the contact page is the place to say so.
- Transcriptions lean General American; dialect-sensitive vowels are kept consistent within a family so pairs hold wherever you are.
- Spellings with silent letters (knee, wheel, write) are transcribed by sound, so knee / bee pairs as it should.
Cards and lists
Print gives you the pairs as cards, grouped by contrast, with the practice list under them. Copy gives the same as text for a home program or a note. Pair it with the session tally for the data.
Questions, answered
Why are some sounds empty in some positions?
English does not put every sound everywhere — /ŋ/ never starts a word, /h/ never ends one — and the list is single-syllable, so medial contrasts are not covered. The position picker says what is there.
Can I add my own words?
Not on the page. Copy the list and add to it in the note; suggestions for the list itself are welcome on the contact page.
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