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Vowels 9 and 14, /u/ versus //    260 pairs      

The /u/ vowel is usually spelled <oo>, <ew>, <u> and <o> after <wh> in who'd. The // diphthong is spelled in a number of ways including <iCe>, <ui>, <y>, <uy> in buy, and occurs in the letter names I and Y.

This is a contrast between a long vowel and a diphthong, well separated in the mouth and distinguished by lip-rounding. It is not a problem for any group of learners.

There is one taboo word pair: coon/kine.

Interesting pairs include:

allude allied
elude elide
lunar liner
oodles idles
pollute polite
rueful rifle
unsuited unsighted

The density figure is 5.48%. The set makes 138 semantic contrasts giving a loading of 53.1%.

allude allied 
bestrewed bestride
blew Blyth 			   
blue Blyth
boo buy
  booing buying
  boos buys
boo by
boo bye
  boos byes
booed bide 
boon bine 
  boons bines 
boot bight 
  boots bights 
boot bite
  booting biting 
  boots bites
brewed bride
brewer briar
  brewers briars
brood bride
  broods brides 
brute bright 
buhl bile 
chewed chide
coon kine
coot kite
  coots kites
crew cry
  crewed cried
  crewing crying
  crews cries
croups cripes 
cruise cries
do Di 
do die
  doing dying
  do's dies 
do dye
  do's dyes
doer dire 
doer dyer
  doers dyers
doom dime 
  dooms dimes 
drew dry
elude elide 
  eluded elided 
  eludes elides 
  eluding eliding 
flew fly   
flue fly
  flues flies 
flute flight 
  fluted flighted 
  flutes flights 
  fluting flighting 
fool file 
  fooled filed 
  fooling filing 
  fools files 
fruit fright 
  fruited frighted 
  fruiting frighting 
  fruits frights 
fruitful frightful 
  fruitfully frightfully 
  fruitfulness frightfulness 
glued glide 
gnu nigh
goo guy 
Goole guile
groom grime 
  groomed grimed 
  grooming griming 
  grooms grimes 
group gripe
  groups gripes 
Hoo hi
hoot height 
  hoots heights
hooves hives 
jewels Giles
joules Giles 
lieu lie 
loo lie
  loos lies
loofahs lifers 
loom lime 
  loomed limed 
  looming liming 
  looms limes 
loon line 
  loons lines 
loose lice 
loot light 
  looted lighted 
  looting lighting 
  loots lights 
looter lighter 
  looters lighters 
Luke like
lunar liner 
Luton lighten
moo my
moon mine 
  mooned mined 
  mooning mining 
  moons mines 
mooned mind  
moose mice 
moot might 
noon nine 
noose nice 
oodles idles 
ooze I's 
overflew overfly
pollute polite 
polluter politer
pooh pi 
Poole Pyle	  
pool pile
  pooled piled 
  pooling piling 
  pools piles 
poop pipe 
  poops pipes 
Pru pry
prude pride 
  prudes prides 
prude pried  
rheum rhyme
rood ride 
  roods rides 
roof rife 
room rhyme
  roomed rhymed 
  rooming rhyming 
  rooms rhymes 
root right
  rooted righted 
  rooting righting 
  roots rights 
root rite
  roots rites
root write
  roots writes
  rooting writing
route right
  routes rights
  routing righting
  routed righted
route rite
  routes rites
route write
  routes writes
  routing writing    
rude ride
ruder rider 
rue rye
rued ride
rueful rifle 
rule rile 
  ruled riled 
  rules riles 
  ruling riling 
rune Rhine 
shoe shy 
  shoeing shying
  shoes shies 
shoo shy
  shooed shied 
  shoos shies
  shooing shying
slew sly
slewed slide
sluice slice 
  sluiced sliced 
  sluices slices 
  sluicing slicing 
snood snide 
snoop snipe 
  snooped sniped 
  snooping sniping 
  snoops snipes 
snooper sniper 
  snoopers snipers 
soon sign 
soothe scythe
  soothed scythed 
  soothes scythes
sou sigh 
  sous sighs 
spook spike 
  spooks spikes 
spooky spiky 
  spookier spikier 
  spookiest spikiest 
spoon spine 
  spoons spines 
stool stile 
  stools stiles 
stool style 
  stools styles 
strewed stride
suit cite
  suits cites
  suited cited 
  suiting citing
suit sight
  suits sights  
  suited sighted
  suiting sighting
suit site
  suits sites  
  suited sited
  suiting siting
swoon swine 
swoop swipe 
  swooped swiped 
  swooping swiping 
  swoops swipes 
tomb thyme 
  tombs times 
too tie 
two tie
  twos ties
tool tile 
  tooled tiled 
  tooling tiling 
  tools tiles 
toot tight 
  toots tights 
tootle title 
  tootled titled 
  tootles titles 
trews tries
troop tripe 
truce trice 
  truces trices 
true try
  trued tried 
  truing trying
truer trier 
unsuited unsighted 
who'd hide 
who're higher 
who's hies 
woo why
woo Y 
  woos Y's 
wooed wide 
wooer wire 
  wooers wires 
woof wife 
wound whined   
wound wind
  wounding winding 
  wounds winds 

Credit: John Higgins