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Vowels 10 and 14, /ʌ/ versus //     180 pairs       

The /ʌ/ vowel is spelled with <u>, and <o> in love and none. The // vowel is spelled <iCe>, <y> or <ie>, and is found in the letter name I. Notice the homograph live.

This is a contrast between a short vowel and a diphthong with a similar starting position. It does not seem to be a problem for many learners.

Interesting pairs include:

burrowed byroad
funnel final
trouble tribal

The density figure is 2.6%. The set makes 99 semantic contrasts giving a loading of 55%.

blunder blinder
  blunders blinders 
bubble bible 
  bubbles bibles 
buck bike 
  bucked biked 
  bucking biking 
  bucks bikes 
bud bide 
  budded bided 
  budding biding 
  buds bides
bun bine 
burrowed byroad
but bight 
  buts bights
but bite
  butting biting 
  buts bites
butt bight
  butts bights 
button bitten
button bittern
  buttons bitterns
buzz buys 
buzz byes
chum chime 
  chummed chimed 
  chumming chiming 
  chums chimes 
crumb crime 
  crumbs crimes 
cut kite
  cuts kites
does dies 
does dyes
done dine 
dost diced 
dove dive 
  doves dives 
duck dike 
  ducked diked 
  ducking diking 
  ducks dikes 
dud died 
dumb dime 
dun dine
  dunned dined 
  dunning dining 
  duns dines 
fun fine 
fund find 
  funding finding 
  funds finds 
funnel final 
  funnels finals 
gull guile 
  gulls guiles
hut height 
love live 
  loves lives 
lovely lively 
  lovelier livelier 
  loveliest liveliest 
loveliness liveliness 
luck like 
luff life 
lull lisle 
lumme limey 
luxe likes 
muck mike 
  mucks mikes 
muckle Michael 
mull mile 
  mulls miles 
mullah miler
  mullahs milers 
mulled mild 
mum mime 
  mums mimes 
mutt might 
mutter mitre 
  mutters mitres 
none nine 
nun nine
  nuns nines 
nut knight 
  nuts knights 
nut night
  nuts nights
nutty nightie 
one whine
  ones whines
one wine
  ones wines  
other either 
phut fight 
puck pike 
  pucks pikes 
pukka pica 
pun pine 
  punned pined 
  punning pining 
  puns pines 
punt pint 
  punts pints 
pup pipe 
  pups pipes 
refund refined 
rough rife 
ruck Reich
  rucks Reichs 
rudder rider 
  rudders riders 
ruffle rifle
  ruffling rifling 
  ruffles rifles
rum rhyme 
run Rhine 
runnel rhinal 
rut right
  ruts rights 
  rutted righted 
  rutting righting 
rut rite
  ruts rites
rut write
  ruts writes
  rutting writing
scrub scribe 
  scrubs scribes 
scud skied
shun shine 
  shunning shining 
  shuns shines 
slum slime 
slummy slimy 
  slummier slimier 
  slummiest slimiest 
slut sleight 
  sluts sleights 
smut smite 
  smuts smites 
  smutting smiting 
son sign 
  sons signs 
son sine
spud spied 
spun spine 
struck strike 
suckle cycle 
  suckled cycled 
  suckles cycles 
  suckling cycling 
suds sides 
suffer cipher 
  suffered ciphered 
  suffering ciphering 
  suffers ciphers 
summon Simon 
sun sign 
  suns signs
  sunning signing 	 
  sunned signed
sun sine
ton Tyne 
trouble tribal 
truss trice 
  trussed triced 
  trusses trices 
  trussing tricing 
tuck tike 
  tucks tikes 
tunny tiny 
tup type
  tups types
tut tight 
us I's 
won whine
won wine

Credit: John Higgins