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Vowels 5 and 14, /ɑ/ versus //    146 pairs      

The /ɑ/ vowel is usually spelled <ar> but we also find <a> in ma, <aa> in baa, unusually <aCe> in vase, along with the letter name R. The // diphthong is most often spelled <iCe> as in bike, but there is also <igh> as in fight, <uy> in buy and <ai> in Thai, along with the letter name I. Notice the occurrence of the homograph sake contrasted with psyche.

This contrast is between a long vowel and a diphthong. The starting tongue positions are fairly close but confusions are not very common.

There are two sets of pairs involving a taboo word: arse/ice and fart/fight.

Interesting pairs include:

harness highness
martyr mitre
sparse spice
starless stylus

The density value is 3.53%. The pairs make 76 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 52.1%.

ah I 
arm I'm 
arse ice
  arses ices
baa buy
  baaing buying
  baas buys
baa'd bide
barbel Bible 
  barbels Bibles 
bark bike
  barked biked
  barking biking
  barks bikes
barn bine
  barns bines
blah Bligh
Calne kine
cart kite
  carts kites
Chard chide
charm chime
  charmed chimed
  charming chiming
  charms chimes
dark dike
darn dine
  darned dined
  darning dining
  darns dines
fa fie
fart fight
  farting fighting
  farts fights
guard guide
  guarded guided
  guarding guiding
  guards guides
ha hi
halve hive
  halved hived
  halves hives
  halving hiving
hard hide
hardbound hidebound
hark hike
  harked hiked
  harking hiking
  harks hikes
harness highness
harnesses highnesses	 
hart height
  harts heights
heart height
  hearts heights
hearten heighten
  heartened heightened
  heartening heightening
  heartens heightens
la lie
lakh like
  lakhs likes
lard lied
lark like
  larked liked
  larking liking
  larks likes
larn line
  larned lined
  larning lining
  larns lines
laugh life
ma my
mark mike
  marks mikes
marl mile
mart might
mart mite
  marts mites
martyr mitre
  martyrs mitres
pa pi
pa pie
par pi
par pie		
  pars pies
parr pi
parr pie
  parrs pies
park pike
  parks pikes
parka pica
rah rye
remand remind
  remanded reminded
  remanding reminding
  remands reminds
R I
R's I's 
sake psyche	
scar sky
  scarred skied
  scars skies
shah shy
  shahs shies
shard shied
smart smite
  smarting smiting
  smarts smites
spa spy
spar spy
  sparred spied
  spars spies
spark spike
  sparked spiked
  sparking spiking
  sparks spikes
sparse spice
star sty
  stars sties
starless stylus
starling styling
strafe strife
ta Thai 
ta tie
tar Thai
  tars Thais 
tar tie
  tarred tied
  tars ties
tarred tide	  
tardy tidy
  tardier tidier
  tardiest tidiest
  tardily tidily
  tardiness tidiness
tarn tine 
  tarns tines
tart tight
  tarts tights
  tartly tightly
  tartness tightness
tartan tighten
  tartans tightens
tartar tighter
vase vies

Credit: John Higgins