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Consonants /d/ versus /v/, 303 pairs     

The spelling of /d/ in this list is <d> or <dd>. The /v/ sound is spelled <v>. Notice how the homograph read makes pairs with reeve and rev, and the place name Reading makes a pair with revving.

The contrast is between a plosive and a fricative, both voiced but well separated in the mouth. It is not a problem for learners.

Taboo word pairs include peed/peeve.

48 of the contrasts arise between a past tense ending and an -ive adjective-forming derivation, such as instructed/instructive. The program identified the contracted-form pairs we'd/we've etc, but I have left these out for the sake of consistency. Other interesting pairs include:

dandle vandal
Denis Venice
dicker vicar
discus viscous
fortified forty-five
haddock havoc
hardest harvest
moody movie
radish ravish

The mean density value is 2.4%. The list makes 193 semantic distinctions, a loading of 65%.

 
aborted abortive
acted active
added avid
addicted addictive
adopted adoptive
agreed aggrieve 
allied alive 
asserted assertive
attracted attractive
beads beeves
braid brave
  braiding braving
  braids braves
breed breve
  breeds breves
cadre carver
  cadres carvers
calve card
  calves cards
  calving carding
Canvey candy
chide chive
  chides chives
code cove
  codes coves
collected collective
concede conceive
  concedes conceives
  conceding conceiving
conducted conductive
connected connective
constructed constructive
corrected corrective
costed costive
created creative
curd curve
  curds curves
cursed cursive
D V
  D's V's
dairy vary
  dairies varies
  dairying varying
dale vale
  dales vales
dally valley
  dallies valleys
dallied valid
damp vamp
  damped vamped
  damping vamping
  damps vamps
Dan van
Dane vain
Dane vane
  Danes vanes
Dane vein
  Danes veins
dated dative
daunt vaunt
  daunted vaunted
  daunting vaunting
  daunts vaunts
dealt veld
dear veer
  dears veers
debt vet
decks vex
deducted deductive
deer veer
defected defective
deign vain
deign vane
  deigns vanes
deign vein
  deigned veined
  deigns veins
Denis Venice
dent vent
  dented vented
  denting venting
  dents vents
denture venture
  dentures ventures
deride derive
  derides derives
  deriding deriving
Derry very
derv verve
detected detective
deaden Devon 
dew view
dhow vow
  dhows vows
Di vie
dial vial
  dials vials
dice vice
  dices vices
Dick Vic
dicker vicar
  dickers vicars
Dicky Vicky
die vie
  dying vying
  dies vies
died dive
digested digestive
digger vigour
dim vim
dine vine
  dines vines
directed directive
dirge verge
  dirges verges
discus viscous
disrupted disruptive
diver viva
  divers vivas
docks vox
dole vole
  doles voles
doll vol
  dolls vols
dolly volley
  dollies volleys
dolt volt
  dolts volts
dote vote
  doted voted
  dotes votes
  doting voting
dove dud
  doves duds
dowel vowel
  dowels vowels
dried drive
dude viewed
due view
  dues views
durst versed	
dye vie
  dyed vied
  dyes vies
Eden even
effected effective
elder elver
  elders elvers
elected elective
ended endive
exhausted exhaustive
feeder fever
  feeders fevers
fortified forty-five
grade grave
  grades graves
greyed grave
had have
haddock havoc
hadn't haven't
hard halve 
hardest harvest
hardy Harvey 
heady heavy
  headier heavier
  headiest heaviest
heaves heeds
heed heave
  heeding heaving 
  heeds heaves
held helve
hide hive
  hides hives
  hiding hiving
hied hive
hoed hove 
I'd I've
indent invent
  indented invented
  indenting inventing
  indents invents
indict invite
  indicted invited
  indicting inviting
  indicts invites
inducted inductive
instructed instructive
interacted interactive
introspected introspective
intuited intuitive
invented inventive
neighed knave 
lad lav
  lads lavs
lade lave
  lading laving
lead leave
  leads leaves
  leading leaving
leaded levied
leaden leaven 
leader lever
  leaders levers
Leeds leaves
Leiden liven
lid live
  lids lives
lied live
loads loaves
lodes loaves 
Maldon Malvern
mode mauve 
  modes mauves 
moated motive
mood move
  moods moves
moody movie
noddle novel
  noddles novels
objected objective
obstructed obstructive
odd of
odour over
  odours overs
overacted overactive
paid pave
peed peeve
prevented preventive
prospected prospective
protected protective
prude prove 
  prudes proves 
radish ravish
  radishes ravishes
raid rave
  raiding raving
  raids raves
raider raver
  raiders ravers
read reeve
  reads reeves 
read rev  
Reading revving
recede receive
  recedes receives
  receding receiving
red rev
reds revs		 
reed reeve
  reeds reeves
reflected reflective
resisted resistive
respected respective
rested restive
restricted restrictive
Rev read
ride rive
  rides rives	 
  riding riving
  ridden riven
road rove
  roads roves
selected selective
serve surd
  serves surds
shade shave
  shades shaves
  shading shaving
  shadings shavings
shelled shelve
sleighed slave
sported sportive
staid stave
starred starve
steed Steve 
stowed stove 
stride strive
  stridden striven
  strides strives
  striding striving
  strode strove
subjected subjective
suggested suggestive
turds turves
unselected unselective
dandle vandal 
dandles vandals 
diking Viking 
voted votive
wade waive
  wading waiving
  wades waives
wade wave
  wading waving
  wades waves
wader waiver
  waders waivers
wards wharves
weed weave
  weeds weaves 
  weaving weeding
wides wives
woad wove

Credit: John Higgins