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Consonants /p/ versus /f/: 570 pairs     

The spelling of /p/ is always either <p> or <pp>. There is a range of spellings for the /f/ sound including <f>, <ff>, <gh> in sough or <ph> in sphere.

Although /p/ is a stop and /f/ a fricative, the articulations are close enough to present a problem for some learners, especially when the sounds occur in clusters. It is a known problem for Arabic speakers.

There are a number of rude word confusions in this set: pee/fee, pissed/fist, puck/fuck, and pucker/fucker.

Interesting pairs include

appealed afield
camper camphor
copy coffee
parson fasten
passion fashion
pattern fatten
peasant pheasant
pinnace finis
pressure fresher
soapier Sofia

The mean density value is 4.9%. The list makes 310 semantic distinctions, a loading of 54%.

alp Alf
appealed afield
append offend
  appended offended
  appending offending
  appends offends
appraise affrays
beep beef
  beeps beefs
camper camphor
cap caff
  caps caffs
carp calf
cheap chief
  cheaply chiefly
cheep chief
  cheeps chiefs
clip cliff
  clips cliffs
cop cough
  copped coughed
  copping coughing
  cops coughs
copper coffer
  coppers coffers
copse coughs
Copt coughed
copy coffee
  copies coffees
creep Crieff
cropped croft
cup cuff
  cupped cuffed
  cupping cuffing
  cups cuffs
dep deaf
depend defend
  depended defended
  depending defending
  depends defends
dependant defendant
  dependants defendants
dipper differ
  dippers differs
dripped drift
Epping effing
gap gaff
  gaps gaffs
gap gaffe
  gaps gaffes
grippe grief
  grippes griefs
gulp gulf
  gulps gulfs
harp half
harped haft
hoop hoof
  hoops hoofs
kopje coffee
kopjes coffees
leap leaf
  leaped leafed
  leaping leafing
  leaps leafs
leap lief
leapt left
limp lymph
lipped lift
lope loaf
  loped loafed
  lopes loafs
  loping loafing
lopped loft
nappy NAAFI
nip niff
  nips niffs
nippy niffy
  nippier niffier
  nippiest niffiest
op off
opp off
opt oft
outport outfought
overleap overleaf
P fee
  P's fees
pa fa
pa far
pace face
  paced faced
  paces faces
  pacing facing
packed fact
pact fact
  pacts facts
pad fad
  pads fads
paddy faddy
pah fa
pah far
paid fade
pail fail
  pails fails
pain fain
pain feign
  pained feigned
  paining feigning
  pains feigns
paint faint
  painted fainted
  painting fainting
  paints faints
paint feint
  painted feinted
  painting feinting
  paints feints
painter fainter
pair fair
  pairs fairs
pair fare
  paired fared
  pairing faring
  pairs fares
pale fail
  paled failed
  pales fails
paling failing
  palings failings
pall fall
  palling falling
  palls falls
palm farm
  palmed farmed
  palming farming
  palms farms
palmer farmer
  palmers farmers
palter falter
  paltered faltered
  paltering faltering
  palters falters
pan fan
  panned fanned
  panning fanning
  pans fans
pane fain
pane feign
  panes feigns
pang fang
  pangs fangs
par fa
par far
pare fair
  pares fairs
pare fare
  pared fared
  pares fares
  paring faring
Parma farmer
parr fa
parr far
parson fasten
  parsons fastens
part fart
  parted farted
  parting farting
  parts farts
pass farce
  passes farces
passed fast
passion fashion
  passions fashions
past fast
  pasts fasts
paste faced
pastor faster
pat fat
  pats fats
  patted fatted
  patting fatting
pate f^ete
  pates f^etes
pate fate
  pates fates
patten fatten
  pattens fattens
patter fatter
pattern fatten
  patterned fattened
  patterning fattening
  patterns fattens
patty fatty
Paul fall
pause fours
paw faugh
paw for
paw fore
paw four
  paws fours
pawed ford
pawl fall
  pawls falls
pawn faun
  pawns fauns
pawn fawn
  pawned fawned
  pawning fawning
  pawns fawns
pay fey
pays phase
pea fee
  peas fees
peal feel
  pealing feeling
  peals feels
pealed field
pear fair
  pears fairs
pear fare
  pears fares
pearl furl
  pearled furled
  pearling furling
  pearls furls
peasant pheasant
  peasants pheasants
pease fees
peat feat
peat feet
pee fee
  peeing feeing
  pees fees
peed feed
peel feel
  peels feels
peeled field
peeler feeler
  peelers feelers
peeling feeling
  peelings feelings
peer fear
  peered feared
  peering fearing
  peers fears
peerless fearless
pelt felt
pen fen
  pens fens
pence fence
pending fending
penned fend
per fir
per fur
perm firm
  permed firmed
  perming firming
  perms firms
perry ferry
Perth firth
pester fester
  pestered festered
  pestering festering
  pesters festers
petal fettle
Pete feat
Pete feet
petted fetid
pettish fetish
pew few
pew phew
pews fuse
pi fie
pickle fickle
picks fix
piddle fiddle
  piddled fiddled
  piddles fiddles
  piddling fiddling
pie fie
pieced feast
pier fear
  piers fears
pierce fierce
pig fig
  pigs figs
pigment figment
  pigments figments
pile file
  piled filed
  piles files
  piling filing
pill fill
  pills fills
pill Phil
pin fin
  pins fins
pin Finn
  pins Finns
pinch finch
  pinches finches
pine fine
  pined fined
  pines fines
  pining fining
pined find
pinnace finis
pipe fife
  pipes fifes
pissed fist
pit fit
  pits fits
  pitted fitted
  pitting fitting
pitied fitted
pixies fixes
plait flat
  plaits flats
plan flan
  plans flans
plank flank
  planked flanked
  planking flanking
  planks flanks
plash flash
  plashed flashed
  plashes flashes
  plashing flashing
platter flatter
  platters flatters
play flay
  played flayed
  playing flaying
  plays flays
plea flea
  pleas fleas
plea flee
  pleas flees
please fleas
please flees
pleat fleet
  pleating fleeting
  pleats fleets
pled fled
pledged fledged
pliers fliers
plight flight
  plighted flighted
  plighting flighting
  plights flights
plop flop
  plopped flopped
  plopping flopping
  plops flops
plucks flux
plume flume
  plumes flumes
plunk flunk
  plunks flunks
plush flush
ply fly
  plies flies
  plying flying
pocks fox
podgier Foggia
poke folk
  pokes folks
pole foal
  poles foals
polio folio
poll foal
  polled foaled
  polling foaling
  polls foals
polled fold
Polly folly
poly folly
  polys follies
pond fond
ponder fonder
pone phone
  pones phones
pony phoney
  ponies phoneys
pool fool
  pooled fooled
  pooling fooling
  pools fools
poop pouffe
  poops pouffes
pop fop
  pops fops
pore faugh
pore for
pore fore
pore four
  pores fours
pored ford
pork fork
porn faun
porn fawn
porridge forage
port fort
  ports forts
port fought
pose foes
posses fosses
pound found
  pounded founded
  pounding founding
  pounds founds
pounder founder
  pounders founders
pour faugh
pour for
pour fore
pour four
  pours fours
poured ford
pox fox
praise frays
praise phrase
  praised phrased
  praises phrases
  praising phrasing
prance France
prank franc
  pranks francs
prank frank
  pranks franks
prate freight
  prated freighted
  prates freights
  prating freighting
pray fray
  prayed frayed
  praying fraying
  prays frays
prays phrase
pressure fresher
  pressures freshers
prey fray
  preyed frayed
  preying fraying
  preys frays
preys phrase
pride fried
prior friar
  priors friars
prior fryer
  priors fryers
prise fries
prize fries
pro fro
prom from
prop Prof 
proper proffer 
propound profound 
pros froze
prose froze
prow Frau
prox frocks
pry fry
  pried fried
  pries fries
  prying frying
puck fuck
  pucker fucker
  puckers fuckers
  pucks fucks
puddle fuddle
  puddled fuddled
  puddles fuddles
  puddling fuddling
pug fug
  pugs fugs
pukka fucker
pull full
pulley fully
pun fun
punk funk
  punks funks
punned fund
pup puff
  pups puffs
  puppy puffy
purer fuehrer
purl furl
  purled furled
  purling furling
  purls furls
purr fir
  purrs firs
purr fur
  purrs furs
purrs furze
pursed first
pus fuss
put foot
  puts foots
putt phut
pyre fire
  pyres fires
pyx fix
  pyxes fixes
quip quiff
  quips quiffs
reap reef
  reaped reefed
  reaper reefer
  reapers reefers
  reaping reefing
  reaps reefs
repine refine
  repined refined
  repines refines
  repining refining
repp ref
reputation refutation
  reputations refutations
repute refute
  reputed refuted
  reputes refutes
  reputing refuting
rip riff
  rips riffs
ripe rife
ripped rift
ripple riffle
  rippled riffled
  ripples riffles
  rippling riffling
scarp scarf
  scarps scarfs
sheep sheaf
shipped shift
sipped sift
skip skiff
  skips skiffs
snip sniff
  snipped sniffed
  snipping sniffing
  snips sniffs
soapier Sofia
soapy Sophie
sopped soft
spear sphere
  spears spheres
stripe strife
sup sough
  supped soughed
  supping soughing
  sups soughs
supper suffer
  suppers suffers
tip tiff
  tips tiffs
top toff
  tops toffs
tup tough
  tups toughs
turps turfs
warp wharf
  warps wharfs
wept weft
whip whiff
  whips whiffs
whoop hoof
  whoops hoofs
whopped waft
wipe wife

Credit: John Higgins