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Consonants /ʃ/ versus /ʧ/, 131 pairs     

Watch your wash
Christchurch Harbour, Dorset, January 2011

The /ʃ/ sound is spelled with <sh> and <ch> in chaise and Boche. The /ʧ/ sound is spelled with <ch> or <tch>.

This is a contrast between a fricative and an affricate, both voiceless and in the same region of the mouth. It is a known problem for many learners, including speakers of French, Dutch, Scandinavian languages, Spanish, Greek and Thai.

Taboo word pairs include shat/chat and shit/chit.

Interesting pairs include:

fuchsia future
racial Rachel
shilling chilling

The mean density value is 2.1%. The lists make 56 semantic distinctions, a loading of 43%.

bash batch
  bashes batches
Boche botch
bush butch
cache catch
  caches catches
  caching catching
cash catch
  cashes catches
  cashing catching
chic cheek 
crush crutch 
  crushes crutches
dish ditch
  dished ditched
  dishes ditches
  dishing ditching
fuchsia future
  fuchsias futures
hash hatch
  hashed hatched
  hashes hatches
  hashing hatching
hush hutch
  hushes hutches
lash latch
  lashed latched
  lashes latches
  lashing latching
leash leach 
  leashes leaches 
leash leech 
  leashes leeches 
marsh march 
  marshes marches 
mash match
  mashed matched
  mashes matches
  mashing matching
mush much 
nosh notch
  noshed notched
  noshes notches
  noshing notching
push putsch
  pushes putsches
racial Rachel 
rash ratch
  rashes ratches
reddish Redditch 
shad Chad 
shaft chaffed 
shah char
  shahs chars 
shan't chant 
shard Chard 
share chair 
  shared chaired 
  shares chairs 
  sharing chairing 
shat chat 
shatter chatter 
  shattered chattered 
  shattering chattering 
  shatters chatters 
sheaf chief 
shear cheer 
  sheared cheered 
  shearing cheering 
  shears cheers 
sheer cheer
sheet cheat
  sheeting cheating 
  sheets cheats
sherry cherry 
  sherries cherries 
shied chide 
shilling chilling 
shin chin
  shins chins 
shine chine 
  shines chines 
shipboard chipboard 
ship chip
  shipped chipped 
  shipping chipping 
  ships chips  
shit chit
shock chock
  shocked chocked 
  shocking chocking 
  shocks chocks 
shoe chew 
  shoeing chewing 
  shoes chews 
shoo chew  
  shooed chewed 
  shoos chews
  shooing chewing
shop chop 
  shopped chopped 
  shopping chopping 
  shops chops 
shopper chopper 
  shoppers choppers 
shore chaw
  shored chawed 
  shores chaws 
shore chore 
  shores chores
shows chose 
shuck chuck 
  shucked chucked 
  shucking chucking 
  shucks chucks
splosh splotch
  sploshes splotches
swish switch
  swished switched
  swishes switches
  swishing switching
wash watch
  washed watched
  washes watches
  washing watching
washer watcher
  washers watchers
wish which 	   
wish witch
  wishes witches
  wishing witching

Credit: John Higgins