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Consonants /t/ versus /ʧ/, 271 pairs     

The spelling of /t/ in this list is <t> or <tt>. The /ʧ/ sound is <ch>, <tch> or <tu> where assimilation has occurred as in torture, and it occurs in the letter name H. There are several pairs which use the contrast to distinguish an agent noun from an abstract noun, as in captor/capture. I have misgivings about the status of the pair overeat/overreach, where there may be a difference in the length of the /r/ sound or in the stress pattern as well. Notice how the homograph tear makes pairs with chair and with cheer, and how the two pronunciations of ate make pairs with etch and H.

The contrast is between a plosive and an affricate, both voiceless and close together in the mouth. Some learners may have problems, especially Scandinavians and Japanese, while Thai speakers have difficulties with the /ʧ/ sound in syllable-final position.

Interesting pairs include:

artery archery
jester gesture
pastor pasture
tearful cheerful
topknot topnotch

The mean density value is 1.7%. The list makes 168 semantic distinctions, a loading of 62%.

art arch
artery archery 
ate etch
ate H
bat batch
beat beach 
beat beech
  beating beaching 
beet beach
beet beech
belt belch 
  belting belching 
bent bench 
Bert birch
bit bitch
bleat bleach 
  bleating bleaching 
blent blench 
blot blotch
bought bortsch 
brunt brunch 
bunting bunching 
captor capture
  captors captures
cat catch
catty catchy 
  cattier catchier 
  cattiest catchiest 
cert search
coat coach 
  coating coaching 
cont conch 
ditties ditches 
eat each 
eight H
eighties H's 
flint flinch
hat hatch
haunt haunch 
hit hitch
  hitting hitching 
hoot hooch 
hunt hunch 
  hunting hunching 
hut hutch
impostor imposture
  impostors impostures
it itch
jester gesture 
  jesters gestures 
karate Karachi 
kit kitsch
knot notch
  knotting notching
lat latch
lathis larches 
legislator legislature
  legislators legislatures
letter lecher 
  letters lechers 
lied leach 
lint lynch
mart march 
martyr marcher 
  martyrs marchers 
Matlock matchlock
matt match
  matting matching 
milt milch 
moot mooch 
  mooting mooching 
mutt much 
nautch nought
nit niche 
out ouch 
overeat overreach
  overeating overreaching
part parch 
  parting parching 
parties parches 
pastor pasture
  pastors pastures
pat patch
  patting patching 
patties patches 
patty patchy
peat peach
  peaty peachy
pert perch 
Pete peach
pit pitch
  pitting pitching 
pities pitches 
pleat pleach 
  pleating pleaching 
port porch 
pout pouch 
  pouting pouching 
praetor preacher 
  praetors preachers
punt punch 
  punting punching 
put putsch
rat ratch
rent wrench
  renting wrenching
ret retch
  retting retching 
retted wretched
rote roach 
Scot Scotch
sculptor sculpture
  sculptors sculptures
start starch 
  starting starching 
stricter stricture
suitor suture
  suitors sutures
ta char
talk chalk 
  talking chalking 
  talks chalks 
  talked chalked 
talkie chalky 
tamp champ 
  tamped champed 
  tamping champing 
  tamps champs 
tap chap 
  tapped chapped 
  tapping chapping 
  taps chaps 
tar char 
  tarring charring 
  tars chars 
  tarred charred
tare chair 
tares chairs 
tarred Chard 
tart chart 
  tarted charted 
  tarting charting 
  tarts charts 
tartar charter 
  tartars charters 
taste chased 
taste chaste
tat chat 
  tats chats 
  tatted chatted 
  tatting chatting 
tatter chatter 
  tattered chattered 
  tatters chatters 
tatty chatty 
  tattier chattier 
  tattiest chattiest 
  tattily chattily 
tattle chattel 
  tattles chattels 
taught torch
tauter torture
taut torch
tawse chaws 
tear chair
  tearing chairing 
  tears chairs
tear cheer 
  tears cheers
tearful cheerful 
  tearfully cheerfully 
tearless cheerless 
tease cheese
  teases cheeses 
teat cheat
  teats cheats
teat teach 
tech check
  techs checks
tech cheque
  techs cheques
tech Czech 
  techs Czechs 
teeter teacher 
  teeters teachers 
tent tench 
tern churn 
  terns churns 
Terry cherry
Tess chess
test chest 
  tests chests 
thyme chime 
tic chick
tickle chicle 
tick chick
  ticks chicks 
tide chide 
  tided chided 
  tides chides 
  tiding chiding 
tied chide  
tilde chilled 
tiled child 
till chill
  tilling chilling 
  tills chills 
time chime
  timed chimed 
  times chimes 
  timing chiming 
tin chin 
  tins chins
tine chine
  tines chines 
tints chintz 
tip chip 
  tipped chipped 
  tipping chipping 
  tips chips 
to chew 
toes chose 
too chew
top chop 
  topping chopping 
  tops chops 
  topped chopped 
topper chopper 
  toppers choppers 
topknot topnotch
toque choke 
  toques chokes 
tor chore 
tore chore
tort torch 
T's cheese
tubby chubby 
  tubbier chubbier 
  tubbiest chubbiest 
tuck chuck 
  tucked chucked 
  tucking chucking 
  tucks chucks 
tucker chukker 
  tuckers chukkers 
tug chug 
  tugged chugged 
  tugging chugging 
  tugs chugs 
tummy chummy 
turn churn
  turned churned 
  turning churning 
  turns churns
turps chirps 
tut touch 
  tutting touching 
twit twitch
  twitting twitching 	
two chew
  twos chews 
Tyne chine
vet vetch
watt watch 
went wench 
what watch
whit which 	
whit witch
wit which
wit witch
writ rich 

Credit: John Higgins