Minimal Pairs Overview
Meaning Minimal Pairs are 2 words with only one phonetic difference. This means that when minimal pairs are converted into IPA form, only one IPA symbol is different.
bag - hag Example /bæg/ /hæg/ This means that bag and hag are a minimal pair.
left – laughed Is this a minimal pair? /lɛft/ /læft / Well let’s convert it into IPA form to find out: /lɛft/ /læft / This means that left and laughed are also a minimal pair, even though they are spelt quite differently.
bag - rug Wrong Example /bæg/ / rʌg / Here you can see that there are 2 phonetic differences, so bag and rug are not a minimal pair.