1. Minimal Pairs
Overview

2. 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.

3. bag - hag Example /bæg/ /hæg/
This means that bag and hag are a minimal pair.

4. 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.

5. 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.