In this lesson, students practice pronouncing minimal pairs.
Give students a copy of the chart below. Have each student circle two words from each line. Then, have students say the circled words to a partner. Instruct the partner to circle the words that he/she hears. When students finish saying the circled words, have both students compare answers to see if they have circled the same words.
| leather | leader | litter | ladder | lather | letter |
| fell | fill | feel | fail | felt | file |
| look | luck | lack | lick | leak | lock |
| hat | hut | heat | hit | hot | |
| eat | it | ate | at | ought | hot |
| set | seed | said | sad | sit | seat |
| sheep | cheap | ship | chip | shop | chop |
| rice | rise | raise | race | ||
| will | well | whale | while | wall | wheel |
| meet | mate | met | made | mitt | |
| bear | beer | beard | bird | bored | |
| heat | hit | height | hat | hate | |
| people | paper | pebble | pepper | ||
| sing | sink | sin | sick | sign | song |
| ring | wrong | rang | rung | ||
| boot | bought | boat | but | bot | |
| ear | here | hair | hire | air | error |
| since | science | scenes | signs | sends | sense |
| choose | Jews | shoes | juice | ||
| caught | cut | coat | cat | cute | |
| dog | dug | dock | duck | ||
| bog | bock | back | buck | bug | bag |
| vet | bet | boat | vote | vest | best |
| decease | disease | desist | |||
| beets | beads | beds | bets | ||
| less | lease | lice | lies | ||
| this | these | tease | |||
| lose | loose | lust | lost | lest | last |
| star | store | steer | stare | ||
| through | tow | though | tough | too | |
| layer | lawyer | liar | loyal | lower | |
| cheese | chess | chase | choice | ||
| mat | math | tens | tenths | tents | |
| pull | bull | pat | bat | bath | bet |
| peach | beach | pitch | which | rich | reach |
| we’re | veer | wheel | veal | ||
| face | faced | phase | phased | ||
| card | cart | curt | court | core | |
| beat | Pete | bit | pitt | ||
| crush | crutch | watch | wash |