Can you hear the difference between "ship" and "sheep"? What about "bet" and "bat"? If these words sound identical to you, you're not alone—and minimal pairs practice is exactly what you need.
What Are Minimal Pairs?
Minimal pairs are two words that differ by only ONE sound. This single sound change creates a completely different word with a different meaning:
- ship /ʃɪp/ vs. sheep /ʃiːp/ (short /ɪ/ vs. long /iː/)
- bat /bæt/ vs. bet /bet/ (different vowels)
- very /ˈveri/ vs. berry /ˈberi/ (/v/ vs. /b/)
Practicing minimal pairs trains both your ears AND your mouth. You learn to hear the difference, which helps you produce the difference.
Why Spanish Speakers Need Minimal Pairs
Your brain was trained to hear Spanish sounds. Some English sounds that are completely different to native speakers sound IDENTICAL to you because Spanish doesn't distinguish between them.
The good news: your brain can learn new sound distinctions at any age. It just takes focused practice—and minimal pairs are the most efficient way to do it.
Vowel Minimal Pairs
/ɪ/ vs. /iː/ — Short I vs. Long E
This is the #1 problem for Spanish speakers. Spanish has only one "i" sound; English has two.
| /ɪ/ (short, relaxed) | /iː/ (long, tense) |
|---|---|
| ship /ʃɪp/ | sheep /ʃiːp/ |
| sit /sɪt/ | seat /siːt/ |
| bit /bɪt/ | beat /biːt/ |
| fit /fɪt/ | feet /fiːt/ |
| hit /hɪt/ | heat /hiːt/ |
| slip /slɪp/ | sleep /sliːp/ |
| fill /fɪl/ | feel /fiːl/ |
| live /lɪv/ | leave /liːv/ |
| pill /pɪl/ | peel /piːl/ |
| rich /rɪtʃ/ | reach /riːtʃ/ |
How to practice: For /ɪ/, keep your tongue relaxed and mouth slightly open. For /iː/, smile slightly and tense your tongue—hold the sound longer.
/æ/ vs. /e/ — Cat vs. Bet
Spanish has one "e" sound. English has several, including /æ/ (as in "cat") which doesn't exist in Spanish.
| /æ/ (open, like "ah" + "eh") | /e/ (closed, like Spanish "e") |
|---|---|
| bat /bæt/ | bet /bet/ |
| bad /bæd/ | bed /bed/ |
| man /mæn/ | men /men/ |
| pan /pæn/ | pen /pen/ |
| sat /sæt/ | set /set/ |
| had /hæd/ | head /hed/ |
| and /ænd/ | end /end/ |
| jam /dʒæm/ | gem /dʒem/ |
How to practice: For /æ/, drop your jaw low and spread your lips slightly. It's between "ah" and "eh." For /e/, your mouth is more closed, similar to Spanish "e."
/ʌ/ vs. /ɑː/ — Cut vs. Cart
| /ʌ/ (short, central) | /ɑː/ (long, open) |
|---|---|
| cut /kʌt/ | cart /kɑːrt/ |
| hut /hʌt/ | heart /hɑːrt/ |
| luck /lʌk/ | lark /lɑːrk/ |
| bud /bʌd/ | bard /bɑːrd/ |
| cup /kʌp/ | carp /kɑːrp/ |
Consonant Minimal Pairs
/b/ vs. /v/ — Berry vs. Very
Spanish doesn't distinguish between B and V sounds—they're both pronounced like B. In English, they're completely different.
| /b/ (lips together, then release) | /v/ (teeth on lower lip, vibrate) |
|---|---|
| berry /ˈberi/ | very /ˈveri/ |
| bet /bet/ | vet /vet/ |
| ban /bæn/ | van /væn/ |
| best /best/ | vest /vest/ |
| boat /boʊt/ | vote /voʊt/ |
| bat /bæt/ | vat /væt/ |
| bile /baɪl/ | vile /vaɪl/ |
| bowel /baʊəl/ | vowel /vaʊəl/ |
How to practice: For /v/, place your upper teeth gently on your lower lip and push air through while vibrating your vocal cords. For /b/, close both lips completely, then release with a small burst of air.
/s/ vs. /z/ — Price vs. Prize
Spanish Z is pronounced like S. English Z is voiced (vocal cords vibrate).
| /s/ (voiceless, hissing) | /z/ (voiced, buzzing) |
|---|---|
| price /praɪs/ | prize /praɪz/ |
| rice /raɪs/ | rise /raɪz/ |
| advice /ədˈvaɪs/ | advise /ədˈvaɪz/ |
| peace /piːs/ | peas /piːz/ |
| ice /aɪs/ | eyes /aɪz/ |
| bus /bʌs/ | buzz /bʌz/ |
| loose /luːs/ | lose /luːz/ |
| Sue /suː/ | zoo /zuː/ |
How to practice: Put your hand on your throat. For /z/, you should feel vibration. For /s/, no vibration—just air.
/ʃ/ vs. /tʃ/ — Ship vs. Chip
| /ʃ/ (continuous "shhh") | /tʃ/ (starts with "t") |
|---|---|
| ship /ʃɪp/ | chip /tʃɪp/ |
| share /ʃer/ | chair /tʃer/ |
| shoe /ʃuː/ | chew /tʃuː/ |
| wash /wɑːʃ/ | watch /wɑːtʃ/ |
| shop /ʃɑːp/ | chop /tʃɑːp/ |
| she /ʃiː/ | cheese /tʃiːz/ |
/j/ vs. /dʒ/ — Yet vs. Jet
Spanish speakers often confuse these because Spanish "y" can sound like either.
| /j/ (like Spanish "i" gliding) | /dʒ/ (like "d" + "zh") |
|---|---|
| yet /jet/ | jet /dʒet/ |
| yolk /joʊk/ | joke /dʒoʊk/ |
| year /jɪr/ | jeer /dʒɪr/ |
| yes /jes/ | Jess /dʒes/ |
| yam /jæm/ | jam /dʒæm/ |
/θ/ vs. /t/ — Think vs. Tink
The TH sound doesn't exist in most Spanish dialects.
| /θ/ (tongue between teeth) | /t/ (tongue behind teeth) |
|---|---|
| think /θɪŋk/ | tink (not a word) |
| three /θriː/ | tree /triː/ |
| thank /θæŋk/ | tank /tæŋk/ |
| thick /θɪk/ | tick /tɪk/ |
| thought /θɔːt/ | taught /tɔːt/ |
| bath /bæθ/ | bat /bæt/ |
/ð/ vs. /d/ — They vs. Day
| /ð/ (voiced, tongue between teeth) | /d/ (tongue behind teeth) |
|---|---|
| they /ðeɪ/ | day /deɪ/ |
| then /ðen/ | den /den/ |
| there /ðer/ | dare /der/ |
| those /ðoʊz/ | doze /doʊz/ |
| breathe /briːð/ | breed /briːd/ |
How to Practice Minimal Pairs Effectively
Step 1: Listen First
Before trying to produce the sounds, train your ears:
- Listen to both words in a pair
- Close your eyes and have someone (or an app) say one randomly
- Identify which word you heard
- Repeat until you get 90%+ correct
Step 2: Produce Both Sounds
- Say both words in the pair, exaggerating the difference
- Record yourself
- Compare your recording to native speakers
- Adjust and repeat
Step 3: Use Them in Sentences
Context helps cement the distinction:
- "I saw a ship full of sheep."
- "The berry is very sweet."
- "He bet on a bat."
Step 4: Daily Practice
Spend 5-10 minutes daily on one pair until you master it. Then move to the next.
Minimal Pairs Quiz: Test Yourself
Read these sentences aloud. Are you pronouncing the underlined words differently?
- The ship carried many sheep.
- I bet he has a bat.
- That's a very good berry.
- Put the pen in the pan.
- She won a prize for the best price.
More Pairs to Practice
Word-Final Consonants (Spanish speakers often drop these)
| With Final Consonant | Without (or Different) |
|---|---|
| cold /koʊld/ | coal /koʊl/ |
| walked /wɔːkt/ | walk /wɔːk/ |
| can't /kænt/ | can /kæn/ |
| hand /hænd/ | han (not a word) |
| test /test/ | Tess /tes/ |
Conclusion
Minimal pairs are the most efficient way to train your ears and mouth for sounds that don't exist in Spanish. Start with the /ɪ/ vs. /iː/ and /b/ vs. /v/ pairs—these cause the most confusion for Spanish speakers.
Practice a little every day, and within weeks you'll hear differences you never noticed before. That's your brain rewiring itself for English sounds!
Ready to practice individual sounds? Explore our pronunciation practice section for interactive exercises.