This resource page contains many examples of picture-and-word work sheets intended for use in speech-language pathology intervention.

The sheets were made in Microsoft Word, using copyright-free pictures from Microsoft Clip Art and Media and converted into portable document files (pdfs) with Adobe Acrobat.

The vocabulary represents (non-rhotic) Australian English pronunciation, and although most of the words and minimal pairs will 'work' in other dialects of English you may need to discard some. For example, pairs like saw-shore, and spa-star are minimal pairs in Australian English and in other non-rhotic varieties of English, but not in rhotic dialects such as Canadian, Irish, Scottish and most US 'Englishes'.

SLPs/SLTs and students are invited to use these worksheets and other resources when working with children with speech sound disorders. You are free to save them to your computer and to customize them to suit individual clients and to fit your service delivery model. Restrictions that apply to their use are stated in the copyright notice.

Please read this before downloading pdf or pptx files

Please avoid downloading the same file multiple times as it increases my bandwidth usage and drives up my costs. Choose a pdf or pptx file; download it once, and save it to a folder. If you find the free resources here useful, and would like to make your secure donation to the maintenance of this site, please click here, and then click on the DONATE BUTTON.

On this page you will find pictures and words for minimal pairs in which the contrasts are maximally or nearly maximally opposed. There are more minimal pair and near minimal pair pictures here and here.

How many exemplars?

There are many pictures to choose from here, but in selecting target words for phonological therapy it is definitely not a case of 'more is better'. Elbert, Powell and Swartzlander (1991) found that they could teach as few as 3 to 5 minimal pairs in order for their participants to show spontaneous generalisation to other words containing the target sounds.

Elbert, M., Powell, T. W., & Swartzlander, P. (1991). Toward a technology of generalization: How many exemplars are sufficient? Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 34, 81-87.

Minimal Pairs: Maximal Oppositions

Early, Middle and Late Eight Developing Consonants (Shriberg, 1993)

Early Eight Contrasts

/m/ Contrasts

/m/ vs. /f/ SIWI
man fan mat fat mine fine mail fail meat feet meal feel money funny make fake mix fix mole foal mountain fountain mate fête maid fade

/m/ vs. /s/ SIWI
mine sign mail sale meat seat meal seal money sunny mix six milk silk mouth south mole sole

/m/ vs. 'ch' SIWI
mop chop mat chat mix chicks merry cherry mare chair meter cheetah

/n/ Contrasts

/f/ vs. /n/ SIWI
fat gnat fine nine fail nail feel kneel fight night fit knit foam gnome forty naughty fun nun

/j/ Contrasts

/j/ vs. 'ch' SIWI
ewe chew year cheer yellow cello yes chess

/j/ vs 'dg' SIWI (1)
yam jam yak jack yay! J

/j/ vs. 'dg' SIWI (2)
yay J yet jet yak jack yolk joke yam jam ute jute yeti jetty yacht jot yell gel

/j/ vs. 'sh' SIWI
U shoe yell shell yawl shawl ewe shoe yurt shirt yawn shorn ute shoot yak shack yabby shabby U shoe ewe shoo you choux

/j/ vs. /s/ SIWI
ute suit yell cell yap sap yum sum yak sack yay say yet set yam Sam yolk soak U Sue ewe Sioux you sue

/b/ Contrasts

/b/ vs. /s/ SIWI
bean scene bun sun bee sea beet seat back sack bead seed band sand bale sale balloon saloon bell cell billy silly box socks b-c-b-c-b-c

/b/ vs /f/ SIWI
bus fuss bin fin bite fight big fig bun fun bowl foal ball fall bell fell bone phone bead feed box fox bat fat

/b/ vs /f/ SFWF
cub cuff tub tough rub rough pub puff grub Gruff cob cough Serb surf ebb F

/w/ Contrasts

/w/ vs. 'ch' SIWI
wick chick win chin Wayne chain west chest whip chip walk chalk

/w/ vs. 'dg' SIWI
weep jeep whale gaol/jail wig jig weigh J wet jet worm germ wade jade

/w/ vs. /s/, 'sh' and /f/ SIWI
one sun weed seed wheel seal whale sail wing sing wok sock wink sink well shell wok shock wake shake wall shawl wag shag whip ship wall fall weed feed walk fork wig fig one fun wait fete

/w/ vs. 'sh' SIWI
wok shock well shell wall shawl whip ship wheat sheet wake shake wed shed weep sheep wine shine wave shave Y shy wag shag win shin wade shade whale shale

/d/ Contrasts

/d/ vs /s/ SIWI
dip sip D C dock sock duck suck dough sew die sigh door d sea deep seep

/d/ vs /s/ SFWF
bud bus slide slice mad Mass kid kiss lead lease loud louse

/d/ vs 'sh' SIWI
door shore dip ship dot shot dark shark dock shock dough show dye shy dirt shirt deep sheep

/d/ vs 'sh' SFWF
mad mash hard harsh sad sash blood blush

/p/ Contrasts

/p/ vs. 'dg SIWI
peep jeep pay J pump jump pet jet pug jug punk junk pig jig pail gaol/jail P G pack jack paid jade pa jar pane Jane poke joke

/p/ vs. /l/ SIWI
pick lick pine line punch lunch pot lot peg leg peach leech peep leap pop lop park lark pay lei pane lane pink link peak leak

/p/ vs. /r/ SIWI
peach reach pane rain peep reap pink rink peak reek pack rack pail rail peel reel pat rat peck wreck pest rest post roast pig rig pocket rocket pool rule pa Rah pug rug Pope rope pen wren pestle wrestle pie rye Ping ring pod rod pose rose

/h/ Contrasts

/t/ vs. /h/ SIWI (1)
teat heat, tip hip, toot hoot, tart heart, till hill, ten hen, toe hoe, tie hi, top hop, tub hub, tug hug

/t/ vs /h/ SIWI (2) Contributed by Stacy Fietz
tea he ten hen tie high two hoo tip hip tear hair

/k/ vs. /h/ SIWI
cart heart corn horn calf half cat hat coal hole cook hook

/g/ vs. /h/ SIWI
gate hate go hoe goal hole

/h/ vs. /r/ SIWI
heap reap hail rail heel reel hat rat host roast hug rug hen wren hose rose hand rand hash rash hoe row hook rook habit rabbit head red hi rye hole roll hope rope hush rush hut rut hot rot hay ray

Middle Eight Contrasts

/t/ Contrasts

/t/ vs. /r/ SIWI
teach reach teak reek tack rack tail rail test rest toast roast tool rule toes rose ta Rah tug rug ten wren tie rye toe row tag rag two roo Ted red toad road

/k/ Contrasts

/k/ vs. /r/ SIWI
kale rail keel reel cat rat coast roast cash rash cook rook coal roll cane rain car Rah king ring code road cake rake case race camp ramp coach roach kite right cut rut cot rot

/k/ vs. /l/ SIWI
cook look cash lash cane lane code load cake lake case lace camp lamp cot lot cap lap kite light kick lick keg leg K lei cab lab calf laugh card lard cast last kid lid

/k/ vs. 'dg' SIWI
cane Jane cot jot K J key G kale gaol/jail car jar cog jog coin join cob job cab jab coot jute

/k/ vs. /z/ SIWI
cap zap coo zoo cone zone key Z kit zit king zing kipper zipper

/k/ vs /v/ SIWI
cast vast cane vein coal vole key V cat vat can van cow vow Kale veil cane vane

/g/ Contrasts

/g/ vs. 'ch' SIWI (1)
guy chai guess chess guest chest gum chum

/g/ vs. /f/ SIWI (1)
gale fail goal foal gate fête gig fig gun fun ghee fee game fame gable fable go foe

/g/ vs. /f/ SIWI (2)
go foe game fame Gus fuss gate fete gold fold gale fail goal foal gig fig gun fun ghee fee gable fable

/g/ vs. /s/
go sew game same Guy sigh gum sum give sieve gold sold gun sun ghee C goal sole gale sail gap sap

Late Eight Contrasts

/r/ Contrasts

/s/ vs. /r/ SIWI
sail rail seal reel sand rand sash rash sew row soap rope sing ring sink rink sack rack sock rock sale rail sip rip

/r/ vs. /d/ SIWI
rock dock roar door rig dig ray day rip dip Rome dome run done reel deal red dead ram dam rice dice wreck deck rug Doug rust dust row dough

New to maximal oppositions? Read on...

Place-Voice-Manner Chart

Consonants are classified in terms of their place of articulation, manner of articulation and voicing. The chart at the foot of this page is a PVM Chart showing the consonants of English. The voiced glide /w/ is included twice because it has two places of articulation, bilabial and velar. The glottal stop is also there because it occurs in some dialects of English.

Place of Articulation

Consonants are made by obstructing or constricting airflow at some point in the vocal tract. The point of obstruction or constriction is called the place of articulation. The ‘places’ of articulation are Bilabial, Labiodental, Interdental, Alveolar, Palatal, Velar and Glottal. Note that there are other classification systems that differ slightly.

Manner of Articulation

Consonants are classified in terms of their Place-Manner-Voice. The manner of articulation is the type of obstruction that occurs in the production of a particular consonant. The ‘manners’ of articulation are: Stop, Fricative, Affricate, Nasal, Liquid and Glide. The Stops, Fricatives and Affricates are termed obstruents, and the Nasals, Liquids, Glides, AND VOWELS are termed sonorants. The consonants /l/, /r/, /w/ and /j/ are also referred to as approximants.

Non-Major Class Distinctions

The Non-Major Class Distinctions are in place: differentiating labial, coronal and dorsal consonants; in manner: differentiating stops, fricatives, affricates, nasals, liquids, glides; and in voice: differentiating the voiced-voiceless cognate pairs.

Major Class Features

Major Class Features distinguish between the main groupings of sounds in a language: consonants vs. vowels, glides vs. consonants, and obstruents (stops, fricatives, and affricates) vs. sonorants (nasals, liquids, glides, and vowels).

Bake-make illustrates a major class distinction between obstruents and sonorants; make-wake illustrates the major class distinction between consonants and glides.

In the minimal pair silly-billy the contrast is not quite maximal, but it is ‘maximal enough’ to be highly salient for a child receiving intervention. In silly-billy we have labial /b/ vs. coronal /s/, stop /b / vs. fricative /s/, voiced /b/ vs. voiceless /s/, and unmarked /b/ vs. marked /s/. It crosses many featural dimensions but /b/ and /s/ are obstruents so there is no obstruent vs. sonorant opposition (i.e., no Major Class Feature distinction).

Maximal Opposition

A maximal opposition cuts across many featural dimensions. For example the word pair bun-sun differs in place (labial is distinct from coronal), manner (stop is distinct from fricative) and voice (/b/ is voiced and /s/ is voiceless). The contrast fat-gnat is in place, manner, voice and major class (/f/ is an obstruent and /n/ is sonorant), and markedness (/f/ is marked, /n/ is not).

Target Selection and Maximal Oppositions

"Known" vs. maximally distinct "unknown" sound

In the Maximal Oppositions approach (Gierut, 1989, 2001, 2007) Minimal Pair therapy the treatment sets consists of words that are minimally contrasted and which have maximal or near maximal feature differences between each word pair. One word in a pair represents a sound the child "knows" (can say at word level) and the other represents a sound the child does not know (cannot say).

For example, a child may "know" /m/ and be able to say words like man, mat and mine. However, the same child may be unable to say /f/ as in fan, fat and fine. The consonants /f/ and /m/ are maximally opposed as follows.

Non-Major Class Distinctions
Place NO - /m/ and /f/ are both labial, however /m/ is bilabial and /f/ is labiodental
Voice YES - /m/ is voiced and /f/ is voiceless
Manner YES - /m/ is nasal and /f/ is fricative
Major Class Features
Obstruent vs. Sonorant YES - /m/ is sonorant and /f/ is obstruent
Markedness
Unmarked (simple) vs. Marked (complex) YES - /m/ is unmarked and /f/ is marked

/m/ vs. /f/ SIWI
man fan mat fat mine fine mail fail meat feet meal feel money funny make fake mix fix mole foal mountain fountain mate fête maid fade

Employing this target selection strategy, Gierut and co-workers have demonstrated widespread cross-system generalisation in suitable children with phonological disorder.

References

Gierut, J. (1989). Maximal opposition approach to phonological treatment. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 54, 9-19.

Gierut, J. (2001). Complexity in phonological treatment: Clinical factors. Language, Speech, and Hearing in Schools, 32, 229-241.

Gierut, J. (2007). Phonological complexity and language learnability. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16(1), 6-17. CLICK HERE

The "Freebies" pages on the 1998-2011 web site have been replaced on the new site by the RESOURCES INDEX.

Click on the word 'RESOURCES' and scoll down. The RESOURCES tab appears at the top of every page of this site. You will see it above, to the left of the three flannel flowers.

There, you will find links to child speech assessment and intervention resources including many new picture and word worksheets for working with children with speech sound disorders.

PLEASE READ THIS: Please avoid downloading the same file multiple times as doing so increases my bandwidth usage and drives up the cost of maintaining this site. Choose a pdf or pptx file; download it once, and save it to a folder.

Word and Picture Worksheets Word Lists: Minimal Pairs Worksheets: Consonants, Clusters, Vowels Worksheets: Complexity; Lexical Properties, Markedness, SSP, Phonotactics, Facilitative Contexts Worksheets: Contrasts; Minimal Pairs; Near Minimal Pairs Worksheets: Revisions and Repairs and the fixed-up-one routine Worksheets: Within Word ("Medial") Consonants Worksheets: Maximal Oppositions (Minimal Pairs) Worksheets: Long Words Please consider donating to the upkeep of this site. THANK YOU!
Substitution Processes (Systemic Processes)
SIWI minimal pairs /t/ vs. voiceless affricate	SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. voiceless affricate	SFWF minimal pairs stops vs. palatal fricative and affricates
tear chair tease cheese tin chin top chop talk chalk ticks chicks tiled child tip chip tips chips tore chore two chew	sore chore sum chum sip chip sick chick sat chat Sue chew silly chilly soak choke suck chuck sill chill search church	rat rash out ouch write rice cat catch late lace hut hush mat match road rose head hedge hit hiss coat coach
SIWI minimal pairs voiced vs. voiceless alveolar stops	SIWI minimal pairs voiced vs. voiceless affricates	SIWI minimal pairs voiceless velar stops vs. alveolar stops
deer tear die tie din tin doll toll door tore doze toes dent tent dead Ted dim Tim	jeer cheer joke choke jeep cheap Jane chain jaw chore jump chump jest chest gin chin Jess chess	car tar core tore cape tape cub tub cool tool cap tap key tea call tall corn torn
SIWI min pairs voiced velar vs. voiced alveolar stops	SIWI minimal triplets voiceless fricatives	SIWI minimal pairs /k/ vs. /g/
gaze daze (days) gig dig go doe (dough) game dame gust dust gum dumb gash dash grip drip grab drab groan drone gate date got dot Guy die (dye) guide died	sort fort short sore four shore sign fine shine sell fell shell seat feet sheet	cap gap gate Kate game came gum come coat goat coast ghost cot got
SFWF minimal pairs /d/ vs. /t/	SFWF minimal pairs /k/ vs. /g/	SFWF minimal pairs /p/ vs. /b/
cord caught bird Bert wade wait wed wet bad bat bead beat ride write sad sat hid hit sword sort pod pot feed feet road wrote weed wheat	peck peg buck bug pick pig lock log back bag stack stag tack tag	cup cub nip nib cap cab lap lab rope robe
SIWI minimal pairs voiceless vs. voiced	SIWI minimal pairs /h/ vs. /t/	SIWI minimal pairs /h/ vs. /f/
peach beach town down fan van pole bowl peas bees pie buy (bye) pear bear sip zip pig big tore door	hop top hall tall horn torn high tie hose toes hair tear hen ten hot tot	hat fat hit fit hold fold hive five hall fall horse force hall fall heel feel hole foal hairy fairy
SIWI minimal pairs /h/ vs. ‘sh’	SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. /h/	SIWI minimal pairs /l/ vs. /s/
hall shawl head shed horn Sean horn Shawn harp sharp hop shop hook shook high shy hut shut heap sheep hoe show hair share heat sheet hip ship	sauce horse soup hoop sold hold side hide sit hit sand hand suit hoot sole hole soap hope seat heat sip hip seal heel	line sign low sew lock sock long song lick sick lip sip lend send lift sift lead seed look sook
SIWI minimal pairs /w/ vs. /r/	SIWI minimal pairs /f/ vs. /w/	SIWI minimal pairs /v/ vs. /w/
one run wig rig wing ring wok rock whale rail wake rake weed read witch rich wave rave west rest	feel wheel fig wig fight white fork walk fall wall fish wish feel wheel full wool fail whale fade wade	vest west veil whale vine wine vet wet volley Wally veal wheel Vic wick
SFWF minimal pairs ‘sh’ vs. ‘ch’	SIWI minimal pairs ‘sh’ vs. ‘ch’	SIWI minimal pairs /l/ vs. /d/
mash match dish ditch wish witch wash watch cash catch hush hutch crush crutch marsh march	shops chops shoes choose ships chips share chair Shane chain shin chin sheep cheep shock chock	lots dots log dog lazy daisy leap deep love dove
SIWI minimal pairs /n/ vs. /l/	SIWI minimal pairs /f/ vs. /d/	SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. ‘sh’
knead lead nip lip night light name lame knock lock neigh lay no low nine line knot lot nap lap	file dial fish dish fan Dan four door five dive foam dome fig dig	suit shoot sock shock sore shore sip ship sack shack sour shower seat sheet Sue shoe
SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. /f/	SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. /f/	SIWI minimal pairs /n/ vs. ‘sh’
sold fold sauce force sort fort six fix sit fit sole foal cell fell sole foal sore four	sun fun seed feed sound found seat feet seal feel socks fox saw four sunny funny sat fat sign fine	gnaw shore knee she nip ship nine shine neat sheet nut shut no show knock shock
SIWI minimal pairs /w/ vs. /l/	SIWI minimal pairs /w/ vs. /l/	SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. ‘sh’
wok lock wine line weed lead white light week leek weigh lay wet let wick lick	why lie wake lake wait late weep leap wink link Wally lolly	sign shine sew show sip ship saw shore sock shock
SIWI minimal pairs /n/ vs. /s/	SFWF minimal pairs /n/ vs. ‘ng’	SIWI minimal pairs ‘th’ vs. /f/
gnaw saw nine sign nails sails kneel seal neat seat nip sip knock sock no sew	Ron wrong pin Ping win wing thin thin	thin fin thaw four thought fort thread Fred thorn fawn three free thirst first
SIWI minimal pairs /v/ vs. /b/	SIWI minimal pairs /l/ vs. /j/
vase bars vest best vat bat V B (Vee-Bee) vote boat van ban vow bow very berry	lawn yawn Lou you lap yap less yes lucky yucky luck yuck
Structural Processes (Syllable Structure Processes)
Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /p/ vs. /sp/	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /l/ vs. /sl/	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /s/ vs. /sk/
pie spy peach speech pot spot pit spit pin spin pill spill	leap sleep lip slip low slow	sails scales sip skip see ski sore score
Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /s/ vs. /st/	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /t/ vs. /st/	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /t/ vs. /st/ SFWF
sick stick sack stack seal steal soup stoop	take stake talk stork tar star tack stack top stop tool stool tick stick	beat Beast Bert burst wet west coat coast goat ghost wait waist net nest pet pest feet feast vet vest
Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /w/ vs. /sw/	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /k/ vs. /sk/	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /n/ vs. /sn/
wing swing weep sweep well swell wheat sweet witch switch	key ski cat scat car scar core score cool school	nail snail knees sneeze no snow nought Snort nap snap
Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /m/ vs. /sm/	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /l/ vs. l-cluster	Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /r/ vs. /tr/
Mog smog mash smash mall small mile smile Mac smack	low glow lip flip lap clap loud cloud lock block leap sleep lean clean lime climb low blow love glove	rash trash ray tray rim trim rain train rack track Rick trick
Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /r/ vs. r-cluster	Minimal pairs cluster vs. cluster /sk/ vs. /st/
root fruit rat brat red bread rip drip rain train row throw	scoop stoop school stool scout stout score store sky sty skate state skill still scamp stamp
Clusters SIWI
/skr/ SIWI scream screen scratch scrub screw /str/ SIWI stream string strawberries strum streetlight street strong straight struggle stretch strict strain stripes /kr/ SIWI crash crawl crutches crab cry crayon crane crack crumb cross crew crow crowd crown /gr/ SIWI green grass greet grapes grouch grow Grover great grin grill /tr/ SIWI triangle track trash tractor train treasure trick trumpet tree trolley truck trap trio tray trim trophy /dr/ SIWI dream draw drive drum dragon dress drop drill drip drink /br/ SIWI Bradley Bruce Brett Brendan Brian bricks brown bronco branch bright bread broken broom bride branches break breaking Bryony Brenda Briane Bronnie Brianna /sp/ SIWI speech spill spit space spade spark Spice Girls spot sponge spud spoon spider Spiderman spine spire spy /st/ SIWI steam stick stay stairs steps stag star stop stamp stone stork stoop sty stir stool /pr/ SIWI prince princess pram prawn prune pretty proud price prize /kl/ SIWI clean Clag clock cloth clog club claw clothes clever close clown cloud climb /fl/ SIWI fleece flea flip flake flame flag flat flash fly flock flute floor float flower /sm/ SIWI smell small smart smash smog smudge smoke smile /sn/ SIWI snail sneeze snip Sneeches snake snap snooze snow snore snort
Near minimal pairs final consonant Inclusion	Near minimal pairs final consonant inclusion	Near minimal pairs final consonant inclusion
tea team tie tide hoe hope play plane car calf pea peep shoe shoot low load	high hide see seat shoe shoot she sheep cow couch sore sort sea seed low load say save	buy bike sew soap ow! out bee beach pie pile row road moo move car card
Near minimal pairs initial consonant inclusion /h/	Near minimal pairs initial consonant inclusion /f/	Near minimal pairs initial consonant inclusion /k/
"A" hay "E" he "I" high "O" hoe ("U" who - yoo-hoo) eye high air hair old hold eel heel art heart edge hedge	arm farm eel feel in fin air fair oar four ace face eat feet ill fill oh foe ox fox ale fail	"R" car art cart ache cake oar core ape cape air care old cold aim came ill kill arm calm off cough
Near minimal pairs initial consonant inclusion ‘sh’	Near minimal pairs initial consonant inclusion /s/	Near minimal pairs initial consonant inclusion /t/
shower hour share air shy eye shake ache shape ape shawl all shell "L shout out	seal eel sell "L" seat eat sad add soak oak sold old saw oar soil oil sour hour	in tin eye tie ache take aim tame air tear ape tape old told art tart
Near minimal pairs initial consonant inclusion
us bus ape tape out shout eye pie eel peel air chair ache take old fold
Vowel contrasts
'er' vs. 'or' bored bird / cord curd / Paul pearl / bought Bert / short shirt / torn turn /call curl / lawn learn /walk work / warm worm / fawn fern / born burn / a bored bird / a warm worm / a short shirt / a coarse curse Regarding 'er'! In Australian English /r/ is not pronounced in pearl, shirt, etc. pearl shirt purse purr bird burn burst term turn dirt curve girl fern fur third thirst search serve sir shirt chirp church nurse nerdlearn worm squirm search hurt earth surf Vowel Contrasts cub cab / rush rash/ cub cab/rush rash /truck track /bud bad /cut cat /hut hat /mud mad / bug bag /cup cap /fun fan Vowel Contrasts duck - deck /bunch - bench /bug - beg /nut - net /money - many /bud - bed
Singletons SIWI
/p/ SIWI pea peach peel peep pig pick pill Po pink paint paste pay peck peg pen pest pet pan park poor pool post purr pie pile Piglet Pooh Percy /b/ SIWI bee beach bead bean beat big beak bin bear Barbie Barney Barney bell 'baby bird's balloon' 'baby bird' bed best back bus boot book ball bowl bone bore bored Bobo bird bike buy bite Big Bird Babar but butt bad bud beard bead bird bed /t/ SIWI teach tease team tent tick tin tip tail Ted tell tack tap top tape toe tie toll talk torch tear tore tall town tight Tinky Winky Thomas Terence /d/ SIWI dig dip dish ditch Dipsy die deck duck doll dark dot desk door dome dirt dial dice dive /k/SIWI key king kiss cage Ken cake Kate case cab calf cow cash cap car card corn comb come cool cook coach coast coat /g/ SIWI goose game gate girl gum goat gold gown go ghost Gordon /h/ SIWI he heap 'Rat in a Hat' Henry heat heel hill hip hit hiss hair head hen hand hat heart hop hot hug hut hoop hush hook hoe hold high hole hose horse hawk hope horn hide hive Happy /f/ SIWI feast feed feel feet fig fin fit fish fair fall fan fat farm fast fun food foal foot phone force fork four fern fight file fine fire five Fred /v/ SIWI vase vest vet van vat vote voice vine Vegemite 'Vera Violet Vinn' /s/ SIWI seal sit seat sock seed sum sick sun sing suit sail sew same soap sell soak sack sold sad salt sip sauce sink saw sea sort sword side Sam-I-Am Celeste /z/ SIWI zip zoo zoom Zac zed zebra 'sh' SIWI she sheep sheet shin ship shake shape shave shed shell shack shut sharp shock shop shoot shoe shine shawl shore shirt short shout shy Shawn 'th' SIWI thief thick thin thing think thank thatch thong thud thumb thump thaw thought third thirst thigh 'ch' SIWI cheep cheek cheese cheer chick chin chip chase chair chest chimp chat chop chew choose chalk chore child Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang 'J' SIWI jeans jeep Jack jar jam jet jug jump juice jelly joke Jeff /w/ SIWI week weed weep wheat wheel whip wick wig win wind wing whale waist wait wake wave weigh web wet well west wag one won wash watch wok wood wolf walk wall Wilma warm whirl work worm world Wally Waldo Wanda why wine wipe wire /j/ SIWI year yell yes yak yap yacht yard young yuk yum you yolk yawn Yolanda /l/ SIWI lead leap leaf lick leek lift lean Laa Laa lid lace lame late lay let lamb lap last lock log love lunch lasso letter ladder look loaf load low long learn little loud lion lie light line like lime Lulu /r/ SIWI read rich rig rim Robin Rattie Rat ring rip wrist race rage rail rain rake ray red rack rock Ron run roof room rope robe rose row Ronald wrong round rice ride write Rin-Tin-Tin The Teddies in Bananas in Pyjamas are Amy, Morgan and Lulu. The Bananas are B1 and B2, and the other main character is The Rat in a Hat. /m/ SIWI me meal mean meet Mickey Minnie milk mail make men man map march mud moo moon move mouse mice /n/ SIWI knead neat knit nib nip name nail neigh neck nap knock knot none nut nose gnaw nurse noise knife nice nine /b/ vs. /t/ and /b/ vs. /d/ CVCs boat beat bite boot beet beat bat Bert bit bought bait
No final consonant in Australian and NZ English
pea pay Pooh paw purr pie pow poi Pa bee bay boo bore burr buy bow boy bar bow tea two tore tie toy ta toe "D" day do door die dough key Kay coo core cur cow coy car gay goo guy go four fur far foe "V" vie vow sea say Sue sore sir sigh sow soy sew zoo zee she shoe shore shy show he hay who her high how hoe chew chore "G" "J" jaw joy jar Joe me May moo more my Ma knee neigh gnaw now no lay Lou law lie low we way woo war why wow woe ray roo raw rye Roy row
No initial consonant
ape up ebb eat it eight out ought odd Orc ouch age edge urge aim	"M" in on add aid ache oak egg if off ace ass "S" us ice	eyes ash each itch urn own eel ill ale all owl oil ink end arm

Page 2 of 5

Worksheets: Maximal Oppositions

Please read this before downloading pdf or pptx files

How many exemplars?

Minimal Pairs: Maximal Oppositions

Early, Middle and Late Eight Developing Consonants (Shriberg, 1993)

Early Eight Contrasts

/m/ Contrasts

/n/ Contrasts

/j/ Contrasts

/b/ Contrasts

/w/ Contrasts

/d/ Contrasts

/p/ Contrasts

/h/ Contrasts

Middle Eight Contrasts

/t/ Contrasts

/k/ Contrasts

/g/ Contrasts

Late Eight Contrasts

/r/ Contrasts

New to maximal oppositions? Read on...

Place-Voice-Manner Chart

Place of Articulation

Manner of Articulation

Non-Major Class Distinctions

Major Class Features

Maximal Opposition

Target Selection and Maximal Oppositions

"Known" vs. maximally distinct "unknown" sound

References

Freebies from Caroline Bowen

Word Lists for Focused Auditory Input, Phonological Intervention, and Articulation Therapy

Word and Picture Worksheets

Substitution Processes (Systemic Processes)

SIWI minimal pairs /t/ vs. voiceless affricate

SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. voiceless affricate

SFWF minimal pairs stops vs. palatal fricative and affricates

SIWI minimal pairs voiced vs. voiceless alveolar stops

SIWI minimal pairs voiced vs. voiceless affricates

SIWI minimal pairs voiceless velar stops vs. alveolar stops

SIWI min pairs voiced velar vs. voiced alveolar stops

SIWI minimal triplets voiceless fricatives

SIWI minimal pairs /k/ vs. /g/

SFWF minimal pairs /d/ vs. /t/

SFWF minimal pairs /k/ vs. /g/

SFWF minimal pairs /p/ vs. /b/

SIWI minimal pairs voiceless vs. voiced

SIWI minimal pairs /h/ vs. /t/

SIWI minimal pairs /h/ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs /h/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. /h/

SIWI minimal pairs /l/ vs. /s/

SIWI minimal pairs /w/ vs. /r/

SIWI minimal pairs /f/ vs. /w/

SIWI minimal pairs /v/ vs. /w/

SFWF minimal pairs ‘sh’ vs. ‘ch’

SIWI minimal pairs ‘sh’ vs. ‘ch’

SIWI minimal pairs /l/ vs. /d/

SIWI minimal pairs /n/ vs. /l/

SIWI minimal pairs /f/ vs. /d/

SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs /n/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs /w/ vs. /l/

SIWI minimal pairs /w/ vs. /l/

SIWI minimal pairs /s/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs /n/ vs. /s/

SFWF minimal pairs /n/ vs. ‘ng’

SIWI minimal pairs ‘th’ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs /v/ vs. /b/

SIWI minimal pairs /l/ vs. /j/

Structural Processes (Syllable Structure Processes)

Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /p/ vs. /sp/

Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /l/ vs. /sl/

Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /s/ vs. /sk/

Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /s/ vs. /st/

Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /t/ vs. /st/

Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /t/ vs. /st/ SFWF

Near minimal pairs singleton vs. cluster /w/ vs. /sw/

SIWI minimal pairs
/t/ vs. voiceless affricate

SIWI minimal pairs
/s/ vs. voiceless affricate

SIWI minimal triplets
voiceless fricatives

SIWI minimal pairs
/k/ vs. /g/

SFWF minimal pairs
/d/ vs. /t/

SFWF minimal pairs
/k/ vs. /g/

SFWF minimal pairs
/p/ vs. /b/

SIWI minimal pairs
voiceless vs. voiced

SIWI minimal pairs
/h/ vs. /t/

SIWI minimal pairs
/h/ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs
/h/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs
/s/ vs. /h/

SIWI minimal pairs
/l/ vs. /s/

SIWI minimal pairs
/w/ vs. /r/

SIWI minimal pairs
/f/ vs. /w/

SIWI minimal pairs
/v/ vs. /w/

SFWF minimal pairs
‘sh’ vs. ‘ch’

SIWI minimal pairs
‘sh’ vs. ‘ch’

SIWI minimal pairs
/l/ vs. /d/

SIWI minimal pairs
/n/ vs. /l/

SIWI minimal pairs
/f/ vs. /d/

SIWI minimal pairs
/s/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs
/s/ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs
/s/ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs
/n/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs
/w/ vs. /l/

SIWI minimal pairs
/w/ vs. /l/

SIWI minimal pairs
/s/ vs. ‘sh’

SIWI minimal pairs
/n/ vs. /s/

SFWF minimal pairs
/n/ vs. ‘ng’

SIWI minimal pairs
‘th’ vs. /f/

SIWI minimal pairs
/v/ vs. /b/

SIWI minimal pairs
/l/ vs. /j/