The /e/ vowel is spelled <e>, <ea> in deaf or <ie> in friend, and occurs in the letter names F, N and X. The vowel /ɒ/ is spelled <o>, or <a> after <w > in swat or wand.
The two sounds are both short but are well separated in the mouth, so are unlikely to be a problem.
This distinction signals the tense change in the strong verbs get/got, forget/forgot and tread/trod.
Interesting pairs include:
chemical comical
Delhi Dolly
embedded embodied
excise oxeyes
ferried forehead
hysterical historical
meddle model
merrily morally
premises promises
preposition proposition
The mean density is 2.7%. The pairs make 149 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 60%.
becks box bedded bodied beg bog begged bogged begging bogging begs bogs beget begot Ben Bonn bend bond bended bonded bending bonding bends bonds Benny bonny Bessie bossy best bossed blend blonde blends blondes breath broth breath broths Brens bronze cell Sol check chock checked chocked checking chocking checks chocks check choc checks chocs cheque chock cheques chocks cheque choc cheques chocs Czech chock Czechs chocks Czech choc Czechs chocs chemical comical chemically comically coquette cocotte coquettes cocottes crept cropped cress cross crest crossed deaf doff debt dot debts dots Dec dock deck dock decked docked decking docking decks docks decker docker deckers dockers deft doffed Delhi Dolly dell doll dells dolls den don dens dons Derek Doric derrick Doric dress dross ebb ob Ed odd eft oft effed oft effing offing Ellie Ollie Elloughton Ollerton embedded embodied excise oxeyes F off Feb fob fellow follow fellows follows fend fond fender fonder ferried forehead fester foster festered fostered festering fostering festers fosters fleck flock flecked flocked flecking flocking flecks flocks forget forgot friend frond friends fronds gen John get got Greg grog head hod heads hods heck hock hecks hocks hen Hon hep hop hysterical historical hysterically historically jelly jolly jellied jollied jellies jollies jellying jollying Jenny Johnny jet jot jets jots jetted jotted jetting jotting keg cog kegs cogs ken con kenned conned kenning conning kens cons Kenny Connie Kent cont kept Copt Kerry corrie leads Lodz leapt lopped ledge lodge ledges lodges ledger lodger ledgers lodgers left loft leg log legging logging legs logs less loss lest lost let lot let's lots Mecca mocha Med Mod medal model medals models meddle model meddled modelled meddler modeler meddlers modelers meddles models merrily morally mess moss messes mosses messy mossy messier mossier messiest mossiest metal mottle metalled mottled metalling mottling metals mottles meths moths N on neck knock necked knocked necking knocking necks knocks Ned nod net not net knot nets knots netted knotted netting knotting Neville novel peck pock pecked pocked pecks pocks pence ponce penned pond pep pop pepped popped pepping popping peps pops pepper poppa peppers poppas pet pot pets pots petted potted petting potting petty potty pettier pottier pettiest pottiest pled plod premise promise premised promised premises promises premising promising prep prop preps props preposition proposition prepositions propositions read Rod recce rocky red rod reds rods Rennes Ron resin rosin resins rosins Rex rocks sec Soc senate sonnet senates sonnets set sot sets sots shed shod sketch scotch sketched scotched sketches scotches sketching scotching slept slopped step stop stepped stopped stepping stopping steps stops steppes stops sweat swat sweated swatted sweating swatting sweats swats swept swapped teddy toddy teddies toddies teg tog tegs togs test tossed tread trod vex vox wed wad wedded wadded wedding wadding weds wads weft waft wefts wafts wen wan wend wand wends wands went want wept whopped wet watt wets watts wreck rock wrecked rocked wrecker rocker wreckers rockers wrecking rocking X ox yen yon yet yachtGeographical: Outside English-speaking countries, most visitors are from Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Lithuania, Yemen, Finland, Denmark and Spain. Average 11 visitors per month.
John Higgins, Shaftesbury, January 2011