Consonants /b/ versus /l/, 418 pairs     [boglog.html]

The spelling of /b/ is always <b> or <bb>. The /l/ sound is <l> or <ll>. The homograph bass enters pairs with lace and lass. Similarly lead enters pairs with bead and bed.

The contrast is between a plosive and a lateral continuant, both voiced but widely separated in the mouth. Confusions are not likely.

One taboo word pair is bugger/lugger.

Interesting pairs include:

baboon balloon
Bangor languor
beagle legal
bingo lingo
buster lustre
coloured cupboard
waistband wasteland

The mean density value is 2.3%. The list makes 219 semantic distinctions, a loading of 53%.

aback alack
abbey Ali 
abbey alley
  abbeys alleys
Abe ail
Abe ale
abide allied
Abo aloe
  Abos aloes
B lea
B lee
baa la
baa'd lard
babe bail
  babes bails
babe bale
  babes bales
babel label
  babels labels
baby bailey 
  babies baileys
baboon balloon
  baboons balloons
Babs labs
baccy lackey
back lack
  backed lacked
  backing lacking
  backs lacks
backer lacquer
  backers lacquers
bad lad
bade lad
bag lag
  bagged lagged
  bagging lagging
  bags lags
bait late  
baize lays
baize laze
bake lake
  bakes lakes
band land
  banded landed
  banding landing
  bands lands
bandsman landsman
bane lain
bane lane
  banes lanes
Bangor languor
bank lank
banned land
bannock Lanark 
bar la
bard lard
bare lair
  bares lairs
bared laird
bark lakh	
  barks lakhs
bark lark
  barked larked
  barking larking
  barks larks
barn Larne 
barred lard
Barry Larry
base lace
  based laced
  bases laces
  basing lacing
bashes lashes
bashing lashing
bass lace
  basses laces
bass lass
bat lat		   
batch latch
  batches latches
bate late
bath lath
bathe lathe
  bathes lathes
batter latter
bawd laud
  bawds lauds
bawd lord
  bawds lords  
bay lay
  baying laying
  bays lays
bays laze
bayed lade
be lea
be lee
bead lead  
  beads leads
  beading leading
beads Leeds 
beagle legal
beak Leek 
beaks leaks
bear lair
  bears lairs
beard leered
beast leased
beau low
  beaux lows
beaver lever
  beavered levered
  beavering levering
  beavers levers
bed lead
  bedded leaded
  bedding leading
  beds leads
bee lea
  bees leas
bee lee
beef leaf
  beeves leaves
beefy leafy
  beefier leafier
  beefiest leafiest
beep leap
  beeps leaps
beer leer
  beers leers
beg leg
  begging legging
  begs legs
  begged legged
ben Len
bend lend
  bending lending
  bends lends
  bent lent 
Benny Lenny
bens lens
Bern learn
Bess less
best lest
bet let
  bets lets
  betting letting
better letter
  bettered lettered
  bettering lettering
  betters letters
bevel level
  bevelled levelled
  bevelling levelling
  bevels levels
bevy levee
  bevies levees
Bewdley lewdly
bey lay
  beys lays
beys laze
bib bill
  bibbed billed
  bibbing billing
  bibs bills
Bible libel
  Bibles libels
bicker liquor
  bickers liquors
bid lid
  bids lids
bide lied	 
bier leer
  biers leers
bight light
  bights lights
bike like
  biked liked
  bikes likes
  biking liking
bile lisle
billy lily
  billies lilies
bind lined
bine line
  bines lines
bingo lingo
birch lurch
  birched lurched
  birches lurches
  birching lurching
bite light
  bites lights
  biting lighting
biz Liz 
boar law
  boars laws   
boar lor
boar lore
board laud	  
  boards lauds
  boarded lauded
  boarding lauding
board lord
  boards lords
  boarding lording
  boarded lorded
bob lob
  bobbed lobbed
  bobbing lobbing
  bobs lobs
bobby lobby
  bobbies lobbies
bode load
  boded loaded
  bodes loads
  boding loading
bode lode
Boer lower
  Boers lowers
bog log
  bogged logged
  bogging logging
  bogs logs
bone loan
  boned loaned
  bones loans
  boning loaning
bone lone  
boo lieu
boo loo
  boos loos	 
boos lose  
boob buhl
book look
  booked looked
  booking looking
  books looks
boom loom
  boomed loomed
  booming looming
  booms looms
boon loon
  boons loons
boor lure
  boors lures
boost loosed
boot loot
  booted looted
  booting looting
  boots loots
booze lose
  boozes loses
  boozing losing
boozer loser
  boozers losers
bore law
  bores laws
bore lor
bore lore  
boss loss
  bosses losses
bossed lost
both loath
Bourne lawn
bout lout
  bouts louts
bow low
  bows lows
  bowing lowing
bowed loud
bower lour
  bowers lours
box lochs
buck luck
Buckie lucky
bucks luxe
buff luff
  buffed luffed
  buffing luffing
  buffs luffs
bug lug
  bugged lugged
  bugging lugging
  bugs lugs
bugger lugger
  buggers luggers
built lilt
bump lump
  bumped lumped
  bumping lumping
  bumps lumps
bumpy lumpy
  bumpier lumpier
  bumpiest lumpiest
bunch lunch
  bunched lunched
  bunches lunches
  bunching lunching
bung lung
burke lurk
  burked lurked
  burkes lurks
  burking lurking
burn learn
  burned learned
  burning learning
  burns learns
  burnt learnt
burner learner
  burners learners
bused lust
bust lust
  busted lusted
  busting lusting
  busts lusts
buster lustre
busy Lizzy 
buy lie
  buying lying
  buys lies
buyer liar
  buyers liars
by lie
bye lie
  byes lies
cob col
  cobs cols
cobber choler 
  cobbers cholers 
Cobham column
coloured cupboard
Crosby crossly
cub cull
  cubs culls
curb curl
  curbed curled
  curbing curling
  curbs curls
deb dell
  debs dells
Debbie Delhi
dub dull
  dubbed dulled
  dubbing dulling
  dubs dulls
ebb L 
  ebbs L's 
Feb fell
fib fill
  fibbing filling
  fibs fills
  fibbed filled
gab gal
gibes Giles 
headband headland
  headbands headlands
herb hurl
  herbs hurls
hobby holly
hub hull
  hubs hulls
ibex ilex
  ibexes ilexes
jib gill 
  jibs gills 
kebab cabal 
  kebabs cabals 
Kirkby curly
Libyan Lilian
lob loll
  lobbed lolled
  lobbing lolling
  lobs lolls
lobby lolly
  lobbies lollies
matchbox matchlocks
mob moll
  mobs molls
nib nil
nub null
obey allay 
  obeyed allayed 
  obeying allaying 
  obeys allays 
orb all 
orb awl
  orbs awls 
outboard outlawed
overboard overlord
probe prole
  probes proles
robe rôle 
  robes rôles
robe roll  
  robed rolled
  robes rolls 
  robing rolling
rabid rallied
rebind relined
rib rill
  ribs rills
sabot sallow
  sabots sallows
sabre sailor
  sabres sailors
sob Sol 
sober solar
tabby tally
  tabbies tallies
tabor tailor
  tabors tailors
tube tulle
waistband wasteland
  waistbands wastelands
web well
  webs wells
  webbed welled
webbed weld
webbing welling

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, January 2011.