Consonants /ŋ/ versus /ʤ/, 78 pairs     [bridge.html]

The /ŋ/ sound is spelled with <ng>. The /ʤ/ sound is spelled with <dge> or <ge>.

This is a contrast between a velar nasal continuant and an alveolar affricate, both voiced and only occurring in final or medial position. It is not a problem. The majority of the pairs are verb -ing forms contrasted with noun derivations in -age from the same root like assembling/assemblage.

The mean density value is 1.2%. The lists make 68 semantic distinctions, a loading of 88%.

adding adage 
appending appendage 
assembling assemblage 
bagging baggage 
banding bandage 
bang badge 
banger badger 
  bangers badgers 
blocking blockage 
bonding bondage 
braking breakage   
breaking breakage
bring bridge 
  bringing bridging 
bung budge 
  bunged budged 
  bunging budging 
calking corkage
corking corkage
carting cartage 
cleaving cleavage 
coining coinage 
cording cordage 
covering coverage 
cribbing cribbage 
damming damage 
dosing dosage 
doting dotage 
draining drainage 
drifting driftage 
footing footage 
fronting frontage 
garbing garbage 
harbouring harbourage 
hauling haulage 
ill-using ill-usage 
leaking leakage 
levering leverage 
lightering lighterage 
linking linkage 
long lodge 
  longed lodged 
  longing lodging 
  longings lodgings 
lugging luggage 
manning manage 
messing message 
packing package 
pasturing pasturage 
peering peerage 
pilfering pilferage 
pluming plumage 
porting portage 
posting postage 
potting pottage 
pounding poundage 
pressing presage 
ring ridge 
  ringed ridged 
  ringing ridging 
roughing roughage 
salving salvage 
seeping seepage 
shorting shortage 
slung sludge 
spilling spillage 
spinning spinach 
steering steerage 
stopping stoppage 
storing storage 
suing sewage 
swanning Swanage 
tilling tillage 
tonning tonnage  
using usage
vesting vestige 
wanting Wantage 
wasting wastage 
wrecking wreckage 

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, December 2010.