Consonants /k/ versus /ʧ/, 236 pairs     [coochew.html]

The spelling of /k/ is <c>, <ck>, <ch> or <k>. The /ʧ/ sound is spelled <ch>, <tch> or <tsch> in bortsch.

This is a contrast between a stop and an affricate, both voiceless but fairly well separated in the mouth. It does not cause many problems.

Interesting pairs include:

caisson chasten
captor chapter
coax chokes
nacre nature

The figure for the mean density is 2.1%. The set makes 122 semantic contrasts, a loading of 52%.

    
ache H
arc arch
attack attach 
  attacked attached 
  attacking attaching 
back batch
balk bortsch
beak beach 
  beaked beached
bleak bleach 
bloc blotch
block blotch
book butch
broke broach 
burke birch 
  burked birched 
  burking birching 
cad Chad 
caisson chasten
  caissons chastens
calf chaff
Cali Charlie
calk chalk
  calked chalked
  calking chalking
  calks chalks
calm charm
  calmed charmed
  calming charming
  calms charms
calmer charmer
camp champ
  camped champed
  camping champing
  camps champs
campion champion
cane chain
  caned chained
  canes chains
  caning chaining
can't chant
cap chap
  capped chapped
  capping chapping
  caps chaps
captor chapter
  captors chapters
car char
  cars chars
card chard 
  cards chards
care chair
  cared chaired
  cares chairs
  caring chairing
cart chart
  carted charted
  carting charting
  carts charts
carter charter
  carters charters
case chase
  cased chased
  cases chases
  casing chasing
cat chat
  cats chats
cattle chattel
catty chatty
  cattier chattier
  cattiest chattiest
cause chaws
cause chores
caw chaw
  cawed chawed
  cawing chawing
  caws chaws
caw chore
  caws chores
cluck clutch
  clucked clutched
  clucking clutching
coax chokes 
cock choc 
  cocked chocked 
  cocking chocking 
  cocks chocks 
coke coach 
  coked coached 
  coking coaching 
come chum 
  comes chums 
  coming chumming 
coo chew 
  cooed chewed 
  cooing chewing 
  coos chews 
cop chop 
  copping chopping 
  cops chops 
  copped chopped
copier choppier
copper chopper 
  coppers choppers 
Copt chopped
copy choppy 
copyist choppiest 
core chaw
  cored chawed
  coring chawing
  cores chaws
core chore 
  cores chores
cork chalk
  corks chalks
  corked chalked
  corking chalking
cow chow 
  cows chows
Cowes chows
crock crotch
curl churl 
  curls churls 
Dacca dacha
Dick ditch
dickeys ditches
duck Dutch 
ducky duchy 
  duckies duchies 
eke each 
hack hatch
  hacked hatched
  hacking hatching
hick hitch
karma charmer
  karmas charmers 
keeper cheaper 
Kerry cherry
keys cheese 
kick chick 
  kicks chicks 
kick kitsch
kine chine 
kink chink 
  kinked chinked 
  kinking chinking 
  kinks chinks 
kip chip
  kipped chipped 
kit chit 
  kits chits 
knock notch
  knocked notched
  knocking notching
lack latch
  lacked latched
  lacking latching
lackeys latches
lakh larch
leak leach
  leaked leached 
  leaking leaching 
leak leech  
leek leach
lurk lurch 
  lurked lurched 
  lurking lurching 
mac match
mark march
  marked marched 
  marking marching 
marker marcher 
  markers marchers 
milk milch 
muck much 
mulct mulched 
nacre nature
Nick niche
pack patch
  packed patched
  packing patching
park parch 
  parked parched 
  parking parching 
peak peach 
  peaked peached 
  peaking peaching 
perk perch 
  perked perched 
  perking perching 
picker pitcher
  pickers pitchers
poke poach 
  poked poached 
  poking poaching 
poker poacher 
  pokers poachers 
pork porch 
quays cheese
rack ratch
racket ratchet
  rackets ratchets
recces retches
reek reach 
  reeked reached 
  reeking reaching 
rick rich 
smirk smirch 
  smirked smirched 
  smirking smirching 
snack snatch
  snacked snatched
  snacking snatching
snick snitch
  snicked snitched
  snicking snitching
speak speech
stark starch 
stick stitch
  sticking stitching
suck such 
talk torch
talker torture
  talkers tortures
talkies torches
teak teach 
tuck touch 
  tucked touched 
  tucking touching 
untucked untouched 
wick which 
wick witch
wreck retch 
  wrecked retched 
  wrecking retching 
wreck wretch

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, August 2010.