Consonants /k/ versus /w/, 253 pairs     [coowoo.html]

The spelling of /k/ is <c>, <cc>, <ck> or <k>. The /w/ sound is spelled <w> or <wh>. The contrasts can occur initially or medially but not finally.

This is a contrast between a voiceless stop and a voiced semivowel. It causes no problems.

Interesting pairs include:

combat wombat
record reward

The figure for the mean density is 2%. The set makes 131 semantic contrasts, a loading of 52%.

    
accord award
  accorded awarded
  according awarding
  accords awards
cage wage
  caged waged
  cages wages
  caging waging
cake wake
  caked waked
  cakes wakes
  caking waking
calk walk  
  calked walked
  calking walking
  calks walks
call wall
  called walled
  calling walling
  calls walls
cane wain
  canes wains
cane wane
  caned waned
  canes wains
  caning waning
care ware 
  cared wared
  cares wares
  caring waring
care wear 
  cares wears
  caring wearing
care where  
cased waist
cased waste
cater waiter
  caters waiters
caught wart
cause wars
cave waive
caved waived
caves waives
caving waiving
caw war
  caws wars
  cawed warred
cawed ward
Celts welts		
choler wallah
  cholers wallahs
chord ward
  chords wards
chord warred  
Co whoa
Co woe
coaled wold
cobble wobble
  cobbled wobbled
  cobbles wobbles
  cobbling wobbling
cobbler wobbler
  cobblers wobblers
cod wad
  codded wadded
  codding wadding
  cods wads
coddle waddle
  coddled waddled
  coddles waddles
  coddling waddling
code woad
coke woke
cold wold
  colds wolds
collar wallah
  collars wallahs
collie Wally 
combat wombat
  combats wombats
con wan
conned wand
cont want
coo woo
  cooed wooed
  cooing wooing
  coos woos
cop whop
copper whopper
  coppers whoppers
  copping whopping
  cops whops
Copt whopped
corbel warble
  corbels warbles
cord ward
  cords wards
  corded warded
  cording warding
cordon warden
  cordons wardens
core war
  cored warred
  cores wars
  coring warring
cored ward
cork walk  
  corked walked
  corking walking
  corks walks
corker walker
  corkers walkers
corm warm
  corms warms
corn warn
  corned warned
  corning warning
  corns warns
Corp warp
corpse warps
cosh wash
  coshes washes
  coshing washing
  coshed washed
cot what
cot watt
  cots watts
cottage wattage
  cottages wattages
coughed waft
could wood
could would
  couldn't wouldn't
  couldst wouldst
court wart
  courts warts
cove wove
cow wow
  cows wows
Cowes wows
cur were
cur whirr
  curs whirrs
curd whirred
curd word
  curds words
curl whirl
  curled whirled
  curling whirling
  curls whirls
curry worry
  curried worried
  curries worries
  currying worrying
curse worse
cursed worst
curt wert
curt wort
K way
  K's ways
kail wail
Kaiser wiser
Kate wait
Kate weight
Katie weighty
keen wean
  keened weaned
  keening weaning
  keens weans
kelp whelp
ken wen
  kens wens
kenned wend
Kent went
kept wept
Kerry wherry
key we
key wee
  keying weeing
  keys wees
keyed weed
kick wick 
kill will
  killed willed
  kills wills
  killing willing
  killingly willingly
kilt wilt
  kilts wilts
kind whined
kind wind
  kinds winds
kine whine
kine wine
kink wink
  kinked winked
  kinking winking
  kinks winks
kip whip
  kipped whipped
  kipping whipping
  kips whips
kirk work
  kirks works
kissed whist
kit whit 
  kits whits 
kit wit
  kits wits
kite Wight 
kite white
  kites whites
kitsch which
kitsch witch
Kitty witty
quay we
quay wee
  quays wees
record reward
  recorded rewarded
  recording rewarding
  records rewards
scare swear
  scares swears
  scaring swearing
scathing swathing
scone swan
  scones swans
scoop swoop
  scooped swooped
  scooping swooping
  scoops swoops
score swore
scored sward
scorn sworn
Scot swat
  Scots swats
scum swum
skein swain
  skeins swains
ski'd Swede 
skill swill
  skilled swilled
  skills swills
  skilling swilling
skim swim
  skimming swimming
  skims swims
skimmer swimmer
  skimmers swimmers
skirl swirl
  skirls swirls
unrecorded unrewarded

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, August 2010.