Consonants /d/ versus /m/, 484 pairs     [dockmock.html]

The /d/ sound is spelled with <d>, <dd> or <de>, and the /m/ sound is <m> or <mm>. Notice how the homograph do makes pairs with with mow and moo.

The contrast is between a voiced stop and a nasal continuant, well separated in the mouth. It is not a problem for learners.

The only mildly taboo word pair is bud/bum.

Interesting pairs include:

Airedale airmail
bantered bantam
bordered boredom
custard custom
deadly medley
diesels measles
dorsal morsel
faddily family
haddock hammock
inferred infirm
murder murmur
perdition permission

The mean density value is 2.9%. The list makes 298 semantic distinctions, a loading of 62%.

 
ad am  
add am
addition omission
  additions omissions
adieux amuse
aid aim
  aiding aiming
  aids aims
Airedale airmail
ardour amah
  ardours amahs 
ardour armour
  ardours armours
baa'd balm
bantam bantered
bard balm
bead beam
  beading beaming
  beads beams
betides betimes
blade blame
  blades blames
blued bloom 
booed boom
bordered boredom
breed bream 
brewed broom  
brood broom
  broods brooms
bud bum
  budding bumming
  buds bums
bunkered bunkum
cad cam
  cads cams
cadre calmer  
cadre karma
  cadres karmas
card calm 
  carding calming 
  cards calms 
cawed corm
cede seam
  cedes seams
  ceding seaming
cede seem
  cedes seems
  ceding seeming  
charred charm
chattered Chatham 
chide chime
  chides chimes
  chiding chiming
chord corm
  chords corms
Christmastide Christmastime
  Christmastides Christmastimes
crowed chrome 
clad clam
coda coma
  codas comas
code comb
  codes combs
  coding combing
collared column
cud come 
conferred confirm
cord corm
  cords corms
creed cream 
  creeds creams 
cried crime
cuddly comely 
  cuddlier comelier 
  cuddliest comeliest 
custard custom
custards customs
D me
dace mace
dad dam	
  dads dams
dad damn   
  dads damns
dad mad
daddy Maddy 
dairy Mary 
daisies mazes
dale mail
  dales mails
dam ma'am
dame maim
  dames maims
damn ma'am
Dan man
dandy Mandy 
Dane Maine
Dane main
  Danes mains
danger manger
  dangers mangers
dangle mangle
  dangled mangled
  dangles mangles
  dangling mangling
dare mare
  dares mares
dare mayor
  dares mayors
dark mark 
darker marker
dart mart
  darts marts
dash mash
  dashed mashed
  dashes mashes
  dashing mashing
date mate
  dated mated
  dates mates
  dating mating
daughter mortar
  daughters mortars
daughterly mortally
daw maw
  daws maws  
daw more
dawn morn
  dawns morns
dawn mourn
  dawned mourned
  dawning mourning
  dawns mourns
dawning morning
day may
days maize
days maze
daze maize
daze maze
  dazed mazed
dead Med 
deadly medley
deal meal
  deals meals
dealt melt
dear mere
  dears meres
dearly merely
dedicate medicate
  dedicated medicated
  dedicates medicates
  dedicating medicating
  dedication medication
  dedications medications
deed deem
  deeds deems
den men
Denny many
dent meant
dental mental
dew mew	 
  dew mews
dews muse
dhow mow
  dhows mows
Di my
diary miry
dice mice
Dick Mick
Dicky Mickey
did dim	  
did mid
diddle middle
  diddles middles
  diddling middling
die my
died dime
diesels measles
digit midget
  digits midgets
dike mike
  dikes mikes
dime mime
  dimes mimes
dine mine
  dines mines
  dining mining
  dined mined
dined mind
diner miner
  diners miners
dingy mingy
  dingier mingier
  dingiest mingiest
dingle mingle
  dingles mingles
dint mint
  dints mints
dire mire
dirge merge
  dirges merges
dirk murk
disc misc
distrustfully mistrustfully
dixies mixes
do moo
  do's moos
  doing mooing
do mo
do mow 
do moo
doe mo
doe mow
  does mows
dough mo
dough mow
dour moor 
doe mow
  does mows
dock mock
  docked mocked
  docking mocking
  docks mocks
docker mocker
  dockers mockers
dole mole
  doles moles
doled mould
doll moll
  dolls molls
Dolly Molly
dolt moult
  dolts moults
door maw
  doors maws
door more
dope mope
  doped moped
  dopes mopes
  doping moping
Doreen Maureen
Doris Maurice
dorsal morsel
dosed most
doss moss
  dosses mosses
dost mussed
dotard motored
dote moat
  doted moated
  dotes moats
dote mote
  dotes motes  
dottle mottle
  dottles mottles
Doug mug
douse mouse
  doused moused
  douses mouses
  dousing mousing
downed mound
dozes moseys
duck muck
  ducked mucked
  ducking mucking
  ducks mucks
ducky mucky
dud dumb
dud mud
  duds muds
dude mewed
Dudley dumbly
due mew
  dues mews
duffel muffle
dug mug
  dugs mugs
dull mull
  dulled mulled
  dulls mulls
  dulling mulling
dumber mummer
dumps mumps
dunk monk
  dunks monks
dusk musk
dusky musky
  duskier muskier
  duskiest muskiest
dust must
  dusts musts
duster muster
  dusters musters
dusty musty
  dustier mustier
  dustiest mustiest
Dutch much
dyer mire
  dyers mires
Ed M
edition emission
  editions emissions
elude illume
  eludes illumes
faddily family
fade fame
fed fem
feeder femur
  feeders femurs
feud fume
  feuds fumes
filled film
flayed flame 
fled phlegm
ford form
  fording forming
  fords forms
frayed frame 
gladder glamour
glued gloom 
gnawed norm
grid grim
had ham
haddock hammock
hard harm
hawed haulm 
head hem
  heading hemming
  heads hems
headline hemline
  headlines hemlines
held helm
hid him
hoard haulm 
  hoards haulm
hoed home	  
horde haulm 
  hordes haulms
I'd I'm
inferred infirm
James jades
lad lam
  lads lams
lad lamb
  lads lambs
lade lame
lading laming
larder lama
  larders lamas
larder llama
  larders llamas 
leader lemur
  leaders lemurs
leading lemming
lidless limbless
lied lime
lingered lingam 
load loam
  loads loams
lode loam
  lodes loams
mad ma'am 
made maim	  
maid maim
  maids maims
meadow memo
  meadows memos
myriad Miriam 
mud mum
  muds mums
muddy mummy
muddies mummies
murder murmur
  murdered murmured
  murdering murmuring
  murders murmurs
neighed name 
node gnome 
  nodes gnomes 
ode ohm
  odes ohms
pad Pam 
perdition permission
pod pom
  pods poms
pommel puddle
  pommelled puddled
  pommels puddles
pride prime
  prides primes
  priding priming
prod prom
  prods proms
purred perm 
read ream
  reads reams
reads Rheims 
rid rim
  ridding rimming
  rids rims
ride rhyme
  rides rhymes 
  riding rhyming 
ride rime
road Rome
road roam
  roads roams
rood rheum 
rood room
  roods rooms
rod rhomb
  rods rhombs 
rode Rome
rode roam
rude room
ruder roomer 
rowed Rome
rowed roam
rudder rummer
ruddy rummy
Rudy roomy
Ryde rhyme
sad Sam 
ski'd scheme 
screed scream 
  screeds screams 
scud scum
seed seam
  seeds seams
  seeding seaming
seed seem
  seeds seems
  seeding seeming
seedy seamy 
  seedier seamier 
  seediest seamiest 
seedless seamless 
shad sham
shade shame
  shades shames
  shading shaming
skid skim
  skidding skimming
  skids skims
slid slim
slide slime
spewed spume
springtide springtime
  springtides springtimes
spurred sperm 
stead stem
steed steam 
  steeds steams 
stored storm
suds sums
sward swarm
teed team 
teed teem
third therm 
  thirds therms 
thud thumb
  thudding thumbing
  thuds thumbs
tide thyme 
tide time
  tides times
tiding timing
  tidings timings
toad tome
  toads tomes
Tommy toddy
trad tram
ward warm
  wards warms
  warding warming
warder warmer
  warders warmers
whirred worm
who'd whom	 
word worm
  words worms
  wording worming
wordy wormy
  wordier wormier
  wordiest wormiest

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, February 2010.