Vowels 2 and 7, /ɪ/ versus /ɔ/    327 pairs     [fillfall.html]

The spellings of /ɪ/ include <i> and <y> as well as <ui> in build. The /ɔ/ vowel has numerous spellings including <or> in corn, <oar> in board, <au> in exhaust, and so on.

This is a contrast between a long and a short vowel well separated in the mouth. It is not a problem for any group of learners.

Possible rude word confusions are shit/short, tit/taut, and their derivatives. Interesting pairs include:

builder balder
comedies commodores
edition audition
missal morsel

The mean density is 1.5%. The list makes 166 semantic contrasts giving a loading of 51%.

bailey bailor
baileys bailors
bid bawd 
  bids bawds 
bid board
  bidder boarder
  bidders Borders 
  bidding boarding
bill ball
  billed balled 
  billing balling 
  bills balls 	
bill bawl
  bills bawls
  billing bawling
  billed bawled
bin Bourne 
bit bought
biz boars	   
biz bores
brill brawl 
Brit brought
Britain Broughton
build bald	
build bawled
builder balder 
carpet carport
  carpets carports
chick chalk 
  chicks chalks 
chid chawed 
Chile Chorley	  
chilli Chorley
chilly Chorley
cissies sauces
cissy saucy
comedy commodore
  comedies commodores
Consett consort
cyst sauced
dibber dauber 
  dibbers daubers 
diddle dawdle 
  diddled dawdled 
  diddles dawdles 
  diddling dawdling 
dimmer dormer
din Dawn 
dinned dawned 
dinning dawning 
dins dawns 
dint daunt 
  dints daunts 
drill drawl 
  drilled drawled 
  drilling drawling 
  drills drawls 
edition audition 
  editions auditions 
exist exhaust 
  existed exhausted 
  existing exhausting 
  exists exhausts 
fill fall 
  filling falling 
  fills falls 
filly Fawley 
filter falter 
  filtered faltered 
  filtering faltering 
  filters falters 
fin faun
  fins fauns
fin fawn
  fins fawns  
Finn faun
  Finns fauns	 
Finn fawn
  Finns fawns  
fist forced
fit fort
  fits forts
fix forks
fizz fours
Flint flaunt
flint flaunt
  flints flaunts
giddy gaudy 
  giddier gaudier 
  giddiest gaudiest 
  giddily gaudily 
gild galled 	 
gill gall
  gills galls
gill Gaul 	
  gills Gauls   
guild galled
hick hawk 
  hicks hawks 
hid hawed 
hill hall 	  
  hills halls 
hill haul	
  hills hauls
  hillier haulier 
hilly Horley 
hilt halt 
  hilts halts 
him haulm 
hint haunt 
  hinted haunted 
  hinting haunting 
  hints haunts 
his haws 
hiss hoarse
  hiss horse
  hisses horses
ices eyesores 
id awed 
ill all 
ill awl
  ills awls 
innate ornate
  innately ornately
inning awning 
  innings awnings 
instil install 
  instilled installed 
  instilling installing 
  instils installs 
is awes 
it aught 
kick Cork 
kick calk
  kicked calked 
  kicking calking 
  kicks calks 
kick cork
  kicked corked
  kicking corking
  kicks corks
kid cawed 	
kid cord
  kidded corded 
  kidding cording 
  kids chords 
kill call 
  killed called 
  killer caller 
  killers callers 
  killing calling 
  killings callings 
  kills calls 
kin corn 
kip Corp 
kips corpse 
kiss coarse 
kisser coarser 
kiss course
  kissed coursed 
  kissers coursers 
  kisses courses 
  kissing coursing 
kit caught 	
kit court
  kits courts 
  kitted courted 
  kitting courting 
knit naught
  knits naughts
lid laud 
  lids lauds 
lid lord
  lidless lordless	   
  lids lords
Liz laws
lynch launch 
  lynched launched 
  lynches launches 
  lynching launching 
Lynn lawn
mid Maud 
middy Maudie 
mill maul 
  milled mauled 
  milling mauling 
  mills mauls 
Millie Morley
milt malt 
Miss Morse
missal morsel
  missals morsels
Ms maws
niche nautch 
  niches nautches 
nit naught 
  nits noughts
overbid overboard
Phil fall
pick pork
  picker porker
  pickers porkers
Pill Paul 
pill pall
  pills palls 
pin pawn 
pinch paunch 
  pinches paunches 	
pit port
  pitted ported
  pitting porting
  pits ports
pitied ported	
quit quart 
  quits quarts 
quits quartz
quitter quarter 
  quitters quarters 
remiss remorse
rid roared
shin shorn
shit short
  shits shorts
  shitted shorted
  shitting shorting
Sid sawed
silly sorely
silt salt 
  silted salted 
  silting salting 
  silts salts 
sit sort
  sits sorts
  sitter sorter
  sitters sorters
  sitting sorting
skid scored 
skilled scald 
skin scorn 
  skinned scorned 
  skinning scorning 
  skins scorns 
spin spawn 
  spinning spawning 
  spins spawns 
spit sport
  spits sports
  spitted sported
  spitting sporting
stick stalk 
  sticked stalked 
  sticker stalker 
  stickers stalkers 
  sticking stalking 
  sticks stalks
stick stork 
  sticks storks
still stall 
  stilled stalled 
  stilling stalling 
  stills stalls 
Styx stalks
Styx storks
swim swarm 
  swimming swarming 
  swims swarms 
Syrian saurian
  Syrians saurians
thin Thorne 
thin thorn
  thins thorns
thrill thrall 
  thrills thralls 
tick talk
  ticked talked 
  ticker talker
  tickers talkers 
  ticking talking 
  ticks talks 
till tall 
tiller taller 
tint taunt 
  tinted taunted 
  tinting taunting 
  tints taunts 
tit taut
tit tort
  tits torts
titter tauter 
tizzies tawses 
trill trawl 
  trilled trawled 
  trilling trawling 
  trills trawls 
trimmers traumas 	
warranty warrantor
  warranties warrantors
whiff wharf 
  whiffs wharfs 
whim warm 
  whims warms 
whin warn  
  whins warns
whip warp 
  whipped warped 
  whipping warping 
  whips warps 
whit wart 
Whit wart
  Whits warts
whiz wars 
wick walk 
  wicks walks 
Wick walk
wicker walker 
will wall 
  willed walled 
  willing walling 
  wills walls   
Willie Warley 
win warn
  wins warns
  winning warning 
  winnings warnings 
wind warned 
writ wrought
written Wroughton 
Geographical: Outside English-speaking countries, most visitors are from Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Ecuador, Philippines, Thailand, France, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Yemen, Norway, Estonia, Vietnam, Poland, and Malaysia. Average 24 visitors per month.

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, January 2011