Consonants /f/ versus /r/, 259 pairs     [foeroe.html]

The /f/ sound is spelled with <f>, <ff> or <ph> as in phase. The /r/ sound is spelled <r>, <rr> or <wr> in wrist. Notice how the homograph read makes pairs with feed and fed.

The contrast is between a voiceless labio-dental fricative and a voiced alveolar continuant. It is not a problem.

Taboo word pairs include fuck/ruck.

This pair occurs in the now common phrase "fun run". Other interesting pairs include:

fashion ration
fecund reckoned
morphine Maureen
wasteful wastrel

The mean density value is 1.7%. The list makes 125 semantic distinctions, a loading of 48%.

 	
affable arable
awful aural 
buffer borough
  buffers boroughs 
chaffing charring
cheerfully cheerily
coffee corrie
  coffees corries
defect direct
  defected directed
  defecting directing
  defects directs
defection direction
  defections directions
defective directive
defector director 
  defectors directors
defied deride
effect erect
  effected erected
  effecting erecting
  effects erects
enfold enrolled	 
fa rah
face race
  faced raced
  faces races
  facing racing
facer racer
facial racial
fact racked
fade raid
  faded raided
  fading raiding
  fades raids
fag rag
  fagged ragged
  fagging ragging
  fags rags
fail rail
  failed railed
  failing railing
  failings railings
  fails rails
fain rain
fain geign
fain rein
fair rare
  fairer rarer
  fairest rarest
  fairly rarely
fake rake
  faked raked
  fakes rakes
  faking raking
fancied rancid
fanned rand
far rah
fare rare
  faring raring
fascist rashest
fashion ration
  fashioned rationed
  fashioning rationing
  fashions rations
fat rat
  fatting ratting
  fatted ratted
  fats rats
fate rate	
  fates rates
  fated rated
father rather
fatter ratter
fatty ratty
  fattier rattier
  fattiest rattiest
faugh raw
faugh roar
favour raver
  favours ravers
fear rear
  feared reared
  fearing rearing
  fears rears
fearful feral
fecund reckoned
fee re
feed read
  fed read
  feeding reading
  feeds reads
feeder reader
  feeders readers
feign rain
  feigned rained
  feigning raining
  feigns rains
feign reign
  feigned reigned
  feigning reigning
  feigns reigns
feign rein
  feigned reined
  feigning reining
  feigns reins
fen Rennes 
fen wren
  fens wrens 
fend rend
  fending rending
  fends rends
fender render
  fenders renders
feoff reef
  feoffs reefs
festive restive
fetch retch
  fetched retched
  fetches retches
  fetching retching
fête rate
  fêted rated
  fêting rating
  fêtes rates
fetid retted
fey ray 
fez res
fib rib
  fibbed ribbed
  fibbing ribbing
  fibs ribs
fiddle riddle
  fiddled riddled
  fiddles riddles
  fiddling riddling
fie rye
fife rife
fig rig
  figs rigs
fight right
  fighting righting
  fights rights
fight rite
  fights rites  
fight write
  fighting writing
  fights writes
fighter writer
  fighters writers
figure rigger
  figures riggers
file rile
  filed riled
  files riles
  filing riling
final rhinal
find rind
  finds rinds
fine Rhine 
fire wrier
fist wrist
  fists wrists
five rive
  fives rives
fluffy flurry
foal rôle
  foals rôles
foal roll
  foals rolls
  foaled rolled
  foaling rolling
foam roam
  foams roams
  foamed roamed
  foaming roaming
foam Rome 
fob rob 
  fobbed robbed
  fobbing robbing
  fobs robs
foe roe
  foes roes
foe row
  foes rows
foes rose 
fondle rondel
  fondles rondels
food rood
  foods roods
fool rule
  fooled ruled
  fooling ruling
  fools rules
footle rootle
  footled rootled
  footles rootles
  footling rootling
for raw
for roar
ford roared
fore raw
fore roar
fort wrought
foster roster
  fosters rosters
fought wrought
found round
  founded rounded
  founding rounding
  founds rounds
founder rounder
  founders rounders
four raw
four roar
  fours roars
Fowey Roy
fox rocks
fuck ruck
  fucked rucked
  fucking rucking
  fucks rucks
fuddle ruddle
  fuddled ruddled
  fuddles ruddles
  fuddling ruddling
fug rug
  fugs rugs
fumble rumble
  fumbled rumbled
  fumbles rumbles
  fumbling rumbling
fun run
funnel runnel
  funnels runnels
funny runny
  funnier runnier
  funniest runniest
fusty rusty
huffy hurry
morphine Maureen 
offertory oratory
  offertories oratories
phase raise
  phased raised
  phases raises
  phasing raising
phase rays  
Phil Rhyl
phone roan
  phones roans
phut rut
staffing starring
Taffy tarry
  Taffies tarries
unfed unread
unfold unrolled
wasteful wastrel
well-founded well-rounded

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, October 2010.