Vowels 4 and 6, /æ/ versus /ɒ/    438 pairs      [hathot.html]

The /æ/ vowel is spelled <a> followed by two consonants or by one consonant in a monosyllable. The normal spelling of the /ɒ/ vowel is <o> but there is one irregular spelling in the list, namely <ou> in cough.

Both vowels are short, but they are well separated in the mouth and are not a problem for any known group of learners.

Taboo words occur in the pairs crap/crop, fag/fog and shat/shot.

Interesting pairs include:

accident Occident
active octave
anna honour
began begone
cancellation consolation
erratic erotic
lariat laureate
valley volley

The mean density is 4.6%. The pairs make 203 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 46%.

accident Occident
accidental Occidental
act Oct
active octave
ad odd
add odd
  adds odds
adapt adopt
  adapted adopted
  adapting adopting
  adapts adopts
adder odder
Ali Ollie
anger Ongar
Ann on
annas honours
apposite opposite
  apposition opposition
apt opt
as oz
attar otter
Ave of
ax ox
Babs bobs
backs box
bag bog
  bagged bogged
  bagging bogging
  bags bogs
baggy boggy
ballad bollard
  ballads bollards
ban Bonn
bandage bondage
banded bonded
  banding bonding
  bands bonds
bankers bonkers
band bond
  bands bonds
banned bond
barrow borrow
  barrows borrows
bash Boche
bass boss
bast bossed
batch botch
  batches botches
battle bottle
  battled bottled
  battles bottles
  battling bottling
began begone
begat begot
blab blob
  blabs blobs
black bloc 
  blacks blocs
black block
  blacked blocked
  blacking blocking
  blacks blocks
blackhead blockhead
  blackheads blockheads
bland blond
  blander blonder
  blandest blondest
cab cob
  cabs cobs	 
cache cosh  
  cached coshed
  caches coshes
  caching coshing
cackle cockle
  cackles cockles
cad cod
  cads cods
cadger codger
  cadgers codgers
caff cough
  caffs coughs
can con
  canned conned
  canning conning
  cans cons
cancellation consolation
  cancellations consolations
canker conker
  cankered conquered
  cankering conquering
  cankers conkers
canny Connie
cant cont
cap cop
  capped copped
  capping copping
  caps cops	 
capped Copt  
Capt Copt
Carol coral
  carols corals
carry corrie
  carries corries
cash cosh
cat cot
  cats cots
chap chop
  chapped chopped
  chapping chopping
  chaps chops
clack clock
  clacked clocked
  clacking clocking
  clacks clocks
clad clod
clash cloche
  clashes cloches
crack crock
  cracked crocked
  cracking crocking
  cracks crocks
crap crop
  crapped cropped
  crapping cropping
  craps crops
crass cross
Dakar docker
dally dolly
  dallies dollies
Dan Don
erratic erotic
fab fob
fag fog
  fagged fogged
  fagging fogging
  fags fogs
fallow follow
fanned fond
flag flog
  flagged flogged
  flagging flogging
  flags flogs
flak flock
flap flop
  flapped flopped
  flapping flopping
  flaps flops
flax flocks
gab gob
gabble gobble
  gabbled gobbled
  gabbles gobbles
  gabbling gobbling
gad God
gads gods
gaggle goggle
  gaggles goggles
galley golly
gang gong
  ganged gonged
  ganging gonging
  gangs gongs
gash gosh
glacier glossier
gnash nosh
  gnashed noshed
  gnashes noshes
  gnashing noshing
gnat knot
  gnats knots
gravel grovel
  gravelled grovelled
  gravelling grovelling
  gravels grovels
hack hock
  hacked hocked
  hacking hocking
  hacks hocks
had hod
hag hog
  hags hogs
Halle holly
hallow hollow
  hallowed hollowed
  hallowing hollowing
  hallows holloas
hank honk
  hanks honks
hap hop
  happed hopped
  happing hopping
  haps hops
harried horrid
Harwich Horwich
hat hot
  hats hots
hatter hotter
jab job
  jabbed jobbed
  jabbing jobbing
  jabs jobs
jabber jobber
  jabbers jobbers
Jackie jockey
jag jog
  jagged jogged
  jagging jogging
  jags jogs
Jan John
kaffir coffer
  kaffirs coffers
knack knock
  knacks knocks
knacker knocker
  knackers knockers
lab lob
  labs lobs
lack loch
  lacks lochs
lack lock  
  lacked locked
  lacking locking
  lacks locks
lacquer locker
  lacquers lockers
lads Lodz
lag log
  lagged logged
  lagging logging
  lags logs
languor longer
lap lop
  lapped lopped
  lapping lopping
  laps lops
lariat laureate
  lariats laureates
Larry lorry
lass loss
  lasses losses
lat lot
mac mock
  macs mocks
mad Mod
madden modern
  maddens moderns
maddest modest
manacle monocle
  manacled monocled
  manacles monocles
mangle Mongol
  mangles Mongols
map mop
  mapped mopped
  mapping mopping
  maps mops
marrow morrow
  marrows morrows
masc mosque
mass moss
  masses mosses
massy mossy
  massier mossier
  massiest mossiest
Max mocks
nab knob
  nabs knobs
Nat knot
natty knotty
  nattier knottier
  nattiest knottiest
pack pock
  packed pocked
  packs pocks
packet pocket
  packets pockets
pad pod
  padded podded
  padding podding
  pads pods
pal poll
  pals polls
Pam pom
pampas pompous
panda ponder
  pandas ponders
pander ponder
  pandered pondered
  pandering pondering
  panders ponders
panned pond
pap pop
pastern postern
  pasterns posterns
pat pot
  pats pots
  patted potted
  patting potting
patter potter
  pattered pottered
  pattering pottering
  patters potters
patty potty
  patties potties
plaid plod
  plaids plods
plait plot
  plaited plotted
  plaiting plotting
  plaits plots
plank plonk
  planked plonked
  planking plonking
  planks plonks
platter plotter
  platters plotters
pally Polly
pram prom
  prams proms
rack roc
  racks rocs
rack rock
  racked rocked
  racking rocking
  racks rocks
racket rocket
  racketed rocketed
  racketing rocketing
  rackets rockets
ram rhomb
  rams rhombs
ramp romp
  ramped romped
  ramping romping
  ramps romps
rang wrong
rat rot
  rats rots
  ratted rotted
  ratting rotting
ratter rotter
  ratters rotters
ran Ron
sack sock
  sacks socks	
sad sod  
sadden sodden
sallied solid
salve solve
  salved solved
  salves solves
  salving solving
sappy soppy
  sappier soppier
  sappiest soppiest
scan scone
  scans scones
scat Scot
shack shock
  shacked shocked
  shacking shocking
  shacks shocks
shad shod
shat shot
slab slob
  slabs slobs
slag slog
  slags slogs	   
  slagged slogged
  slagging slogging
slap slop
  slapped slopped
  slapping slopping
  slaps slops
slash slosh
  slashed sloshed
  slashes sloshes
  slashing sloshing
slat slot
  slats slots
  slatted slotted
smack smock
  smacking smocking
  smacks smocks
snag snog
  snagged snogged
  snagging snogging
  snags snogs
spat spot
  spats spots
  spatted spotted
  spatting spotting
spatter spotter
  spatters spotters
splash splosh
  splashed sploshed
  splashes sploshes
  splashing sploshing
stack stock
  stacked stocked
  stacking stocking
  stacks stocks
stamp stomp
  stamped stomped
  stamping stomping
  stamps stomps
strap strop
  strapped stropped
  strapping stropping
  straps strops
Taffies toffees
Taffy toffee
tag tog
  tagged togged
  tagging togging
  tags togs
tannic tonic
tap top
  tapped topped
  tapping topping
  taps tops
tarried torrid
tat tot
  tats tots
  tatted totted
  tatting totting
tatter totter
  tattered tottered
  tatters totters
tammy tommy
trad trod
vacs vox
valid volleyed
valley volley
  valleys volleys
wrack rock
  wracked rocked
  wracking rocking
  wracks rocks  
Geographical: Outside English-speaking countries, most visitors are from Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Vietnam, Turkey, Guatemala, Poland, Mexico, Yemen, Norway, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Average 20 visitors per month.

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, October 2012