Vowels 3 and 17, /e/ versus //    118 pairs      [hellhowl.html]

The /e/ vowel is spelled <e>, <ea> in ready and occcurs in the letter name L. The diphthong // is spelled <ow>, <ou>, and <au> in one of the two common pronunciations of sauna.

This is a contrast bewteen a short front vowel and a back closing diphthong and is not a problem for learners.

The mean density is 1.3%. The pairs make 61 semantic contrasts, giving a loading of 51%.

abet about
ate out
bed bowed
befell befoul
bend bound
  bended bounded
  bending bounding
  bends bounds
bet bout
  bets bouts
Bren brown
  Brens browns
Cheddar chowder
cleanse clowns
debt doubt
  debts doubts
den down 
  dens downs
Denny downy
Des dhows
etch ouch
expend expound
  expended expounded
  expending expounding
  expends expounds
fell foul
  felled fouled
  felling fouling
  fells fouls
fend found
  fended founded
  fending founding
  fends founds
fender founder
  fenders founders
friend frowned
gel jowl
  gels jowls
get gout
held howled
hell howl
  hells howls
impend impound
  impended impounded
  impending impounding
  impends impounds
jelly jowly
jest joust
  jested jousted
  jesting jousting
  jests jousts
Kent count
Kerry cowrie
ketch couch 
  ketches couches 
L owl
L's owls
  lead loud
less louse
let lout
  let's louts
meant mount
mend mound
  mends mounds
merry Maori 
mess mouse
  messed moused
  messes mouses
  messing mousing
messy mousy
  messier mousier
  messiest mousiest
ness nous
net knout 
  nets knouts 
pence pounce
pend pound
  pending pounding
  pends pounds
penned pound
pet pout
  petted pouted
  petting pouting
pled ploughed
Pres prows
read rowed
ready rowdy
  readier rowdier
  readies rowdies
  readiest rowdiest
  readily rowdily
  readiness rowdiness
rend round
  rending rounding
  rends rounds
render rounder
  renders rounders
res rouse
says sows
send sound
  sending sounding
  sends sounds
senna sauna 
shred shroud
  shredded shrouded
  shredding shrouding
  shreds shrouds
stet stout
ten town
  tens towns
unbend unbound
vetch vouch
  vetches vouches
wend wound
yell yowl
  yelled yowled
  yelling yowling
  yells yowls
Geographical: Outside English-speaking countries, most visitors are from Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Yemen, Hungary and Spain. Average 4 visitors per month.

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, January 2011