The spelling of /l/ is <l> or <ll>. The /r/ sound is spelled <r> or <rr>. Quite often a final <r> is silent so that a pair occurs only when the words are inflected or a derivation is made. For instance war and wall are not a minimal pair, but warring and walling are. Similarly odourous and odourless are minmal, although there is no word pairing with odour. Several pairs arise from contrasting an -ally adverb with a noun or adjective ending in -ary or -ery, such as beneficially/beneficiary, bestially/bestiary, finally/finery or literally/literary.
The /l/ versus /r/ contrast involves two frictionless continuants which are rarely contrasted phonemically in non-European languages although both often occur in one language in complementary distribution. As a result they are notoriously difficult for many learners and are often confused. They are also a major cause of unintended mirth, since English speakers do not recognise a problem, and many of the pairs call up ludicrous images: ‘rice’ replaced by ‘lice’ or ‘pleasant flight’ by ‘present fright’. The distinction is famously an important element in the plot of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penszance, where the hero Frederick has joined a band of pirates because his nursemaid misheard her employer's instruction to apprentice him to a pilot.
A sad mistake it was to make and doom him to a vile lot.More recently two well-known Scots have formed a minimal pair, the actor [Sean] Connery and the comedian [Billy] Connolly. As one of them is strongly in favour of Scottish independence while the other wants Scotland to remain part of the UK, one has to listen carefully to anyone who says "I agree with Connery" in case they actually said "I agree with Connolly".
I bound him to a pirate—you—instead of to a pilot.
The distinction is exploited in the phrase "Roger the lodger" which often occurs in jokes and sexual limericks. Other taboo word pairs include clap/crap.
Interesting pairs include:
airless heiress
clamour crammer
collect correct
enamelling enamouring
lavish ravish
lentil rental
lino rhino
mandarin mandolin
Mauritius malicious
The figure for the mean density is 2.8%. The set makes 344 semantic contrasts, a loading of 52%.
airless heiress alight aright alive arrive allay array allayed arrayed allaying arraying allays arrays allies arise allows arouse ally awry aloe arrow aloes arrows applies apprise balling boring bally Barry beggarly beggary belated berated believe bereave believed bereaved believes bereaves believing bereaving belly berry bellies berries belly bury bellied buried bellies buries bellying burying beneficially beneficiary bestially bestiary blacked bract blacken bracken blackish brackish blade braid blades braids blah bra blanch branch blanched branched blanches branches blanching branching bland brand blaze braise blazed braised blazes braises blazing braising blazon brazen blazoned brazened blazoning brazening blazons brazens bled bread bled bred blew brew blight bright blighter brighter blink brink blinks brinks bloke broke bloom broom blooms brooms blouse brows blouse browse blouses browses blue brew blued brewed blues brews bluing brewing blued brood bluer brewer blunt brunt blush brush blushed brushed blushes brushes blushing brushing blent Brent blessed breast calling coring cartload cartroad cartloads cartroads celebration cerebration clack crack clacked cracked clacking cracking clacks cracks clam cram clammed crammed clamming cramming clams crams clamour crammer clamours crammers clamp cramp clamped cramped clamping cramping clamps cramps clank crank clanked cranked clanking cranking clanks cranks clap crap clapped crapped clapping crapping claps craps clash crash clashed crashed clashes crashes clashing crashing clause crores clave crave claw crore claws crores clue crew clued crewed cluing crewing clues crews climb crime climbed crimed climbing criming climbs crimes clipped crypt clique creak cliques creaks cloak croak cloaked croaked cloaking croaking cloaks croaks clock crock clocked crocked clocking crocking clocks crocks clone crone clones crones close crows cloud crowd clouded crowded clouding crowding clouds crowds clown crown clowned crowned clowning crowning clowns crowns clucks crux clutch crutch clutches crutches collect correct collected corrected collecting correcting collects corrects collection correction collections corrections collective corrective collie corrie collies corries complies comprise Dawley dory dearly dearie Eileen Irene elect erect elected erected electing erecting elects erects election erection elections erections Elland errand enamelling enamouring fairly fairy fallow farrow finally finery flagrant fragrant flail frail flame frame flamed framed flames frames flaming framing flank frank flanked franked flanking franking flawed fraud flay fray flayed frayed flaying fraying flays frays flays phrase flea free fleas frees fleas frieze flee free flees frees fleeing freeing fleas frieze flees frieze fled Fred flesh fresh fleshly freshly flier friar fliers friars flight fright flighted frighted flighting frighting flights frights flock frock flocks frocks floe fro floes froze flog frog flogs frogs floored fraud flow fro flute fruit fluted fruited flutes fruits fluting fruiting fly fry flies fries flying frying flan Fran flank frank flanks franks flume Frome functionally functionary gallantly gallantry galley gharry galleys gharries galling goring gently gentry glade grade glades grades glamour grammar gland grand glass grass glassed grassed glasses grasses glassing grassing glassy grassy glassier grassier glassiest grassiest glaze grays glaze graze glazed grazed glazes grazes glazing grazing glazier grazier glaziers graziers glean green gleaner greener gleans greens glebe grebe glebes grebes glimmer grimmer gloat groat gloats groats gloom groom glooms grooms glow grow glowing growing glows grows glue grew Halle Harry hallow harrow hallowed harrowed hallowing harrowing hallows harrows haulier hoarier Helen heron hireling hiring holler horror hollers horrors Horley hoary implicate imprecate implicated imprecated implicates imprecates implicating imprecating implication imprecation implications imprecations jelly jerry jellies jerries keeling keyring la rah labelling labouring lace race laced raced laces races lacing racing lacy racy lacier racier laciest raciest lack rack lacked racked lacking racking lacks racks lade raid lading raiding lag rag lagged ragged lagging ragging lags rags lair rare lake rake lakes rakes lamb ram lambed rammed lambing ramming lambs rams lamp ramp lamps ramps land rand lands rands lane rain lanes rains laned rained laning raining lane reign lanes reigns laned reigned laning reigning lank rank lap rap lapped rapped lapping rapping laps raps laser raiser lasers raisers lat rat latch ratch latches ratches late rate lather rather latter ratter laud roared laughed raft laughter rafter lave rave laved raved laves raves laving raving lavish ravish lavished ravished lavishes ravishes lavishing ravishing law raw law roar laws roars lay ray laying raying lays rays lays raise laze raise lazed raised lazes raises lazing raising leach reach leached reached leaches reaches leaching reaching lead read leading reading leader reader leaders readers leadership readership leading Reading leaden redden leaf reef leafing reefing leafs reefs leap reap leaping reaping leaps reaps leer rear leered reared leering rearing leers rears left reft legally regally legion region legions regions lea re Leigh re Len Rennes lend rend lending rending lends rends lent rent lender render lenders renders lens wrens lentil rental lentils rentals Les res lest rest let ret letting retting level revel levelling revelling liar wrier Lib rib lice rice lick rick licks ricks lie rye lie wry lied ride lied Ryde lies rise lieu rue life rife lift rift lifts rifts light right lighted righted lighting righting lights rights light write lighting writing lights writes lighter writer lighters writers lightest rightist light-handed right-handed lightly rightly like Reich likes Reichs limb rim limbed rimmed limbs rims limn rim limned rimmed limns rims limning rimming lime rhyme limed rhymed limes rhymes liming rhyming line Rhine lined rind ling ring lings rings link rink links rinks lino rhino lisle rile list wrist lists wrists literally literary lithe writhe liver river livers rivers lo roe lo row load road loads roads loam roam loan roan loans roans loaves roves lob rob lobbed robbed lobbing robbing lobs robs lobe robe lobed robed lobes robes loch rock lochs rocks lock rock locks rocks locked rocked locking rocking locker rocker lockers rockers locket rocket lockets rockets lode road lodes roads lodger Roger lolly lorry lollies lorries long wrong longed wronged longing wronging longs wrongs loo rue look rook looked rooked looking rooking looks rooks loom rheum loon rune loons runes loosed roost loot root looted rooted looting rooting loots roots lope rope loped roped lopes ropes loping roping lor raw lor roar lore raw lore roar lord roared lose ruse lot rot lots rots loud rowed lout rout louts routs low roe lows roes low row lows rows lowed rowed lowing rowing lowed road lowed rode lows rose lower rower lowers rowers loyal royal loyally royally loyalist royalist loyalists royalists loyalty royalty loyalties royalties lubber rubber lubbers rubbers lubberly rubbery luck ruck luff rough luffed roughed luffing roughing luffs roughs luff ruff luffs ruffs lug rug lugs rugs luge rouge luges rouges lugger rugger lumber rumba lumbers rumbas lumme rummy lump rump lumps rumps lung rung lungs rungs lush rush lushes rushes lust rust lusted rusted lusting rusting lusts rusts lusty rusty lustier rustier lustiest rustiest luxe rucks Lytham rhythm mallow marrow mallows marrows mandarin mandolin mandarins mandolins masterly mastery Mauritius malicious miller mirror millers mirrors mislead misread misleading misreading misleads misreads misled misread molasses morasses odorous odourless ovary overly overcloud overcrowd overclouded overcrowded overclouding overcrowding overclouds overcrowds overload overrode overplays overpraise palate parrot palates parrots pallid parried palling poring palling pouring pally parry palace Paris pearling purring penitentially penitentiary pilot pirate piloted pirated piloting pirating pilots pirates plank prank planks pranks plate prate plated prated plates prates play pray played prayed playing praying plays prays play prey played preyed playing preying plays preys plays praise pleach preach pleached preached pleaches preaches pleaching preaching pleasance presence pleasant present pleasantly pleasantry plied pride pliers priors plod prod plodded prodded plodding prodding plods prods plop prop plopped propped plopping propping plops props plough prow ploughs prows ploughed proud ply pry plies pries plying prying plied pried queerly query Rosalie rosary savagely savagery secondly secondary splay spray splayed sprayed splaying spraying splays sprays splint sprint splints sprints splinter sprinter splinters sprinters split sprit splits sprits stalling storing starling starring Stirling stirring supplies surprise sully Surrey tally tarry tallied tarried tallies tarries tallying tarrying teller terror tellers terrors telly Terry towelling towering usually usury walling warring whirling whirring
John Higgins, Shaftesbury, April 2014.