Consonants /s/ versus /m/, 453 pairs     [sobmob.html]

The /s/ sound is spelled with <s>, <ss>, <ce>, <ps> in pseud, <sc> in Scylla or <sw> in sword. The /m/ sound is spelled with <m>, <mm> or <lm> in palm. Several pairs arise from adjectival endings applied to Latinate words, such as delirious/delirium and momentous/momentum.

This is a contrast between a voiceless alveolar sibilant fricative and a voiced nasal bilabial continuant. It causes no problems.

The only taboo word pair is arse/arm.

Interesting pairs include:

dissented demented
mercer murmur
salmon mammon
satyr matter
sermon merman
sinister minister
sodden modern
southerly motherly
summary mummery

The mean density value is 2.1%. The list makes 267 semantic distinctions, a loading of 59%.

 	
ace aim
Aquarius aquarium
arse arm 
arses armies 
ascend amend 
  ascended amended 
  ascending amending 
  ascends amends 
asp amp 
  asps amps 
ass am 
assays amaze 
assoc amok 
baas balm
boss bomb 
  bossing bombing 
  bossed bombed
Bruce broom
bus bum 
  busing bumming 
  bused bummed
C me
case came 
cautious Corsham 
cease seam
cease seem
  ceased seemed
  ceasing seeming
ceaseless seamless
cede mead
  cedes meads
cede Mede
  cedes Medes
cent meant
centaur mentor
  centaurs mentors
certain Merton 
chassis shammy
cine- mini-
cissy missy
cite might
cite mite
  cites mites
coarse corm
compendious compendium
cosset comet 
  cossets comets 
countersign countermine 
  countersigned countermined 
  countersigning countermining 
  countersigns countermines 
crass cram 
crease cream 
  creasing creaming 
  creased creamed
crisp crimp 
  crisped crimped 
  crisping crimping 
  crisps crimps 
cuss come 
cycle Michael 
cyst missed
cyst mist
  cysts mists
dace dame
deface defame
  defacing defaming
  defaced defamed
delirious delirium
Denis denim
dice dime
dissension dimension 
  dissensions dimensions 
dissented demented 
dose dome 
dressed dreamt 
else elm 
enforce inform
  enforcing informing
  enforced informed
face fame
  faced famed
farce farm
force form
  forcing forming
  forced formed
gassy gammy 
harmonious harmonium
hassock hammock 
  hassocks hammocks 
hiss him 
hiss hymn
  hissing hymning
hoarse haulm 
Jess gem
Jessie jemmy
Kassel camel
lace lame
  lacing laming
  laced lamed
lass lam 
lice lime
licit limit
Lisa Lima 
lisp limp 
  lisped limped 
  lisping limping 
  lisps limps 
locus locum 
loose loom 
  loosing looming 
mace maim
mass ma'am 
masses mammies 
massy mammy 
mercer murmur
  mercers murmurs
mice mime
momentous momentum 
muss mum 
musses mummies 
Norse norm
odious odium
opprobrious opprobrium
paradise paradigm 
pass palm 
  passing palming 
  passed palmed
pendulous pendulum
perforce perform
plus plum 
posse pommy 
  posses pommies 
price prime
  pricing priming
  priced primed
pseud mewed 
psychology mycology 
purse perm 
  pursing perming 
  pursed permed
pursuit permute 
  pursuits permutes 
radius radium 
resold remould 
rice rhyme 
S M 
sable Mabel 
sac mac 
  sacs macs
sack mac
  sacks macs
sacks Max 
sad mad 
  sadder madder 
  saddest maddest 
  sadly madly 
sadden madden 
  saddened maddened 
  saddening maddening 
  saddens maddens 
sadness madness 
sag mag 
  sags mags 
said Med 
sail mail
  sailed mailed 
  sailing mailing 
  sails mails 
sail male
  sails males
saints Mainz 
sake make 
  sakes makes 
sale mail
  sales mails
sale male
  sales males  
sallow mallow 
  sallows mallows 
salmon mammon 
salt malt 
  salted malted 
  salting malting 
  salts malts 
Sam ma'am
samba mamba 
  sambas mambas 
same maim 
Sammy mammy
sand manned 
Sandy Mandy 
sane Maine 
sane main
  sanely mainly 
sane mane
sans mans 
sap map 
  sapped mapped 
  sapping mapping 
  saps maps
Sapphic maffick
sash mash 
  sashes mashes 
sat Matt 
sat mat
sate mate 
  sated mated 
  sates mates 
  sating mating 
satyr matter 
  satyrs matters 
sauce Morse 
saw maw 
  saws maws 
saw more
sawed Maud 
sawn morn 
sawn mourn
say may 
scene mean 
  scenes means 
Scylla miller
  Scyllas millers
sea me
sear mere 
  sears meres 
seat meat	 
  seats meats
seat meet
  seating meeting 
  seats meets
seat mete
  seated meted 
  seats metes
  seating meting
see me
seed mead
  seeds meads
seed Mede
  seeds Medes
seek meek 
seeker meeker 
seen mean
seer mere
  seers meres
seine main
  seines mains 
seine mane
  seines manes  
send mend 
  sending mending 
  sends mends
sender mender 
  senders menders 
sent meant
Seoul mole
serge merge 
sermon merman 
serous serum
settle metal 
  settled metalled 
  settles metals 
  settling metalling
sew mo 
sew mow
  sews mows
  sewing mowing
  sewed mowed
sewed mode 
sewer mower 
  sewers mowers 
sewn moan 
sickle mickle 
sick Mick
sicks mix 
sigh my  
sight might
sight mite
  sights mites
sign mine 
  signs mines
  signed mined
  signing mining
signed mind 
Sikh meek
silage milage 
silk milk 
  silks milks 
silky milky 
  silkier milkier 
  silkiest milkiest 
silt milt 
since mince 
single mingle 
  singled mingled 
  singles mingles 
  singling mingling 
sinister minister 
sink mink 
  sinks minks 
sinks mynx
sinus minus 
  sinuses minuses 
Sioux moo
sir myrrh 
sire mire 
  sired mired 
  sires mires 
  siring miring 
sirrah mirror
  sirrahs mirrors 
sister mister 
site might
site mite
  sites mites
six mix
  sixes mixes 
sizzle mizzle 
  sizzled mizzled 
  sizzles mizzles 
  sizzling mizzling 
slice slime
so mo
so mow
soak moke 
  soaks mokes 
soap mope 
  soaped moped 
  soaping moping 
  soaps mopes 
soar maw
  soars maws
soared Maud
soar more 
sob mob 
  sobbed mobbed 
  sobbing mobbing 
  sobs mobs 
Soc mock
soccer mocker 
sock mock 
  socked mocked 
  socking mocking 
  socks mocks 
sod Mod 
  sods Mods 
sodden modern 
soil moil 
  soiled moiled 
  soiling moiling 
  soils moils 
Sol moll
solar molar 
sold Mold 
sold mould
sole mole 
  soles moles 
some mum
sonny money 
  sonnies monies 
soon moon 
sop mop 
  sopped mopped 
  sopping mopping 
  sops mops 
sore maw
  sores maws
sore more  
sorely Morley 
sorrel moral 
  sorrels morals 
sorrow morrow 
  sorrows morrows 
sorter mortar 
  sorters mortars 
sou moo 
  sous moos 
sough muff 
  soughed muffed 
  soughing muffing 
  soughs muffs 
soul mole
  souls moles
sound mound 
  sounds mounds 
source Morse
souse mouse 
  soused moused 
  souses mouses 
  sousing mousing 
south mouth 
southerly motherly 
sow mo 
sow mow
  sows mows
  sowing mowing
  sowed mowed
sowed mode 
sower mower 
  sowers mowers 
such much 
suck muck 
  sucked mucked 
  sucking mucking 
  sucks mucks 
suckle muckle 
suds muds 
sue mew 
  sues mews 
  suing mewing 
  sued mewed
sulked mulct 
summary mummery 
  summaries mummeries 
summer mummer 
  summers mummers 
sumps mumps 
sum mum
  sums mums 
Sun Mon 
Sunday Monday 
  Sundays Mondays 
sunk monk 
surge merge
  surged merged 
  surges merges 
  surging merging 
suss muss
  sussed mussed 
  susses musses 
  sussing mussing
suss some 
suss sum
  sussing summing 
  sussed summed
Sutton mutton
Swiss swim		
sword Maud
tedious tedium
terse term 
toss Tom 
undersign undermine 
  undersigned undermined 
  undersigning undermining 
  undersigns undermines 
undressed undreamt 
vacuous vacuum
whisper whimper 
  whispered whimpered 
  whispering whimpering 
  whispers whimpers 
worse worm 

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, November 2010.