Consonant /w/ versus null, 428 pairs     [wheeleel.html]

The /w/ sound is spelled with <w>, <wh> or <o> in one-horse, and is heard in the letter name Y. Many of the pairs arise from dropping /w/ in a cluster, particularly /kw/ spelled <qu> versus /k/. Just over half the pairs come from dropping an initial /w/.

Taboo word pairs include twit/tit and wank/anch.

The density value is 9.5%. The set makes 235 semantic distinctions, giving a loading of 55%.

 	
dwell dell
  dwells dells
dwelt dealt
foreswore foresaw
Gwent Ghent
inwards innards
lapwing lapping
messuage message
  messuages messages
one-horse unhorse	
overweight overate
quad cod
quaff cough
  quaffs coughs
  quaffing coughing
  quaffed coughed
quail kail
quake cake
  quakes cakes
  quaking caking
  quaked caked
qualm calm
  qualms calms
quarrel coral
  quarrels corals
  quarrelling coralling
  quarrelled coralled	 
quarry corrie
  quarries corries  
quart caught
quart court
  quarts courts
quartz courts
quash cosh
  quashes coshes
  quashing coshing
  quashed coshed      
quaver caver
  quavers cavers
queen keen
  queens keens
  queenly keenly
quern kern
  querns kerns
quick kick
  quicker kicker
quid kid
  quids kids
quill kill
  quills kills
quin kin
quip kip
  quips kips
  quipping kipping
  quipped kipped
quirk kirk
  quirks kirks
quit kit		  
  quits kits
  quitting kitting                    
quite kite
quote coat
  quotes coats
  quoting coating
  quoted coated
redwing Reading
squalor scholar
square scare
  squares scares
  squaring scaring
  squared scared
squat Scot
  squats Scots
squaw score
  squaws scores
squeeze skis
squid skid
  squids skids
squint skint
squirt skirt
  squirts skirts
  squirting skirting
  squirted skirted
suite seat
  suites seats	   
swab sob
  swabs sobs
  swabbing sobbing
  swabbed sobbed  
sweet seat
  sweets seats
swam Sam
swank sank
swap sop
  swaps sops
  swapping sopping
  swapped sopped
swat sot
sway say
  swaying saying
swearer Sarah
sweat set
  sweats sets
  sweating setting
sweater setter
  sweaters setters
Swede cede
  Swedes cedes                  
Swede seed
  Swedes seeds                  
sweep seep
  sweeps seeps
  sweeping seeping
sweet seat
  sweets seats
swell cell
  swells cells
swell sell
  swells sells
  swelling selling
swept sept
swerve serve
  swerves serves
  swerving serving
  swerved served
swift sift
  swifts sifts
  swifter sifter
swill sill
  swills sills
swimmer simmer
  swimmers simmers
swine sine
swine sign
swing sing
  swings sings
  swinging singing
  swung sung
swingeing singeing
Swiss sis
swizzle sizzle
  swizzles sizzles
  swizzling sizzling
  swizzled sizzled
swoon soon
swoop soup
  swoops soups
swore sore
swot sot
  swots sots
swum some
swum sum
thwart thought
  thwarts thoughts
twaddle toddle
twang tang
tweak teak
twee tea
twee tee
tweed teed
tweet teat
  tweets teats
tweeter teeter
  tweeters teeters
tweezers teasers
twerps turps
twiddly tiddly
twill till
  twills tills
twin tin
  twins tins  
  twinning tinning
  twinned tinned
twine tine
  twines tines
twine Tyne
twinge tinge
  twinges tinges
twinkle tinkle
  twinkles tinkles
  twinkling tinkling
  twinkled tinkled
twit tit
  twits tits
twitch titch
twitter titter
  twitters titters
  twittering tittering
  twittered tittered
underquote undercoat
  underquotes undercoats
wad odd
  wads odds
wade aid
  wades aids
  wading aiding
  waded aided
waffle offal
waft oft
wage age
  wages ages
  waging ageing
  waged aged
wail ail
  wails ails
  wailing ailing
  wailed ailed
wail ale
  wails ales        
wait ate
wake ache
  wakes aches
  waking aching
Wales ails
Wales ales
walk auk
  walks auks
wall all
wall awl
  walls awls
Wally Ollie
Walter altar
Walter alter
wan on
wangle angle
  wangles angles
  wangling angling
  wangled angled
wank anch     
  wanks anchs
wannest honest
war awe
  wars awes
war or		  
war oar
  wars oars
war ore
  wars ores
warder order
  warders orders
ware air
ware heir
ware e'er
ware ere
ware Ayr   
warmer ormer
  warmers ormers
warning awning
  warnings awnings   
wary airy
  warier airier
  wariest airiest
  warily airily    
was Oz
wax axe    
  waxes axes
way A
  ways A's   
we E
weak eke    
weal eel	
wean e'en
Wear ear
wear air
  wears airs
  wearing airing
wear heir		
  wears heirs
wear e'er
wear ere
wear Ayr   	   
wearer airer
  wearers airers
weary eerie
  wearier eerier
  weariest eeriest
  wearily eerily
weary eyrie    
weasel easel
  weasels easels
weave eve
weaves eaves
web ebb
  webs ebbs
  webbing ebbing
  webbed ebbed
wed Ed
wedge edge
  wedges edges
  wedging edging
  wedged edged    
wee E
  wees E's
wees ease
week eke
  weeks ekes 
weft eft
  wefts efts
weigh A
  weighs A's
weighed aid  
weight ate   
weight eight
  weights eights
  weighty eighty
weir ear
  weirs ears
weir ere
welder elder
  welders elders
well ell
  wells ells
wen N
  wens N's        
wend end
  wends ends
  wending ending
wet ate  
whacks axe
whale ail
  whales ails
whale ale
  whales ales
wheat eat	   
  wheats eats
  whaeten eaten    
wheel eel
  wheels eels
  wheeling eeling
  wheeled eeled	 
wheeze ease	   
  wheezes eases
  wheezing easing
  wheezed eased
wheezy easy
  wheezier easier
  wheeziest easiest
  wheezily easily  
wheeze E's  	   
whelk elk
  whelks elks
when N
where air
where heir
where e'er
where ere
where Ayr        
whet ate
whey A
which itch
whiff if		
while aisle
  whiles aisles
while isle
  whiles isles
whin in  
whirl earl
  whirls earls
whirr err
  whirrs errs
  whirring erring
  whirred erred
whit it
whiz is
whoa O
whoa owe
whop op
  whops ops    
whorl earl
  whorls earls
why eye	 
why I	  
wide eyed
wider Eider
wides Ides 
wield eeled
wile aisle
  wiles aisles
wile isle
  wiles isles
will ill
  wills ills
win in	   
win inn
  wins inns      
winch inch
  winches inches	
  winching inching
  winched inched
wink ink
  winks inks
  winking inking
  winked inked
winner inner
  winners inners
winnings innings
wire ire
wise eyes
wit it
  wits its      
witch itch
  witches itches 
woad owed   
woe O  
  woes O's
woe owe
  woes owes
woke oak
  woken woken 
wold old
wonder under
woos ooze
word erred
wore awe
wore or
wore oar
wore ore  
work irk
  works irks
  working irking
  worked irked
worse Erse
worth earth
wow ow  
Y eye    
  Y's eyes
Y I
  Y's I's  

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, December 2010.