Consonant /Ɵ/ versus null, 208 pairs     [bothbow.html]

The /Ɵ/ sound is spelled with <th> or <the>. Several contrasts arise from contrasting an ordingal number, eg tenth, with its cardinal equivalent, ten. Others come from contrasting a derived noun, e.g. warmth, from its root adjective, warm.

As /Ɵ/ is fairly rare, only occurring in 1591 words in the dictionary, this was an easy list to work out manually. The contrast is not a source of difficulty where it occurs at the start of the syllable, but is much harder when syllable-final, even for native speakers.

The density value is 13.1%. The list makes 134 semantic distinctions, a loading of 64%.

 	 
aesthetic ascetic    
anther anna
  anthers annas
bath baa	
  baths baas
  bathing baaing 
  bathed baaed
bath bar  
  baths bars  
  bathed barred
bathed bard	   
Beith be
Beith bee
berth burr
  berths burrs
billionth billion  	 
birth burr
  births burrs
both beau
both bow
breadth bread
  breadths breads
deathly deli   
earth err
  earths errs
  eaarthed erred
earthen earn
earthen urn
earthly early
eighteenth eighteen
eighth eight    
  eighths eights
eleventh eleven
  elevenths elevens
eye-teeth Eyetie
faith fey
faiths face
filth fill
  filths fills
filthy filly
firth fir
  firths firs
firth fur
  firths furs
forth for
forth fore
forth four
fourth for 
fourth fore
fourth four
  fourths fours
fourteenth fourteen
  fourteenths fourteens
Gareth Garry
growth grow
  growths grows
health hell
healthy heli
heath he
hundredth hundred	 
  hundredths hundreds
Judith Judy
Keith key
Keith quay
loath low
  loathly lowly
  loathlier lowlier
  loathliest lowliest  
maths mass
Meath me
meths mess
millionth million
  millionths millions
mirth myrrh
mouth mow
  mouths mows
myths miss
nineteenth nineteens
  nineteenths nineteens
ninth nine
  ninths nines
oath owe
  oaths owes
  oathing owing
  oathed owed
outgrowth outgrow
  outgrowths outgrows
overgrowth overgrow
panther panner
  panthers panners
pathless parlous
Perth purr
plaything playing
rethink re-ink
  rethinks re-inks
ruth roo
ruth rue
seventeenth seventeen
  seventeenths seventeens
seventh seven
  sevenths sevens
sheath she
sixteenth sixteen
  sixteenths sixteen
sixth six
sleuth slew
sloth slow
  sloths slows
sooth Sue
south sow
struth strew
teeth tea
teeth tee
tenth ten
  tenths tens
tenths tense
thaw awe	
  thaws awes
thaw or
thaw ore	  
  thaws ores
theft eft
  thefts efts
theory eerie
thews use
thieve eve
  thieves eves
thigh eye
  thighs eyes
thin in
thin inn
  thins inns	
think ink
  thinks inks
  thinking inking
thinner inner
  thinners inners
thirteenth thirteen
  thirteenths thirteens
thistle istle
though owe
thought ought
thousandth thousand
  thousandths thousands
thrash rash
  thrashes rashes
thrasher rasher
  thrashers rashers
thread read
thread red
  threads reds
threat ret
  threats rets
threw roo
threw rue
thrill rill
  thrills rills
throat rote
throat wrote
throb rob
  throbs robs
  throbbing robbing
  throbbed robbed
throe roe
  throes roes                                                                
throe row
  throes rows                                                                
throne roan
   thrones roans
throng wrong
  throngs wrongs
  thronging wronging
  thronged wronged
through roo
through rue		
throve rove  
throw roe
  throws roes                                                                
throw row
  throws rows                                                                
thrown roan
thrum rum
thrush rush
  thrushes rushes
thrust rust
  thrusts rusts
  thrusting rusting
thunder under	 
thwack whack
  thwacks whacks
  thwacked whacked
  thwacking whacking
thwacks wax
thwart wart
  thwarts warts
trillionth trillion
  trillionths trillions
truth true
umpteenth umpteen
untruth untrue
warmth warm
wealth well
wealthy welly
worth were
wraith ray
  wraiths rays
youth you
youths use

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, December 2010
updated Chiang Mai, 2024