Consonants /b/ versus /t/: 518 pairs     [buytie.html]

The spelling of /b/ is either <b> or <bb>, and /t/ is either <t>, <tt> or <th> in Thai. I have included singulars and plurals of words which have the contrast finally, even though these may not be strictly minimal. I have discarded the pairs found by the computer in which the contrast was made twice or in different places in the word such as babble/tattle or bat/tab. Notice that the homograph tear turns up making several different contrasts.

The contrast is between a voiced and a voiceless plosive fairly well apart in the mouth. There might be a small problem when the contrast is word-final using an unreleased allophone, but I have not heard of it being a problem even for Dutch and German speakers who tend not to voice final stops.

There are two pairs involving a slight danger of embarrassment: bird/turd and boob/boot.

Interesting pairs include

barter tartar
bourbon turban
bursar terser
considerably considerately
fable fatal
liberal literal
tabard tattered
taboo tattoo

The mean density value is 2.6%. The list makes 271 semantic distinctions, a loading of 52%.
aback attack
Abe eight
adverb advert
B T
  B's T's
baa ta
baa tar
  baa'd tarred
  baas tars
babble battle
  babbled battled
  babbles battles
  babbling battling
babe bait
babel table
  babels tables
babied baited
Babs tabs
baccy tacky
back tack
  backed tacked
  backing tacking
  backs tacks
bacon taken
bag tag
  bagged tagged
  bagging tagging
  bags tags
bail tail
  bailed tailed
  bailing tailing
  bails tails
bail tale
  bails tales
bake take
  bakes takes
  baking taking
baker taker
  bakers takers
bale tail
  bales tails
  baling tailing
  baled tailed
bale tale
  bales tales  
balk talk
  balked talked
  balking talking
  balks talks
ball tall
bally tally
ban tan
  banned tanned
  banning tanning
  bans tans
bangle tangle
  bangles tangles
bank tank
  banked tanked
  banking tanking
  banks tanks
banker tanker
  bankers tankers
banner tanner
  banners tanners
bar ta
bar tar
  barring tarring
  bars tars
barber barter
  barbers barters
bare tare
  bares tares
bare tear
  baring tearing
  bares tears
barn tarn
  barns tarns
Barry tarry
Bart barb
barter tartar
  barters tartars
based taste
bask task
  basked tasked
  basking tasking
  basks tasks		 
baste taste
  basted tasted
  bastes tastes
  basting tasting
bat tat
  bats tats
  batted tatted
  batting tatting
batter tatter
  batters tatters
battle tattle
  battled tattled
  battles tattles
  battling tattling
batty tatty
beak teak
beam team
  beamed teamed
  beaming teaming
  beams teams
bear tare
  bears tares
bear tear
  bears tears
  bearing tearing  
  born torn
  borne torn
beau toe
  beaux toes
beck tech 
  becks techs
bed Ted 
  beds Teds 
beer tear
  beers tears
be tea
be tee
  being teeing
bead teed
bee tea
  bees teas
bee tee
  bees tees  
Beith teeth
belle tel
  belles tels
belle tell
  belles tells
bell tel
  bells tels
bell tell
  belling telling
belly telly
  bellies tellies
ben ten
  bens tens
bend tend
  bended tended
  bending tending
  bends tends
bent tent
Bern tern
Bern turn
Bernie tourney	  
berry Terry
Bess Tess
best test
  bested tested
  besting testing
  bests tests
bhang tang
  bhangs tangs
bib bit
bicker ticker
  bickers tickers
bide tide
  bided tided
  bides tides
  biding tiding
bide tied
bier tear
  biers tears
biff tiff
  biffs tiffs
bight tight
  bights tights
bike tike
  bikes tikes
bile tile
bill till
  billing tilling
  billed tilled
  bills tills
bin tin
  bins tins
  binning tinning
  binned tinned
bind tined
bine Tyne 
bine tine
  bines tines
binge tinge
  binges tinges
bird turd
  birds turds
biro tiro
  biros tiros
bite tight
  bites tights
blob blot
  blobs blots
blurb blurt
  blurbs blurts
boar tor
  boars tors
boar tore
boars tawse
boast toast
  boasted toasted
  boasting toasting
  boasts toasts
boaster toaster
  boasters toasters
boat tote
  boated toted
  boating toting
  boats totes
bode toad
  bodes toads
boded toadied
body toddy
  bodies toddies
bog tog
  bogged togged
  bogging togging
  bogs togs
boggle toggle
  boggles toggles
boil toil
  boiled toiled
  boiling toiling
  boils toils
boiler toiler
  boilers toilers
bold told
bole toll
  boles tolls
bomb Tom 
bone tone
  boned toned
  bones tones
  boning toning
bony Tony 
boo to
boo too
boo two
  boos twos
boob boot
  boobing booting
booby booty
book took
boom tomb
  booms tombs
boor tour
  boors tours
boot toot
  booted tooted
  booting tooting
Bootle tootle
bore tor
  bores tors
bore tore
bores tawse  
bortsch torch
boss toss
  bossed tossed
  bossing tossing
  bosses tosses
bought taught
bourbon turban
  bourbons turbans
Bourne torn
bout tout
  bouts touts
bowel towel
  bowels towels
bower tower
  bowers towers
bowing toeing
bowl toll
  bowling tolling
  bowls tolls
boy toy
  boys toys
brace trace
  braced traced
  braces traces
  bracing tracing
bract tracked
  bracts tracts
brad trad
brae tray
  braes trays
braid trade
  braided traded
  braiding trading
  braids trades
braille trail
brain train
  brained trained
  braining training
  brains trains
brash trash
brawl trawl
  brawled trawled
  brawling trawling
  brawls trawls
brawler trawler
  brawlers trawlers
bread tread
breed treed
breeze trees
brew true
brewer truer
brews trews
briar trier
  briars triers
bribe tribe
  bribes tribes
bribe bright
brick trick
  bricked tricked
  bricking tricking
  bricks tricks
bride tried
bright trite
  brightly tritely
  brightness triteness
brill trill
brim trim
  brimmed trimmed
  brimming trimming
  brims trims
bring Tring 
brolly trolley
  brollies trolleys
Bruce truce
buck tuck
  bucked tucked
  bucking tucking
  bucks tucks
buff tough
buffed tuft
buffer tougher
buffs toughs
bug tug
  bugged tugged
  bugging tugging
  bugs tugs
build tilled
builder tilde
  builders tildes
built tilt
bung tongue
  bunged tongued
  bungs tngues
bunnies tunnies
bunny tunny
buoy toy
  buoyed toyed
  buoying toying
  buoys toys
burke Turk 
  burkes Turks 
burn tern
  burns terns
burn turn
  burned turned
  burning turning
  burns turns
burner turner
  burners turners
burn-up turn-up
  burn-ups turn-ups
burps turps
bursar terser
bury Terry
bustle tussle
  bustled tussled
  bustles tussles
  bustling tussling
busy tizzy
but tut
  butted tutted
  butting tutting
buy Thai 
  buys Thais 
buy tie
  buying tying
  buys ties
buyer tire
  buyers tires
by Thai
by tie
cab cat
  cabs cats
cabby catty
caber cater
  cabers caters
cob cot
cobber cottar
  cobbers cottars
considerably considerately
cub cut
  cubs cuts
  cubbing cutting
cube cute
cubicle cuticle
  cubicles cuticles
cubist cutest
curb curt
dauber daughter
  daubers daughters
deb debt
  debs debts
derby dirty
  derbies dirties
diabetics dietetics
drab drat
dubious duteous
ebb ate 
fab fat
fable fatal
feeble fetal
fib fit		
  fibs fits
  fibbing fitting
fibber fitter
  fibbers fitters
fibre fighter
  fibres fighters
gab GATT 
gibber jitter
  gibbers jitters
glibber glitter
globe gloat 
  globes gloats
gob got
grebe greet
herb hurt
  herbs hurts
herbal hurtle
hob hot
hub hut
  hubs huts
job jot
  jobbing jotting
  jobs jots
jobber jotter
  jobbers jotters
knob not
knob knot
  knobs knots
Lab lat
labour later
liberal literal
  liberals literals
lob lot
nab Nat 
NB NT
nib nit
  nibs nits
nub nut
orb aught 
pebble petal
  pebbles petals
pub put
rabble rattle
  rabbles rattles
rabid ratted
ragbag ragtag
  ragbags ragtags
rib writ
rob rot
  robs rots
  robbing rotting
robber rotter
  robbers rotters
robe rote
robe wrote
rouble rootle 
  roubles rootles 
rub rut
  rubbing rutting
  rubs ruts
scab scat
scabbard scattered
scabby scatty
  scabbier scattier
  scabbiest scattiest
slab slat
  slabs slats
slob slot
  slobs slots
snob snot
sob sot
squab squat
  squabs squats
swab swat
  swabbing swatting
  swabs swats
tab tat
tabard tattered
tabby tatty
taboo tattoo
  tabooed tattooed
  tabooing tattooing
  taboos tattoos
tribe trite
tub tut
tuba tutor
  tubas tutors
tuber tutor
  tubers tutors
web wet
  webbing wetting
  webs wets
wobble wattle 
  wobbles wattles 
yob yacht  
  yobs yachts

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, January 2010
updated Chiang Mai, May 2024.