Consonants /k/ versus /n/, 598 pairs     [cabnab.html]

The /k/ sound is spelled with <c>, <cc>, <k>, <ch> in ached, and <q> in the letter name Q and the word queue. The /n/ sound is spelled <n>, <nn> or occasionally <gn> as in gnome.

The contrast is between a voiceless velar stop and a voiced bilabial nasal continuant. It does not cause many listening problems except when the sounds are buried in clusters such as <cts> versus <nts>.

The words college and knowledge are often used as rhymes in comic verse. There are a number of compounds with the prefixes ex and in which amke minimal pairs, such as expected/inspected. I left out with some regret the pair snooker/schooner which reverses the two sounds. Other interesting pairs include:

acuity annuity
barrack baron
caber neighbour
courtier naughtier
coterie notary
cursory nursery
cuter neuter
Iraq Iran
mucky money
puckish punish

Taboo word pairs include: cock/con, cock/knock, fuck/fun.

The mean density value is 2.5%. The list makes 328 semantic distinctions, a loading of 55%.

 
ached ain't
act ant
  acts ants
acuity annuity
alike align 
altercation alternation
  altercations alternations
back ban
  backed banned
  backing banning
  backs bans
backed bant
backer banner
  backers banners
bake bane 
  bakes banes
balk Bourne 
bark barn
  barks barns
barrack baron 		 
  barracks barons
beak bean
beck Ben
bike bine
bloke blown
brake brain 
  braking braining   
  brakes brains
break brain
  breaks brains
  breaking braining
buck bun
  bucks buns
Buckie bunny
burke burn
  burked burnt
  burking burning
cab nab
  cabs nabs
caber neighbour
  cabers neighbours
cache gnash
  cached gnashed
  caches gnashes
  caching gnashing
cairn Nairn 
cake cane
  caking caning
  cakes canes
calk corn
  calking corning
  calks corns
came name
can nan
  cans nans
Cannock cannon
canny nanny
cap knap
  capping knapping
  caps knaps
  capped knapped
cap nap	
  caps naps
  capping napping
  capped napped
cape nape
  capes napes
Capt knapped
care ne'er
cash gnash
  cashes gnashes
  cashing gnashing
  cashed gnashed
cat gnat 
  cats gnats
catty natty
  cattier nattier
  cattiest nattiest
caught naught
cause gnaws
cave knave
caves knaves
caw gnaw
  cawed gnawed
  cawing gnawing
  caws gnaws
caw nor
Celt knelt
chick chin		
  chicks chins
clack clan
  clacks clans
cloak clone
	cloaks clones
Co know
Co no
coal knoll
  coals knolls
coarse Norse 
coat note
  coated noted
  coating noting
  coats notes
cob knob
  cobs knobs
cobble knobble
  cobbled nobbled
  cobbles knobbles
  cobbling nobbling
cock con	 
  cocks cons
  cocked conned
  cocking conning
cocked cont
cock knock
  cocks knocks
cocker knocker
  cockers knockers
cocky Connie 
cod nod
  codded nodded
  cods nods
  codding nodding
coddle noddle
  coddles noddles
code node
  codes nodes
coke cone
  coking coning
colic Colin 
college knowledge
Colne coke
comb gnome
  combs gnomes
come numb
  comes numbs
  coming numbing
comely numbly
commination nomination
  comminations nominations
convection convention
coo gnu
  coos gnus
cook nook
  cooks nooks
cope nope
core gnaw
  cores gnaws
core nor
cork corn
  corks corns
corker corner
  corkers corners
corm norm
  corms norms
cortical nautical
cosh nosh
  coshes noshes
  coshing noshing
cosy nosey
  cosier nosier
  cosies noses
  cosiest nosiest
cot knot
  cots knots
coterie notary
  coteries notaries
court naught
  courts naughts
courtier naughtier
cow now
crake crane	   
  crakes cranes
croak crone
  croaks crones
cub nub
  cubs nubs
cull null
cumber number
  cumbered numbered
  cumbering numbering
  cumbers numbers
curse nurse
  cursed nursed
  curses nurses
  cursing nursing
cursory nursery
curve nerve
  curved nerved
  curves nerves
  curving nerving
cut nut
  cuts nuts
cute newt
cuter neuter
dark darn
deck den
  decks dens
decked dent
decks dense
detection detention
Dick din
dicker dinner
  dickers dinners
dike dine
  diking dining
  dikes dines
dissect descent 
  dissects descents 
dissect dissent
  dissected dissented
  dissecting dissenting
dissection dissension
  dissections dissensions
dock don 
  docking donning
  docks dons
Dorking dawning
drake drain 
  drakes drains
duck done 
duck dun
  ducking dunning
  ducks duns
  ducked dunned
ducks dunce
duke dune
eke e'en 
exception inception
  exceptions inceptions
excise incise
  excised incised
  excises incises
  excising incising
excision incision
  excisions incisions
excite incite
  excited incited
  excites incites
  exciting inciting
excitement incitement
  excitements incitements
expand inspanned
expect inspect
  expected inspected
  expecting inspecting
  expects inspects
expire inspire
  expired inspired
  expires inspires
  expiring inspiring
fake fain 
fake feign
  faking feigning
  faked feigned 
  fakes feigns
faked faint 
flak flan
flicked Flint 
folk phone
fork faun 
  forking fawning 
fuck fun
Greek green
  Greeks greens
hairlike hairline
hawk horn
  hawking horning  
  hawked horned
  hawks horns
hawked haunt 
heck hen
hecks hence
hock Hon 
invective inventive
Iraq Iran 
irk earn 
  irking earning 
  irks earns
  irked earned
Jack Jan
jacket Janet 
Jake Jane
jerky journey
Joan joke
jockey Johnny 
K nay  
K née
K neigh
  K's neighs
kail nail
keel Neil 	
keel kneel
Keith 'neath 
kettle nettle
  kettles nettles
key knee
  keys knees
kick kin
kick nick
  kicked nicked
  kicking nicking
  kicks nicks
kill nil
kine nine
kip nip
  kipped nipped
  kipping nipping
kipper nipper
  kippers nippers
kit knit
  kitted knitted
  kitting knitting
  kits knits  
kit nit
  kits nits  
kite knight
  kites knights
knocks nonce
lake lain 
lake lane
  lakes lanes
lakh Larne 
lakhs lance
lark Larne
larking larning
leak lean
  leaking leaning
  leaks leans
lectern Lenten 
leek lean
   leeks leans
licked lint
lifelike lifeline
like line
  like lines
  liked lined
liking lining
  likings linings
lucre lunar
lurk learn 
  lurked learnt 
  lurking learning 
  lurks learns
mac man
make main
  makes mains
Max manse
meek mean 
  meeker meaner 
  meekest meanest 
  meekly meanly 
mica myna
Mike mine
mix mince 
  mixed minced 
  mixes minces 
  mixing mincing 
mixer mincer 
  mixers mincers 
moke moan 
mucky money 
oak own
  oaks owns
  oaked owned
ochre owner
pack pan
  packing panning
  packs pans
  packed panned
packed pant
pact pant
  pacts pants
peck pen
  pecking penning
  pecks pens
  pecked penned
pecks pence
pecked pent
pectic pectin
pick pin
  picking pinning
  picks pins
  picked pinned
pick-up pin-up
  pick-ups pin-ups
pike pine
  pikes pines
placket planet
  plackets planets
pocks ponce
poke pone
poky pony
pork pawn 
pox ponce
pricked print
pricks prince		
psych sign
  psychs signs
psychologist Sinologist 
  psychologists Sinologists 
  psychology Sinology 
puck pun
puckish punish
Q knew
Q new
  Q's news
quaint quaked
quirk quern 
  quirks querns 
queue knew
queue new
  queues news
queued nude 
quick quin
rack ran
racked rant
rake rain  
  raking raining 
  rakes rains
  raked rained
rake reign  
  raking reigning 
  rakes reigns
  raked reigned
rake rein  
  raking reining 
  rakes reins
  raked reined
Reich Rhine
ricks rinse
rock Ron 
rocky Ronnie 
ruck run
  rucking running
  rucks runs
rucked runt
sake sane
scale snail
  scales snails
scare snare
  scared snared
  scares snares
  scaring snaring
scoop snoop 
  scooped snooped
  scooping snooping
  scoops snoops
score snore
  scored snored
  scores snores
  scoring snoring
scorer snorer
  scorers snorers
Scot snot
scout snout
  scouts snouts
scuff snuff
  scuffed snuffed
  scuffing snuffing
  scuffs snuffs
scuffle snuffle
  scuffled snuffled
  scuffles snuffles
  scuffling snuffling
secs sense
sect cent
  sects cents 
sect scent
  sects scents 
sect sent
sector centre 
  sectors centres 
seek scene 
sex sense
  sexed sensed 
  sexes senses 
  sexing sensing 
sexual sensual 
  sexuality sensuality 
shock shone
shrike shrine
shuck shun 
  shucks shuns
  shucking shunning
  shucked shunned
shucked shunt
sic sin
sick sin
  sicking sinning
  sicked sinned
  sicks sins
sicks since	  
sicker sinner
skied snide
skiff sniff
  skiffs sniffs
skiffle sniffle
skip snip
  skipped snipped
  skipping snipping
  skips snips
skis sneeze
slake slain 
soak sown
socket sonnet
  sockets sonnets
Southwark southern
spake Spain 
specked spent
spick spin
spike spine
  spikes spines
spiky spiny
  spikier spinier
  spikiest spiniest
spook spoon
  spooks spoons
stacks stance
stake stain 
  staking staining 
  stakes stains
  staked stained
stack Stan
stoke stone 
  stoking stoning
  stokes stones
  stoked stoned
stuck stun
suck son 
suck sun
  sucking sunning
tack tan
  tacking tanning
  tacks tans
  tacked tanned
talk torn
talked taunt
talkie tawny
tannic tannin
Tech ten
techs tense
text tensed 
thick thin
  thicker thinner
  thickest thinnest
  thickly thinly
thick-skinned thin-skinned
tic tin
tick tin
  ticks tins
  ticked tinned
  ticking tinning
ticked tint
tike Tyne 
tocsin toxic
toque tone 
tuck ton
  tucks tons
tuck tonne 
  tucks tonnes
tuck tun
  tucks tuns
Turk tern	 
  Turks terns
Turk turn
  Turks turns
turkey tourney
  turkeys tourneys 
tweak 'tween 
unexpired uninspired
uric urine
vac van
wake Wayne 
wake wane
  waking waning
  wakes wanes
walk warn
  walking warning
  walks warns
  walked warned
weak wean
week wean
  weeks weans
wick whin 
  wicks whins
wick win
  wicks wins  
wicked whinnied 
wicker winner
wicks wince
worked weren't 
wrack ran
wreck Rennes 
wreck wren	   
  wrecks wrens
wrecked rent 
York yawn

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, July 2010,
updated Chiang Mai, May 2024