Consonants /k/ versus /r/, 267 pairs     [caprap.html]

The spelling of /k/ is <c> or <ck>. The /r/ sound is spelled <r>, <rr> or <wr> in wretch. Quite often a final <r> is silent so that a pair occurs only when the words are inflected or a derivation is made, as with barking/barring and overecall/overall. Notice how the homograph row makes pairs with Co and cow.

This is a contrast between a voiceless stop and a voiced frictionless continuant. It causes no problems.

Taboo word pairs include cock/rock, coon/rune and cunt/runt.

Interesting pairs include:

caddish radish
canker rancour
capacious rapacious
causerie rosary
cavernous ravenous
compass rumpus
coquetry rocketry
kitten written
talkie Tory

The figure for the mean density is 1.3%. The set makes 143 semantic contrasts, a loading of 54%.

    
altercation alteration 
  altercations alterations 
baccy Barry 
balking boring
barking barring
cache rash
  caches rashes
caddish radish
cage rage
  caged raged
  cages rages
  caging raging
cake rake
  caked raked
  cakes rakes
  caking raking
calking coring
cam ram
  cams rams
camp ramp
  camped ramped
  camping ramping
  camps ramps
can ran
candy randy
cane rain
  caned rained
  canes rains
  caning raining
cane reign
  caned reigned
  canes reigns
  caning reigning
cane rein
  caned reined
  canes reins
  caning reining
canker rancour
cankerous rancorous
canbker ranker
  cankers rankers
canned rand
Cannes ran
cant rant
  canted ranted
  canting ranting
  cants rants
canter ranter
  canters ranters
cap rap
  capped rapped
  capping rapping
  caps raps
capacious rapacious
capacity rapacity
cape rape
  capes rapes
capture rapture
  captures raptures
care rare
  caring raring
case race
  cased raced
  cases races
  casing racing
cash rash
  cashes rashes
cat rat
  cats rats
catches ratches
cattle rattle
catty ratty
  cattier rattier
  cattiest rattiest
caucus chorus
  caucuses choruses
caught wrought
cause roars
causerie rosary
  causeries rosaries
cave rave
  caved raved
  caves raves
  caving raving
cavernous ravenous
cavil ravel
  cavilled ravelled
  cavilling ravelling
  cavils ravels
caw raw
caw roar
  cawed roared
  caws roars
chord roared  
Co roe
Co row
coach roach
  coaches roaches
coal rôle
  coals rôles
coal roll  
  coaled rolled
  coaling rolling
  coals rolls
coaming roaming
coast roast
  coasted roasted
  coasting roasting
  coasts roasts
coaster roaster
  coasters roasters
coat rote
coat wrote
cob rob 
  cobs robs
cobber robber
  cobbers robbers
cock rock
  cocked rocked
  cocking rocking
  cocks rocks
cocker rocker
  cockers rockers
cocky corrie
cocky rocky
  cockier rockier
  cockiest rockiest
cocoon raccoon
  cocoons raccoons
cod rod 
  cods rods
code road
  codes roads
code rode  
codger Roger 
cola roller
  colas rollers
comb Rome 
comb roam
  combed roamed
  combing roaming
  combs roams
come rum
  comes rums
comer rummer
compass rumpus
con Ron 
cone roan
  cones roans
Connie Ronnie
coo rue
cook rook
  cooked rooked
  cooking rooking
  cooks rooks
cookery rookery
cookie rookie
  cookies rookies
cool rule
  cooled ruled
  cooling ruling
  cools rules
cooler ruler
  coolers rulers
coon rune
  coons runes
coot root
  coots roots
cope rope
  coped roped
  copes ropes
  coping roping
coquetry rocketry
cord roared
core roar	 
  cored roared
  coring roaring
  cores roars
corking coring
cosy rosy
  cosier rosier
  cosiest rosiest
cosies roses
cot rot
  cots rots
coterie rotary
  coteries rotaries
cottar rotter
  cottars rotters
cotton rotten
cove rove
  coves roves
cow row
  cowed rowed
  cows rows
  cowing rowing
Cowes rouse
coy Roy 
cub rub
  cubs rubs
cuddle ruddle
  cuddled ruddled
  cuddles ruddles
  cuddling ruddling
cuff rough
  cuffed roughed
  cuffing roughing
  cuffs roughs
cuff ruff
  cuffs ruffs
cumber rumba  
  cumbers rumbas
cunning running
cunt runt
  cunts runts
cupboard rubbered
cut rut
  cuts ruts
  cutting rutting
debarking debarring
gawky gory
  gawkier gorier
  gawkiest goriest
irking erring 
K ray
  K's rays
K's raise  
kail rail
Kaiser riser
  Kaisers risers
Kate rate
ken Rennes
ken wren
  kens wrens 
kenned rend
Kent rent
ketch retch
  ketches retches
ketch wretch
  ketches wretches
key re
kick rick 
  kicks ricks
kind rind
  kinds rinds
kine Rhine 
king ring
  kings rings
kink rink
  kinks rinks
kissed wrist
kites rights
kitten written
lackey Larry 
marking marring
overcall overall
peckish perish
perking purring	   
quay re
sake sari
sparking sparring
stalking storing
tacky tarry
talkie Tory 
  talkies Tories
walking warring
whirring working

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, August 2010.