Consonants /k/ versus /v/, 231 pairs     [catvat.html]

The /k/ sound is spelled with <c> or <k> initially, and usually <ck> or <ke> medially or finally though we also see <c> in sic and <cc> in Beccles. The /v/ sound is usually spelled with <v>. The spelling <vv> occurs in two words, divvy and revving, both of them coming from abbreviations, namely of division and revolution.

S-endings and -ed endings in contrast after final /k/ and /v/ such as cakes/caves and caked/caved are included even though the dictionary transcriptions are not minimal. This is for reasons explained on the main page.

The contrast is between a voiceless velar stop and a voiced labio-dental fricative. It causes no problems.

The pair "culture vulture" has been adopted as an insulting description of people with a strong interest in the fine arts. Other interesting pairs include:

caper vapour
comet vomit
oakum ovum
silken silvan

The mean density value is 1.8%. The list makes 123 semantic distinctions, a loading of 53%.

 
alike alive
beaker beaver
  beakers beavers
Beccles bevels
brake brave
  braking braving
  brakes braves
break brave
  breaking braving
  breaks braves  
breaker braver 
cake cave
  caking caving
  cakes caves	  
  caked caved
camp vamp
  camped vamped
  camping vamping
  camps vamps
can van
  cans vans
candle Vandal 
  candles Vandals 
cane vain
cane vein
  caned veined
  canes veins
  caning veining
cane vane  
  canes vanes
caper vapour
  capers vapours
carious various
cars vase
cast vast
caste vast
cat vat
  cats vats
Celt veld
cloak clove
  cloaks cloves
coal vole
  coals voles
coat vote
  coated voted
  coating voting
  coats votes
cocks vox
coil voile
coke cove
  col vol
cols vols
collie volley
  collies volleys
colt volt
  colts volts
comet vomit
  comets vomits
corona Verona 
cortex vortex
  cortices vortices
coterie votary
  coteries votaries
couch vouch
  couched vouched
  couches vouches
  couching vouching
cow vow
  cowed vowed
  cowing vowing
  cows vows
cox vox
crake crave
  crakes craves
cue view
  cues views
culture vulture
  cultures vultures
curb verb
  curbs verbs
curse verse
  cursed versed
  curses verses
decoyed devoid
dickey divvy
  dickeys divvies
dike dive
  diking diving
  dikes dives
dirk derv 
duck dove 
  ducks doves
eke eve 
Greek grieve
hack have
  hacking having
hark halve 
  harking halving 
  harks halves
hike hive
  hiking hiving
incursion inversion
  incursions inversions
joke Jove 
kail vale
Kaiser visor
  Kaisers visors
Kassel vassal
kenned vend
Kent vent
Kerry very
ketch vetch
  ketches vetches
key V 
  keys V's 
killer villa
  killers villas
kine vine
kirk curve 
  kirks curves
lack lav
  lacks lavs
lake lave
lax lavs
leak leave
  leaking leaving
  leaks leaves
leek leave
  leeks leaves
lick live
  licking living
  lick lives
like live
  likes lives
likely lively
  likelier livelier
  likeliest liveliest
likelihood livelihood
liquor liver
  liquors livers
luck love 
luckless loveless 
lucre louvre 
lux loves
moke mauve 
oakum ovum
occur aver 
  occurred averred 
  occurring averring 
  occurs avers 
ochre over
peak peeve
  peaking peeving
  peaks peeves
pique peeve
  piques peeves  
Q view
  Q's views
Quaker quaver
Quakers quavers
queue view
  queued viewed
  queueing viewing
  queues views
quicker quiver
Quito veto
rake rave
  raking raving
  rakes raves
reek reeve
  reeks reeves
rickets rivets
sake save
  sakes saves
shake shave
  shaking shaving
  shakings shavings
  shakes shaves
shaker shaver
  shakers shavers
sheikh shave
  sheikhs shaves
shrike shrive
shuck shove 
  shucking shoving 
  shucks shoves
sic sieve
sick sieve
  sicking sieving
  sicks sieves
silken silvan
six sieves
slacker slaver
  slackers slavers
slake slave
  slaking slaving
  slakes slaves
  slaked slaved
sleek sleeve
slicker sliver
  slickers slivers
spick spiv
stake stave
  staking staving
  stakes staves
steak stave
  steaks staves  
stark starve
stoke stove
strike strive
  striking striving
  strikes strives
striker striver
  strikers strivers
stroke strove
Vic Viv
wake waive 
  waking waiving 
  wakes waives
wake wave
  waking waving
  wakes waves  
weak weave 
weaker weaver
week weave
woke wove
  woken woven
wreck rev 
  wrecks revs
  wrecking revving 
  wrecked revved

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