Consonants /d/ versus /ʧ/, 222 pairs     [dumbchum.html]

The /d/ sound is spelled with <d>, <de>, <dd> or <dh> in dhow. The /ʧ/ sound is usually with <ch> or <tch>, and we also see <tsch>in loan words such as bortsch. Notice how the homograph read and the partial homograph Reading/reading makes pairs with wretch and retching and with reach and reaching.

The contrast is between a voiced stop and a voiceless affricate, close together in the mouth. It is not a problem for learners.

The only taboo word pairs is peed/peach.

The expression "dumb chum" is often used to describe a dog. Other interesting pairs include:

duckling chuckling
London luncheon
ordered orchard

The mean density value is 2%. The list makes 148 semantic distinctions, a loading of 67%.

 
aid H
ardour archer 
  ardours archers 
avowed avouch 
bad batch
bawd bortsch
bead beach 
  beading beaching 
bead beech
belled belch 
bend bench 
bid bitch
  bidding bitching
bird birch 
bleed bleach 
  bleeding bleaching 
blend blench 
  blending blenching 
board bortsch
bod botch
bodies botches
breed breach 
  breeding breaching 
cad catch
caddie catchy
caddies catches
code coach 
conned conch 
cowed couch 
crowd crouch 
  crowding crouching 
dace chase 
dad Chad 
daft chaffed   
dairy chary 
damp champ 
  damped champed 
  damping champing 
  damps champs 
Dane chain
  Danes chains
dance chance 
  danced chanced 
  dances chances 
  dancing chancing 
dapple chapel 
  dapples chapels 
dare chair 
  dared chaired 
  daring chairing 
  dares chairs 
dart chart 
  darted charted 
  darting charting 
  darts charts 
daw chaw 
  daws chaws 
daw chore 
  daws chores 
dear cheer 
  dears cheers 
dearie cheery 
deck check
  decked checked 
  decking checking 
  decks checks
deck cheque
  decks cheques  
deck Czech
  decks Czechs
decker checker 
  deckers checkers 
deep cheap
  deeper cheaper 
  deepest cheapest 
deep cheep
  deeps cheeps
deepen cheapen 
  deepened cheapened 
  deepening cheapening 
  deepens cheapens 
deeply cheaply 
deepness cheapness 
deign chain
  deigned chained 
  deigning chaining 
dhow chow 
  dhows chows 
dickens chickens 
did ditch
died chide 
dill chill 
dime chime 
  dimes chimes 
din chin 
  dins chins
dine chine 
  dines chines 
dints chintz 
dip chip
  dipped chipped 
  dipping chipping 
  dips chips
dive chive 
  dives chives 
divvy chivvy 
  divvies chivies 
do chew 
  do's chews 
  doing chewing 
dock choc 
  docks chocs
dock chock
  docked chocked 
  docking chocking 
  docks chocks 
does chose 
door chaw 
  doors chaws 
door chore 
  doors chores 
Dorking chalking
Doug chug
duck chuck 
  ducked chucked 
  ducking chucking 
  ducks chucks 
duckling chuckling 
dud Dutch 
dug chug
  dugs chugs 
dumb chum 
dummy chummy 
dump chump 
  dumps chumps 
dunk chunk 
  dunks chunks 
D's cheese
Ed etch
eddies etches
feeder feature 
  feeders features 
fed fetch
filled filch 
friend French 
gnawed nautch
gulled gulch 
had hatch
harried Harwich 
horned haunch 
hid hitch
horrid Horwich 
id itch
impede impeach 
  impeding impeaching 
Indies inches
kid kitsch
lad latch
laddies latches
lard larch 
launder launcher 
  launders launchers 
lead leach 
leading leaching 
London luncheon
mad match
marred march 
milled milch 
Mondays munches
mood mooch 
mud much 
mulled mulch 
nod notch
  nodding notching
ordered orchard 
pad patch
  padding patching
Paddy patchy
Paddies patches
pawned paunch 
pawed porch
peed peach 
plead pleach 
pleading pleaching 
pud putsch
punned punch 
purred perch 
road roach
read reach 
  reading reaching 
read retch
read wretch
readies retches
reading reaching
Reading retching
red retch
red wretch
rend wrench
  rending wrenching
rid rich 
saddle satchel
  saddles satchels
scored scorch 
screed screech 
speed speech 
starred starch 
surd search 
teed teach 
Teddy tetchy
tend tench 
trend trench 
  trending trenching 
vender venture
  venders ventures
vowed vouch 
wad watch
  wadding watching
wadis watches
wend wench 
  wending wenching 
wind winch 
  winding winching 

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