Consonants /f/ versus /l/, 345 pairs     [foglog.html]

The /f/ sound is spelled with <ff> or <gh> as in rough. The /l/ sound is spelled <ng> or <ngue> in tongue.

The contrast is between a voiceless labio-dental fricative and a voiced lateral continuant. It is not a problem.

Taboo word pairs include fuck/luck and fucks/luxe.

Interesting pairs include:

curfew curlew
feather leather
femur lemur
ferment lament
focal local
focused locust
scoffer scholar
sphinx slinks
staffing starling
wafer whaler

The mean density value is 2%. The list makes 188 semantic distinctions, a loading of 54%.

 	
affiance alliance
  affiances alliances
affix Alex 
biff bill
  biffing billing
  biffed billed
  biffs bills
biffed built
buffoon balloon 
  buffoons balloons 
calf Carl 
chef shell
  chef shells
coffee collie
  coffees collies
coffer choler 
  coffers cholers 
coffer collar
  coffers collars
coffin Colin 
coif coil
comfy comely 
  comfier comelier 
  comfiest comeliest 
cough col 
  coughs cols
Crieff creel
cuff cull
  cuffs culls
  cuffed culled
  cuffing culling
cuffed cult
curfew curlew
  curfews curlews
deaf dell
defeat delete
  defeated deleted
  defeating deleting
  defeats deletes
deft dealt 
doff doll
  doffing dolling
  doffed dolled
  doffs dolls
duffer duller
effect elect
  effected elected
  effecting electing
  effective elective
  effects elects
F L
  F's L's
F's else  
fa la
fab lab 
fable label
  fabled labelled
  fables labels
face lace
  faced laced
  faces laces
  facing lacing
fact lacked
fad lad
  fads lads
faddy laddie
fade lade
  fading lading
  fades lades
fag lag
  fagged lagged
  fagging lagging
  fags lags
fain lain	  
fain lane
fair lair
  fairs lairs
fake lake
  fakes lakes
fame lame
  famed lamed
fanned land
far la
fare lair
  fares lairs
fared laird
farmer lama
  farmers lamas
fast last
  fasted lasted
  fasting lasting
  fasts lasts
fat lat
fate late
father lather
  fathered lathered
  fathering lathering
fatter latter
fattest latticed
faugh law
faugh lore
faun lawn	 
  fauns lawns
fawn lawn
  fawns lawns
fauna Lorna 
fear leer
  feared leered
  fearing leering
  fears leers
feather leather
  feathers leathers
feathery leathery
fed lead
fee Leigh 
fee lea
  fees leas
fee lee
feed lead
  feeding leading
  feeds leads
  fed led
feeder leader
  feeders leaders
feeder Lieder
feeds Leeds 
feet Lied
feign lane
  feigns lanes
femur lemur
  femurs lemurs
fen Len 
fend lend
  fending lending
  fends lends
fender lender
  fenders lenders
fens lens
feoff feel 
feoff leaf
  feoffs leafs
ferment lament
  fermented lamented
  fermenting lamenting
  ferments laments
fern learn
  ferns learns
fester Leicester 
fetter letter
  fettered lettered
  fettering lettering
  fetters letters
feud lewd
fever lever
  fevered levered
  fevers levers
fey lay
fez Les 
fib Lib 
fie lie
fiend leaned
fife file
  fifes files
fife life
fifth filth
fight light
  fighting lighting
  fights lights
fighter lighter
  fighters lighters
filly lily 
  fillies lilies
finch lynch
  finches lynches
find lined
fine line
  fines lines
  fining lining
finer liner
finger linger
  fingered lingered
  fingering lingering
  fingers lingers
Finn Lynn
fin Lynn
fire liar
  fires liars
fist list
  fists lists
five live
  fives lives
fizzy Lizzy 
foam loam
foamy loamy
  foamier loamier
  foamiest loamiest
fob lob
  fobbed lobbed
  fobbing lobbing
  fobs lobs
focal local
focus locus
  foci loci
focused locust
foe low
  foes lows
fog log
  fogged logged
  fogging logging
  fogs logs
Foggia loggia
folly lolly
  follies lollies
foment lament
  fomented lamented
  fomenting lamenting
  foments laments
fop lop
  fops lops
for law
for lor
for lore
fore law
fore lor
fore lore
four law
  fours laws
four lor
four lore
ford laud
  forded lauded
  fording lauding
  fords lauds
  fordable laudable
ford lord
  fords lords
  fording lording
  forded lorded
fosse loss
  fosses losses
fox lochs
fuck luck
fucks luxe
fug lug
  fugs lugs
fussed lust
fusty lusty
gaff gal
Geoff gel
gift gilt
goof Goole 
hoof who'll
huff hull
  huffing hulling
  huffs hulls
  huffed hulled
if ill
life lisle
lift lilt
  lifted lilted
  lifting lilting
  lifts lilts
luff lull
  luffing lulling
  luffs lulls
  luffed lulled
muff mull
muffin mullein
  muffins mulleins
niff nil
pharynx larynx 
  pharynxes larynxes 
  pharyngitis laryngitis 
phase lays 
phase laze
  phased lazed 
  phases lazes 
  phasing lazing 
phone loan 
  phoned loaned 
  phones loans 
  phoning loaning 
phooey Louis 
poof Poole 
puffs pulse
quiff quill
  quiffs quills
reef reel
  reefing reeling
  reefed reeled
  reefs reels
rife rile
riff rill
  riffs rills
roof rule
  roofing ruling
  roofs rules
  roofed ruled
safe sale 
safer sailor
scoffer scholar 
  scoffers scholars 
scuff scull
  scuffing sculling
  scuffs sculls
  scuffed sculled
scuff skull
  scuffs skulls  
scurf skirl
sheaf she'll 
sheafed shield
sift silt
  sifted silted
  sifting silting
  sifts silts
skiff skill
  skiffs skills
soft salt
Sophie solely
sophist solaced 
sphinx slinks 
spoof spool
  spoofs spools
staffing starling
stiff still
  stiffer stiller
  stiffest stillest
  stiffness stillness
Taffy tally
  Taffies tallies
tiff till
  tiffs tills
unfermented unlamented
wafer whaler
  wafers whalers
waif wail  
  waifs wails
weft welt
  wefts welts
wharf wall 
  wharfs walls
wharfs waltz 
whiff will	  
  whiff wills
wife while 

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