Consonants /f/ versus /w/, 237 pairs     [fontwant.html]

The /f/ sound is spelled with <f>, <ff> or <ph> in phase. The /w/ sound is spelled <w> or <wh>. The contrast can only occur initially or medially. Notice the partial homograph wear/Wear making pairs with fair and fear.

The contrast is between a voiceless labio-dental fricative and a voiced bilabialal semivowel. It is a slight problem for some learners, especially Spanish speakers.

One mildly taboo pair is fee/wee.

The pair comes up in the collocation "fine wine". Other interesting pairs include:

fairy wary
false waltz
feather weather
fitness witness
follow wallow

The mean density value is 3.6%. The list makes 120 semantic distinctions, a loading of 51%.

 	
affair aware
afford award
  afforded awarded
  affording awarding
  affords awards
faced waist
fact whacked
fade wade
  faded waded
  fades wades
  fading wading
fairy wary
fag wag
  fagged wagged
  fagging wagging
  fags wags
fail wail
  failed wailed
  failing wailing
  fails wails
fails Wales 
fain Wayne 	  
fain wain
fair ware 
  fairs wares
fair wear
  fairs wears
fairer wearer
fake wake
  faked waked
  fakes wakes
  faking waking
fall wall
  falling walling
  falls walls
false waltz
falsies waltzes
falter Walter 
fang whang
fare ware
  fares wares  
fare wear
  fares wears
  faring wearing
fate wait
  fated waited
  fating waiting
  fates waits
fate weight
  fated weighted
  fating weighting
  fates weights
faugh war
faugh wore
faun warn
  fauns warns
fawn warn
  fawns warns  
  fawning warning
  fawned warned
favour waiver
  favours waivers
favour waver
  favoured wavered
  favouring wavering
  favours wavers
Fawley Warley
fear Wear 
fear weir
  fears weirs
feared weird
feather weather
  feathered weathered
  feathering weathering
  feathers weathers
Feb web
fed wed
fee we
fee wee	
  fees wees
  feeing weeing	
feed weed
  feeding weeding
  feeds weeds
feet wheat
feign wain
  feigns wains
feign wane
  feigns wanes
  feigned waned
  feigning waning
fell well
  felling welling
  fells wells 
felled weld
fen wen
  fens wens
fence whence
fend wend
  fended wended
  fending wending
  fends wends
ferry wherry
  ferries wherries
fête wait
  fêted waited
  fêting waiting
  fêtes waits
fête weight
  fêted weighted
  fêting weighting
  fêtes weights
fetid wetted
fetter wetter
fever weaver
  fevers weavers
fey way
fie why
fie Y 
field wield
  fielded wielded
  fielding wielding
  fields wealds
fiend weaned
fiery wiry
fife wife
fig Whig 
  figs Whigs
fig wig
  figs wigs
fight Wight 
fight white
  fights whites
fighter whiter
fighting whiting
file while
  filed whiled
  files whiles
  filing whiling	
fill will
  fills wills
  filling willing
  filled willed
filly Willie 
fillies willies
  finch winch
finches winches
find whined
find wind
  finding winding
  finds winds
fine whine
  fines whines
  fining whining
  fined whined
fine wine
  fines wines
  fining wining
  fined wined
finer whiner
fir were
fir whirr
  firs whirrs
fire wire
  fired wired
  fires wires
  firing wiring
firm worm
  firmed wormed
  firming worming
  firms worms
first worst
  firsts worsts
fish wish
  fishes wishes
  fishing wishing
  fished wished
fishbone wishbone
  fishbones wishbones
fist whist
fitness witness
five wive
  fives wives
foaled wold
foe whoa
foe woe
  foes woes
fold wold
  folds wolds
folk woke
follow wallow
  followed wallowed
  following wallowing
  follows wallows
folly Wally 
fond wand
fonder wander
font want
  fonts wants
fop whop
  fops whops
for war
for wore
fore war
fore wore
four war
  fours wars
four wore  
ford ward
  forded warded
  fording warding
  fords wards
foreign warren
fork walk
  forked walked
  forking walking
  forks walks
form warm
  formed warmed
  forming warming
  forms warms
former warmer
found wound
full wool
fully woolly
fun one
fur were
fur whirr
  furs whirrs
furl whirl
  furled whirled
  furling whirling
  furls whirls
phase ways
Phil Will
Seaford seaward
unfed unwed

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