Consonants /g/ versus /l/, 237 pairs     [gaplap.html]

The /g/ sound is spelled with <g> or <gg>, while the /l/ sound is spelled <l> throughout.

The contrast is between a velar stop and a lateral continuant, both voiced. It does not cause any problems.

The only taboo word pair is shag/shall.

Intersting pairs include:

corrugate correlate
cougar cooler
gable label
gaiety laity
ghastly lastly
goalie lowly
mugger mullah
sagacious salacious

The mean density value is 1.5%. The list makes 128 semantic distinctions, a loading of 54%.

 
Aggie Ali 
Aggie alley
baggy bally
beg bell
  begged belled
  begging belling
  begs bells
big bill 
brig brill
cargo Carlow 
cog col
  cogs cols
corrugate correlate 
  corrugated correlated 
  corrugates correlates 
  corrugating correlating 
corrugation correlation 
  corrugations correlations 
cougar cooler 
  cougars coolers 
degauss delouse
  degaussed deloused
  degausses delouses
  degaussing delousing
dig dill
dog doll
  dogged dolled
  dogging dolling
  dogs dolls
doggie dolly 
  doggies dollies
Doug dull
drogue droll
dug dull
  dugs dulls
egg L 
  eggs L's
erg earl 
  ergs earls 
fig fill
  figs fills
foggy folly
gab lab 
gable label
  gabled labelled
  gables labels
  gabling labelling
gad lad
  gads lads
gag gal
  gags gals
gag lag
  gagged lagged
  gagging lagging
  gags lags	   
gaga gala
gaiety laity
gain lain
gain lane
  gains lanes
gait late
gaiter later
game lame
  gamed lamed
  gamely lamely
  games lames
  gaming laming
gamp lamp
  gamps lamps
gap lap
  gaps laps
Gary Larry
gash lash
  gashes lashes
gassy lassie
gat lat
gate late
gaud laud
gaud lord
gauze laws
gave lave
gay lay
  gays lays
gaze lays
gaze laze
  gazed lazed
  gazes lazes
  gazing lazing
gayer layer
gear leer
  geared leered
  gearing leering
  gears leers
geese lease
get let
  gets lets
  getting letting
get-up let-up
  get-ups let-ups
ghastly lastly
ghee lea
ghee lee
ghee Leigh 
Ghent lent
gift lift
  gifted lifted
  gifting lifting
  gifts lifts
gig gill
  gigs gills
gillie lily 
  gillies lilies
gilt lilt
gizzard lizard
  gizzards lizards
go lo
go low
  goes lows
  going lowing
goad load
  goaded loaded
  goading loading
  goads loads
goalie lowly
gob lob
  gobs lobs
gods Lodz 
goitre loiter
  goitres loiters
golly lolly
gong long
  gonged longed
  gonging longing
  gongs longs
goo lieu
goo loo
gooey Louis 
goon loon
  goons loons
goose loose
gopher loafer
  gophers loafers
gore law
  gores laws
gore lor  		  
gore lore
gored laud
gored lord
got lot
gourd lured
gout lout
guard lard
  guarded larded
  guarding larding
  guards lards
guess less
guessed lest
guest lest
guide lied
guile lisle
guise lies
gull lull
  gulls lulls
  gulling lulling
  gulled lulled
gummy lumme
gush lush
  gushes lushes
gusher lusher
gust lust
  gusts lusts
gusty lusty
  gustier lustier
  gustiest lustiest
guy lie
  guyed lied
  guying lying
  guys lies
hag Hal 
hug hull
  hugged hulled
  hugging hulling
  hugs hulls
instigation instillation
  instigations instillations
jig gill 
  jigs gills
log loll
  logged lolled
  logging lolling
  logs lolls
lug lull
  lugged lulled
  lugging lulling
  lugs lulls
morgue maul 
  morgues mauls 
mug mull
  mugged mulled
  muggins mulleins
  mugs mulls
mugger mullah
  muggers mullahs
pig pill
  pigs pills
piggery pillory
  piggeries pillories
ragged rallied
rig rill
  rigs rills
rogue rôle 
  rogues rôles 	  
rogue roll
  rogues rolls
sagacious salacious
  sagaciously salaciously
  sagacity salacity
shag shall
swig swill
  swigged swilled
  swigging swilling
  swigs swills
teg tel
  tegs tells
twig twill 
  twigged twilled
  twigs twills
vague vale
vogue vole
  vogues voles
Whig will
  Whigs wills
wig will
  wigs wills
  wigged willed
  wigging willing

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