Consonants /g/ versus /z/, 56 pairs     [goozoo.html]

The spelling of /g/ is <g> or <gg>, but we also see <gh> in ghee and <gu> in rogue . The /z/ sound is spelled <z>, <zz>, <se> or <s> as a 3rd-person inflection.

This is a contrast between a stop and a fricative, both voiced but well separated in the mouth. It does not cause any problems.

The only taboo word pairs are bugger buzzer and buggered/buzzard.

Interesting pairs include:

corgis causes
goggling gosling
haggard hazard

The figure for the mean density is 0.5%. The set makes 38 semantic contrasts, a loading of 68%.

    	  
berg burrs
big biz
boogie boozy
boogies boozes
bug buzz
  bugged buzzed
  bugging buzzing
bugger buzzer
  buggers buzzers
buggered buzzard
buggies buzzes
corgis causes 
Doug does
dug does
eagerly easily
eagle easel
  eagles easels
erg errs
fig fizz
fug fuzz
fuggy fuzzy
  fuggier fuzzier
  fuggiest fuzziest
fugue fuse
Gambia Zambia
  Gambian Zambian
  Gambians Zambians
gap zap
  gaps zaps
ghee zee
goggling gosling
goo zoo
guessed zest
hag has
haggard hazard
jag jazz
  jagged jazzed
  jagging jazzing
jaggy jazzy
  jaggier jazzier
  jaggiest jazziest
league leas
leg Les 
morgue maws 
muggy muzzy
  muggier muzzier
  muggiest muzziest
plague plays
roguery rosary
  rogueries rosaries
rogue rose
shindig shindies 
swig swiz
whig whizz
wig whizz
  wigged whizzed 
  wigging whizzing

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