Consonants /m/ versus /l/, 590 pairs     [moblob.html]

The /m/ sound is spelled with <m>, <mm> or <mb> in comb. The /l/ sound is spelled with <l> or <ll>. Notice how the homograph lead pairs with Med and mead. The software picked out numerous pairs in which the sounds appeared in reverse order such as lame/male, smile/slime and lemon/melon, but I have disallowed then as they are not strictly minimal, though confusable.

This is a contrast between a bilabial nasal continuant and a lateral continuant, both voiced. It is not a problem.

Several pairs are formed from a Latinate -ium ending contrasting with its adjective derivative such as bacterium/bacterial. Other interesting pairs include:

amass alas
foreman fallen
magician logician
marvel larval
meagrely legally
measure leisure
Mexican lexicon
mobster lobster
moral laurel
pemmican pelican
sesame Cecily
summon sullen
woman woollen

The mean density value is 3%. The lists make 315 semantic distinctions, a loading of 53%.

aim ail 
  aimed ailed 
  aiming ailing 
  aims ails 
aim ale
  aims ales
am Al 
amass alas 
amaze allays 
Amesbury Aylesbury
amour allure 
  amours allures 
amp alp 
  amps alps 
bacterium bacterial 
balmy barley
barmy barley
boom buhl
brim brill 
calm Carl 
came kail
charms Charles 
chimed child 
coaming coaling 
coma cola 
  comas colas 
comb coal 
  combed coaled 
  combs coals 
  combing coaling
come cull
  comes culls
  coming culling
comer colour 
  comers colours 
comic colic 
comma choler
  commas cholers 
comma collar
  commas collars 
commonest colonist 
consummation consolation 
  consummations consolations 
corm call 
  corms calls 
cranium cranial 
cream creel
  creams creels
dame dale 
  dames dales 
deem deal 
  deeming dealing 
  deems deals 
dim dill 
dome dole 
  domed doled 
  domes doles 
dumb dull 
  dumber duller 
  dumbest dullest 
  dumbness dullness 
fame fail 
  famed failed 
fem fell 
femur feeler 
  femurs feelers 
firm furl
  firmed furled
  firming furling
  firms furls
flame flail 
  flamed flailed 
  flames flails 
  flaming flailing 
foam foal 
  foamed foaled 
  foaming foaling 
  foams foals 
foreman fallen 
form fall 
  forming falling 
  forms falls 
frame frail 
game Gael 
  games Gaels 
game gale 
  games gales 
gammon gallon 
  gammons gallons 
gammy galley 
gamy gaily 
gem gel 
  gems gels 
gnome knoll 
  gnomes knolls
grim grill 
gum gull 
  gummed gulled 
  gumming gulling 
  gums gulls 
gummy gully 
gym gill
  gyms gills 
ham Hal 
haulm hall 
hem hell 
  hems hells 
hemmed held 
hemp help 
him hill 
home hole 
  homes holes 
  homing holing 
  homed holed
homey holy 
homograph holograph 
  homographs holographs 
hum hull 
  hummed hulled 
  humming hulling 
  hums hulls 
hymn hill
  hymns hills 
James gaols
jemmy jelly 
  jemmies jellies 
Jim gill 
Khmer Clare 
kilometres kilolitres 
lime lisle 
loamy lowly
  loamier lowlier 
  loamiest lowliest
M L 
  M's L's 
ma la 
ma'am lam 
Mabel label 
mac lack 
  macs lacks
mace lace 
  maces laces 
macerate lacerate 
  macerated lacerated 
  macerates lacerates 
  macerating lacerating 
Mach lakh  
Mach lark
mad lad 
madder ladder 
Maddy laddie
made lade
made laid
mag lag 
  mags lags 
magician logician 
  magicians logicians 
maid lade
  maids lades
maid laid  
maiden laden 
maim mail 
  maimed mailed 
  maiming mailing 
  maims mails 
maim male
  maims males
Maine lain	  
Maine lane
main lain
main lane
  mains lanes 
make lake 
  makes lakes 
manned land 
many Lenny 
map lap 
  mapped lapped 
  mapping lapping 
  maps laps 
march larch
  marches larches
mare lair 
  mares lairs 
mare layer 
  mares layers 
mark lakh
mark lark
  marked larked 
  marking larking 
  marks larks 
marred lard 
marry Larry 
marvel larval 
maser laser 
  masers lasers 
mash lash
  mashed lashed 
  mashing lashing 
  mashes lashes
massy lassie 
mast last 
  masts lasts 
match latch 
  matched latched 
  matches latches 
  matching latching 
mate late 
matins Latins 
Matt lat
mat lat
matter latter 
Maud laud
Maud lord
maunder launder 
  maundered laundered 
  maundering laundering 
  maunders launders 
mauves loaves 
maw law 
  maws laws 
Max lacks
May lay
  Mays lays
mayor lair 
  mayors lairs 
mayor layer 
  mayors layers 
maze laze
  mazes lazes 
me Leigh 
me lea
me lee	  
mead lead
meagrely legally 
mean lean		  
  means leans
  meant leant
  meaner leaner 
  meanest leanest 
meaning leaning
  meanings leanings 
meanness leanness 
meant lent 
measure leisure 
  measured leisured 
Med lead  
Med led
Mede lead
  Medes leads
medium medial 
Meg leg
memo mellow 
  memos mellows 
men Len 
mend lend 
  mending lending 
  mends lends 
mender lender 
  menders lenders 
mental lentil 
mere leer 
  meres leers 
met let
Metz let's
mewed lewd 
Mexican lexicon
  Mexicans lexicons
mice lice 
Mick lick
might light 
mike like
  mikes likes 
mile lisle 
mill Lil
millennium millennial 
Millie Lily 
millimetres millilitres
million Lilian 
milt lilt 
mime lime
  miming liming
  mimes limes
  mimed limed
mime mile 
  mimes miles
mimed mild 
mind lined 
mine line 
  mines lines 
  mining lining 
miner liner 
  miners liners 
mink link 
  minks links 
mint lint 
minute linnet 
  minutes linnets 
minx lynx
  minxes lynxes 
mire liar 
  mires liars 
missed list 
mist list
  misted listed 
  misting listing 
  mists lists
mite light
  mites lights 
mitigate litigate 
  mitigated litigated 
  mitigates litigates 
  mitigating litigating 
mitigation litigation 
mitre lighter 
  mitres lighters 
mix licks 
Mo lo
Mo low
moan loan 
  moaned loaned 
  moaning loaning 
  moans loans 
mob lob 
  mobbed lobbed 
  mobbing lobbing 
  mobs lobs 
mobster lobster 
  mobsters lobsters 
mock lock
  mocked locked 
  mocking locking 
  mocks locks 
mocker locker 
  mockers lockers 
mode lode 
  modes lodes 
Mods Lodz 
moll loll 
  molls lolls 
Molly lolly
moo lieu 
moo loo
  moos loos
moon loon 
  moons loons 
moony loony 
  moonier loonier 
  mooniest looniest 
moor lure
  moored lured 
  mooring luring 
  moors lures
moose loose 
  mooses looses 
moot loot 
  mooted looted 
  mooting looting 
  moots loots
mop lop 
  mopped lopped 
  mopping lopping 
  mops lops 
mope lope 
  moped loped 
  mopes lopes 
  moping loping 
moral laurel 
  morals laurels 	 
more law
more lor 
morn lawn 
  morns lawns 
moss loss 
  mosses losses 
motion lotion 
  motions lotions 
motto lotto 
mourn lawn
  mourns lawns
mouse louse 
mover louvre 
  movers louvres 
mow low
  mows lows
  mowing lowing  
  mowed lowed
mowed load
mowed lode
mower lower 
  mowers lowers 
MP LP 
  MP's LPs 
Ms Liz 
muck luck 
mucky lucky 
  muckier luckier 
  muckiest luckiest 
mucks luxe 
muff luff 
  muffed luffed 
  muffs luffs 
mug lug 
  mugged lugged 
  mugging lugging 
  mugs lugs 
mugger lugger 
  muggers luggers 
mull lull 
  mulled lulled 
  mulls lulls 
mum mull 
  mums mulls 
mummer mullah
  mummers mullahs 
mummy lumme 
mumps lumps 
much lunch
  munched lunched 
  munches lunches 
  munching lunching 
murk lurk 
mush lush 
mussed lust 
must lust
  musts lusts 
muster lustre 
musty lusty 
  mustier lustier 
  mustiest lustiest 
my lie 
name nail 
  named nailed 
  names nails 
  naming nailing 
Newham newel
nostrum nostril 
  nostrums nostrils 
numb null 
palmer parlour
  palmers parlours
palmy parley
Pam pal
pemmican pelican 
perm pearl 
  permed pearled 
  perming pearling 
  perms pearls 
pom poll 
  poms polls 
pommies polys 
pommy Polly 
pump pulp 
  pumped pulped 
  pumping pulping 
  pumps pulps 
radium radial 
ream real
ream reel
  reams reels
rectum rectal 
remade relaid 
Rheims reels
rheum rule
rhyme rile
  rhymed riled
  rhymes riles
  rhyming riling
rim rill 
  rims rills 
roam r�le
  roams r�les 
roam roll  
  roamed rolled
  roaming rolling
  roams rolls
Rome rôle
Rome roll
room rule
  roomed ruled
  rooming ruling
  rooms rules
rumour ruler
  rumours rulers
same sale 
Sammy Sally 
scamp scalp 
  scamped scalped 
  scamping scalping 
  scamps scalps 
scum scull 
seam seal 
  seamed sealed 
  seaming sealing 
  seams seals  
seaming ceiling   
seem seal 
  seemed sealed 
  seeming sealing 
  seems seals   
seeming ceiling
sesame Cecily 
sham shall 
shame shale 
skim skill 
  skimmed skilled 
  skims skills 
slimy slyly
smack slack 
  smacked slacked 
  smacking slacking 
  smacks slacks 
smacker slacker 
  smackers slackers 
smash slash 
  smashed slashed 
  smashes slashes 
  smashing slashing 
smite sleight 
  smites sleights 
  smiting slighting 
smite slight  
smog slog 
  smogs slogs 
smudge sludge 
smug slug 
smut slut 
  smuts sluts 
spectrum spectral 
steam steal 
  steamed steeled 
  steaming stealing 
  steams steals 
steamy steely
  steamier steelier
  steamiest steeliest
storm stall 
  stormed stalled 
  storming stalling 
  storms stalls 
summon sullen 
swim swill 
  swimming swilling 
  swims swills 
tame tail
  tamed tailed 
  tames tails 
  taming tailing
tame tale
  tames tales  
tamer tailor 
  tamers tailors 
tammy tally 
  tammies tallies 
team teal 
  teams teals
teem teal
  teems teals  
Thame tail
thyme tile
time tile
  timed tiled 
  times tiles 
  timing tiling 
tomb tool
  tombs tools
tome toll 
  tomes tolls 
trauma trawler
  traumas trawlers
trim trill 
  trimmed trilled 
  trimming trilling 
  trims trills 
undermine underline 
  undermined underlined 
  undermines underlines 
  undermining underlining 
unmatched unlatched 
warm wall 
  warmed walled 
  warming walling 
  warms walls 
whim will 
  whims wills
woman woollen
worm whirl 
  wormed whirled 
  worming whirling 
  worms whirls 

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