Consonants /p/ versus /s/, 614 pairs     [polosolo.html]

The spelling of /p/ is either <p> or <pp>. The spelling of /s/ is more varied, including <s>, <ss>, <sc>, <c> in ceiling or <ps> in psalm.

The contrast is between a stop and a fricative, both voiceless but well separated in the mouth so that confusions are unlikely.

There are several taboo word pairs but they are unlikely to cause problems: crap/crass, pee/see, and pip/piss.

Interesting pairs include

epics Essex
palmist psalmist
pedantry sedentary
pimple simple
pollution solution
rapist racist

The mean density value is 2.8%. The list makes 328 semantic distinctions, a loading of 54%.

ape ace 
append ascend
  appended ascended
  appending ascending
  appends ascends
appertain ascertain
  appertained ascertained
  appertaining ascertaining
  appertains ascertains
apter aster
blip bliss
burped burst
cape case
carpal castle
  carpals castles
carped cast
carped caste
cop cos
coped coast 
copped cost
Copt cost
  Copts costs
Corp coarse
Corp course
crap crass
creep crease 
  creeping creasing 
crept crest
crop cross
  cropped crossed
  cropping crossing
cup cuss
depend descend
  depended descended
  depending descending
  depends descends
dependant descendant
  dependants descendants
dope dose
  doped dosed
  doping dosing
drop dross
dupe deuce 
duped deuced 
epics Essex 
fillip Phyllis
flop floss
fop fosse
gap gas
gawp gorse
grape grace 
grippe Greece
grippe grease
gripped grist
grope gross
  groped grossed
  groping grossing
gypped gist 
happed hast
hip hiss
hippies hisses
hoped host 
JP JC 
kepis cases 
kip kiss
  kipped kissed
  kipping kissing
kipper kisser
  kippers kissers
lap lass
leap lease
  leaped leased
  leaping leasing
leaped least
leapt lest
leper lesser
lipped list
loop loose
  looped loosed
  looping loosing
loopy Lucy 
lop loss
  lopped lost
map mass
  mapped massed
  mapping massing
mop moss
moped most
MP MC 
neap Nice 
neap niece
OAP's oases
opine assign 
  opined assigned 
  opines assigns 
  opining assigning 
P C 
  P's C's
P sea
  P's seas
P see
  P's sees
pack sac
  packs sacs
pack sack
  packed sacked
  packing sacking
  packs sacks
pact sacked
pad sad
paddle saddle
  paddled saddled
  paddles saddles
  paddling saddling
page sage
  pages sages
pail sale 
  pails sales
pail sail
  pails sails
pain sane
pain seine
  pained seined
  paining seining
  pains seines
paint saint
  painted sainted
  paints saints
pale sail
  paled sailed
  pales sails
pale sale
  pales sales
paler sailor
paling sailing
  palings sailings
pallid sallied
pally sally 
palm psalm
  palms psalms
palmist psalmist
  palmists psalmists
palter psalter
  palters psalters
Pam Sam
pane sane
pane seine
  panes seines
pang sang
panned sand
pans sans
pap sap
parky sak_e
pat sat
pate sate
  pates sates
patter satyr
  patters satyrs
pause saws
pause soars
pave save
  paved saved
  paves saves
  paving saving
paw saw
  pawed sawed
  pawing sawing
  paws saws
paw soar
  pawed soared
  paws soars
paw sore
  paws sores
pawed sword
pawky Sauchie 
pawn sawn
paxes saxes
pay say
  paying saying
PC cc
pea C
  peas C's
pea sea
  peas seas
pea see
  peas sees
peace cease 
peace peep
pea-green sea-green
peak seek
  peaking seeking
  peaks seeks
peak Sikh 
  peaks Sikhs 
peal seal
  pealed sealed
  pealing sealing
  peals seals
pealing ceiling 
  pealings ceilings
pearly surly
  pearlier surlier
  pearliest surliest
peas seize
pease C's
pease seas
pease sees
pease seize
peat seat
peck sec
  pecks secs
pecked sect
pedantry sedentary
pediment sediment
pee C
  pees C's
pee sea
  pees seas
pee see
  peeing seeing
  pees sees
peed cede 
peed seed
peek seek
  peeking seeking
  peeks seeks
peek Sikh
  peeks Sikhs
peel seal
  peeled sealed
  peeling sealing
  peels seals
peeling ceiling
  peelings ceilings 
peeler sealer
  peelers sealers
peep piece
  peeped pieced
  peeping piecing
peer sear
  peered seared
  peering searing
  peers sears
peer seer
  peers seers
peer sere
pees seize
peke seek
  pekes seeks
peke Sikh
  pekes Sikhs
Peking seeking
pelf self
pence sense
pending sending
penned send
pens sends
pepped pest
pepped Sept 
peppery pessary
peptic septic
per sir
perceptible susceptible
  perceptibility susceptibility
perch search
  perched searched
  perches searches
  perching searching
perjury surgery
  perjuries surgeries
pert cert 
pervade surveyed
pestle Cecil 
pet set
  pets sets
  petting setting
pet sett
  pets setts
petal settle
  petaled settled
  petals settles
Pete seat
pew sue
  pews sues
Philip Phyllis
pi sigh
  pis sighs
pick sic
pick sick
  picked sicked
  picking sicking
  picks sicks
pickle sickle
  pickles sickles
Pict sicked
pie sigh
  pies sighs
pied sighed
pied side
pier sear
  piers sears
pier seer
  piers seers
pier sere
pies size
pill sill
  pills sills
pillar Scylla
  pillars Scyllas
pimple simple
  pimples simples
  pimply simply
pin sin
  pinned sinned
  pinning sinning
  pins sins
pinch cinch 
pine sign
  pined signed
  pines signs
  pining signing
pine sine
  pines sines
ping sing
  pinging singing
  pings sings
pink sink
  pinker sinker
  pinking sinking
  pinks sinks
pip piss
  pipped pissed
  pipping pissing
pique seek
  piques seeks
  piquing seeking
pique Sikh
  piques Sikhs
pis size
Pisa Caesar
piston Syston 
piston cistern
  pistons cisterns 
pit sit
  pits sits
  pitting sitting
pity city
  pities cities 
pixies sixes
plain slain
plait slat
  plaited slatted
  plaits slats
plane slain
plant slant
  planted slanted
  planting slanting
  plants slants
plash slash
  plashed slashed
  plashes slashes
  plashing slashing
plate slate
  plated slated
  plates slates
  plating slating
play slay
  playing slaying
  plays slays
play sleigh
  played sleighed
  playing sleighing
  plays sleighs
player slayer
  players slayers
pleat sleet
  pleated sleeted
  pleating sleeting
  pleats sleets
pled sled
pledge sledge
  pledged sledged
  pledges sledges
  pledging sledging
plied slide
plight sleight
  plighted slighted
  plighting slighting
  plights sleights
plight slight
plop slop
  plopped slopped
  plopping slopping
  plops slops
plot slot
  plots slots
  plotted slotted
  plotting slotting
plough slough 
  ploughs sloughs
plug slug
  plugged slugged
  plugging slugging
  plugs slugs
plum slum
  plums slums
plumb slum
  plumbed slummed
  plumbing slumming
  plumbs slums
plummy slummy
  plummier slummier
  plummiest slummiest
plump slump
  plumped slumped
  plumping slumping
  plumps slumps
plunk slunk
plush slush
  plushy slushy
  plushier slushier
  plushiest slushiest
ply sly
PM cm
PO CO 
pock Soc 
pock sock
  pocked socked
  pocks socks
pocket socket
  pockets sockets
pod sod
  podded sodded
  podding sodding
  pods sods
podium sodium
poke soak
  poked soaked
  pokes soaks
  poking soaking
poker soaker
  pokers soakers
polar solar
pole Seoul
pole sole
  poled soled
  poles soles
  poling soling
pole soul
  poles souls
poled sold
poll Sol 
poll sole
  polled soled
  polling soling
  polls soles
poll Seoul
poll soul
  polls souls
polled sold
pollute salute
  polluted saluted
  pollutes salutes
  polluting saluting
pollution solution
polo solo
pone sewn
pooh Sioux 
pooh sou
pooh Sue
Poona sooner
poop soup
  poops soups
pop sop
  popped sopped
  popping sopping
  pops sops
pope soap
  popes soaps
poppet posset
  poppets possets
poppy posse
  poppies posses
pore saw
  pored sawed
  pores saws
pore soar
  pored soared
  poring soaring
  pores soars
pore sore
  pores sores
pored sword
porn sawn
port sort
  ported sorted
  porting sorting
  ports sorts
port sought
porter sorter
  porters sorters
pose sews
pose sows
posse soppy
post soaped
pot sot
  pots sots
pound sound
  pounded sounded
  pounding sounding
  pounds sounds
pour saw
  poured sawed
  pours saws
pour soar
  poured soared
  pouring soaring
  pours soars
pour sore
  pours sores
poured sword
power sour
  powered soured
  powering souring
  powers sours
prep press
P's seize
pub sub
  pubs subs
puck suck
  pucks sucks
pucker succour
  puckered succoured
  puckering succouring
  puckers succours
pucker sucker
  puckers suckers
puff sough
  puffed soughed
  puffing soughing
  puffs soughs
pukka succour
pukka sucker
pulp pulse
  pulped pulsed
  pulping pulsing
pump sump
  pumps sumps
pun son
  puns sons
pun sun
  punned sunned
  punning sunning
  puns suns
punk sunk
pup pus
pup sup
  pups sups
purge serge
purge surge
  purged surged
  purges surges
  purging surging
purloin sirloin
  purloins sirloins
purport support
  purported supported
  purporting supporting
  purports supports
purred surd
purr sir
  purrs sirs
purvey survey
  purveyed surveyed
  purveying surveying
  purveys surveys
purveyor surveyor
  purveyors surveyors
put soot
pyre sire
pyres sires
pyx sicks
rape race 
  raped raced 
  raping racing 
rapier racier 
rapist racist 
  rapists racists 
repeat receipt 
  repeated receipted 
  repeating receipting 
  repeats receipts 
ripe rice 
ripped wrist
roped roast 
shipped schist 
sirup cirrus 
sloop sluice
sup suss
  supped sussed
  supping sussing
taped taste
top toss
  topped tossed
  topping tossing
toped toast 
tripe trice 
tripped tryst
troop truce
troupe truce
VP VC 
wallop Wallace 
wept west
whipped whist

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