Consonants /s/ versus /ʧ/, 219 pairs     [satchat.html]

The /s/ sound is spelled with <s>, <ss> or <c>. The /ʧ/ sound is spelled with <ch>, <tch> or <cz> in Czech.

This is a contrast between a sibilant fricative and an alveolar affricate, fairly close together in the mouth and both voiceless. In spite of the similarity it does not seem to cause problems.

Taboo word pairs include arse/arch and piss/pitch.

Interesting pairs include:

insane enchain
lesser lecher
satyr chatter
sensory century
suckling chuckling

The mean density value is 1.4%. The list makes 108 semantic distinctions, a loading of 49%.

 	
ace H
  aces H's 
arse arch 
  arses arches 
bass batch
beast beached 
boss botch
  bossed botched
  bosses botches
  bossing botching
burst birched 
civvies chivies 
coast coached 
cons conch 
cross crotch 
  crosses crotches
C's cheese
denser denture
grouse grouch 
  groused grouched 
  grouses grouches 
  grousing grouching 
hast hatched
hiss hitch
  hissed hitched
  hisses hitches
  hissing hitching
Horace Horwich
hussies hutches
insane enchain 
Inst inched
kiss kitsch
lass latch
  lasses latches
lease leach 
  leased leached 
  leases leaches 
  leasing leaching 
lease leech
  leases leeches
lesser lecher 
mass match
  massed matched
  masses matches
  massing matching
mast marched 
moose mooch 
  mooses mooches 
muss much 
Norse nautch
pass parch 
  passed parched 
  passes parches 
  passing parching 
peace peach 
piece peach
  pieced peached 
  pieces peaches 
  piecing peaching 
piss pitch
  pissed pitched
  pisses pitches
  pissing pitching
post poached 
priest preached 
psalm charm 
  psalms charms 
purse perch 
  pursed perched 
  purses perches 
  pursing perching 
puss putsch
pussies putsches
rest retched
S etch
  S's etches
sad Chad 
safe chafe 
  safes chafes 
sane chain 
sap chap 
  sapped chapped 
  sapping chapping 
  saps chaps 
sat chat 
satyr chatter 
  satyrs chatters 
Sauchie chalky
saw chaw 
  sawed chawed 
  sawing chawing 
  saws chaws 
saw chore
  saws chores
sear cheer 
  seared cheered 
  searing cheering 
  sears cheers 
search church 
  searches churches 
seas cheese
seat cheat
  seated cheated 
  seating cheating 
  seats cheats
sec check
  secs checks
sec cheque	 
  secs cheques
sec Czech 
  secs Czechs
sect checked 
seek cheek
  seeks cheeks
  seeking cheeking
sees cheese
seine chain
  seined chained 
  seines chains 
  seining chaining 
seize cheese
  seizes cheeses 
Selsey Chelsea 
sensory century 
sews chose 
sex Czechs
sickle chicle 
sick chick
  sicks chicks 
side chide
  sided chided 
  sides chides
sighed chide
sign chine 
  signs chines 
Sikh cheek
  Sikhs cheeks
silly chilly
  sillier chillier 
  silliest chilliest 
silly chilli
  sillies chillies 
silly Chile 
since cinch 
sink chink 
  sinking chinking 
  sinks chinks 
Sioux chew
sirup chirrup 
  sirups chirrups 
sizzle chisel 
  sizzled chiselled 
  sizzles chisels 
  sizzling chiselling
soak choke 
  soaked choked 
  soaking choking 
  soaks chokes 
soaker choker 
  soakers chokers 
soar chaw
  soars chaws
soar chore 
  soars chores
Soc choc
sock choc 
  socked chocked 
  socking chocking 
  socks chocks 
some chum 
sop chop 
  sopped chopped 
  sopping chopping 
  sops chops 
soppy choppy 
  soppier choppier 
  soppiest choppiest 
sore chaw
  sores chaws
sore chore
  sores chores  
sorely Chorley 
sou chew 
  sous chews 
sow chow 
  sows chows 
sows chose  
stress stretch
  stressed stretched
  stresses stretches
  stressing stretching
succour chukker 
  succours chukkers 
suck chuck 
  sucked chucked 
  sucking chucking 
  sucks chucks 
sucker chukker
  suckers chukkers
suckle chuckle 
  suckled chuckled 
  suckles chuckles 
  suckling chuckling 
sum chum
  summed chummed 
  summing chumming 
  sums chums
sump chump 
  sumps chumps 
sunk chunk 
suss such 
Swiss switch
tense tench 
twist twitched
whence wench 
wince winch
  winced winched
  winces winches
  wincing winching 

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, November 2010.