Consonants /v/ versus /l/, 272 pairs     [vastlast.html]

The /v/ sound is spelled with <v>, <ve> or <vv> in savvy. The /l/ sound is spelled <l> or <ll>.

The contrast is between a labio-dental fricative and a lateral continuant, both voiced. It is not a problem for learners.

One can make any number of extra pairs by adding the contracted forms 've for have or 'll for will to any suitable pronoun or plural noun, such as they've/they'll or times've/times'll. Other interesting pairs include:

conservation consolation
fever feeler
ivied eyelid
sever cellar
starving starling
tavern talon
viable liable
vicar liquor
vocal local

The mean density value is 1.7%. The list makes 137 semantic distinctions, a loading of 50%.

 	
Ave Al 
avert alert 
  averted alerted 
  averting alerting 
  averts alerts 
avocation allocation 
  avocations allocations 
avoid alloyed 
avow allow 
  avowed allowed 
  avowing allowing 
  avows allows 
behoved behold 
bevy belly 
  bevies bellies 
brave braille 
calve Carl 
cave kail
chivvy Chile 
chivvy chilli
  chivies chillies 
chivvy chilly  
civvies sillies 
conceive conceal 
  conceived concealed 
  conceives conceals 
  conceiving concealing 
conservation consolation
cove coal 
  coves coals 
cover colour 
  covered coloured 
  covering colouring 
  covers colours 
curve curl 
  curved curled 
  curves curls 
  curving curling 
Dave dale
Davey daily
disavow disallow 
  disavowed disallowed 
  disavowing disallowing 
  disavows disallows 
dove dole
dove dull
  doves dulls
drove droll 
eaves eels
eve eel
fever feeler 
  fevers feelers 
five file 
  fives files 
gave Gael 
gave gale
give gill 
  gives gills 
grave grail 
  graves grails 
gravy greyly
have Hal 
heave heal
  heaved healed 
  heaves heals 
  heaving healing 
heave heel
  heaves heels
  heaving heeling  
  heaved heeled
Hoover hula
  Hoovers hulas
hove hole
hove whole
hover holler 
  hovered hollered 
  hovering hollering 
  hovers hollers 
ivied eyelid 
jives Giles 
knave nail
  knaves nails
live lisle 
love lull 
  loved lulled 
  loves lulls
  loving lulling
mauve mole
  mauves moles
pave pail 
  paves pails
pave pale
  paved paled 
  paves pales 
  paving paling 
peeve peal 
  peeved pealed 
  peeves peals 
  peeving pealing 
purview purlieu
  purviews purlieus 
rave rail 
  raved railed 
  raves rails 
  raving railing 
  ravings railings 
reeve reel 
  reeves reels 
revise relies 
revive revile 
  revived reviled 
  revives reviles 
  reviving reviling 
rive rile 
  rived riled 
  rives riles 
  riving riling 
rove rôle 
  roves rôles 
rove roll  
  roved rolled 
  roving rolling 
  roves rolls
rover roller 
  rovers rollers 
save sail
  saved sailed 
  saving sailing 
  savings sailings 
  saves sails 
save sale 
  saves sales
saver sailor 
  savers sailors 
savvy sally 
sever cellar 
  severs cellars 
severity celerity 
shave shale 
sieve sill 
  sieves sills
skivvy skilly 
spiv spill 
  spivs spills 
starving starling 
stave stale 
  staved staled 
  staves stales 
  staving staling 
Steve steal
Steve steel
stove stole 
  stoves stoles 
strove stroll 
swerve swirl
  swerved swirled
  swerves swirls
  swerving swirling
tavern talon 
  taverns talons 
titivate titillate 
  titivated titillated 
  titivates titillates 
  titivating titillating 
trove troll 
  troves trolls 
V Leigh 
V lea
  V's leas
V lee	  
  V's lees
vac lack 
  vacs lacks 
vain lain 
vain lane
vain vale
vain veil
vamp lamp 
  vamps lamps 
vane lain
vane vale
  vanes vales
vane veil	 
  vanes veils
vane lane
  vanes lanes 
vast last 
  vastly lastly 
vat lat 
veer leer 
  veered leered 
  veering leering 
  veers leers 
vein vale
  veins vales
vein veil	 
  veins veils
vein lane
  veins lanes 
vend lend 
  vending lending 
  vends lends 
vender lender 
  venders lenders 
vent lent 
Vera lira
vest lest 
vet let 
  vetting letting 
viable liable 
  viability liability 
Vic lick
vicar liquor 
  vicars liquors 
vice lice 
victual little 
victualler littler 
vie lie 
  vies lies 
  vying lying 
  vied lied
viewed lewd 
Viking liking
  Vikings likings
vim limn 
vim limb
vine line 
  vines lines 
vivid livid 
  vividly lividly 
vocal local 
  vocally locally 
vocalize localize 
  vocalized localized 
  vocalizes localizes 
  vocalizing localizing 
vocation location 
  vocations locations 
voids Lloyd's 
vol loll 
  vols lolls 
volley lolly 
  volleys lollies 
vowed loud 
vox lochs 
waive wail 
  waived wailed 
  waiving wailing 
  waives wails 
waive whale
  waives whales  
waives Wales 
waiver whaler
  waivers whalers
wave wail
  waves wails
  waving wailing
  waved wailed
wave whale
  waves whales
waves Wales    
weave weal
  weaves weals 
weave wheel
  weaving wheeling
  weaves wheels
wharves walls 
wive while 
  wived whiled 
  wives whiles 
  wiving whiling 
wives wiles  

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