Consonants /w/ versus /ʧ/, 91 pairs     [woochew.html]

The /w/ sound is spelled with <w> or <wh>. The /ʧ/ sound is spelled with <ch>. Notice how the partial homograph Wear/wear makes pairs with cheer and chair.

This is a contrast between a voiced bilabial semivowel and a voiceless alveolar affricate. It only ocurs initially.

The mean density value is 2.5%. The lists make 49 semantic distinctions, a loading of 54%.

  	   
wafer chafer
  wafers chafers
waif chafe 
  waifs chafes 
wain chain
  wains chains 
waist chased 
waist chaste
walk chalk 
  walked chalked 
  walking chalking 
  walks chalks 
wane chain
  waned chained 
  waning chaining 
  wanes chains
war chaw
  wars chaws
war chore 
  wars chores
ward chawed 
ware chair
  wared chaired 
  wares chairs 
  waring chairing 
Warley Chorley 
wary chary 
  warily charily 
waste chaste
waste chased
Wayne chain
wear chair
  wears chairs
  wearing chairing
Wear cheer
weary cheery 
wees cheese 
weird cheered 
weir cheer
  weirs cheers 
west chest 
wheedle Cheadle 
wheeze cheese
  wheezes cheeses 
wherry cherry 
  wherries cherries 
whiled child 
whine chine 
  whines chines 
whip chip
  whips chips
  whipped chipped 
  whipping chipping
whippings chippings
whirl churl 
  whirls churls 
whop chop 
  whopped chopped 
  whopping chopping 
  whops chops 
whopper chopper 
  whoppers choppers 
wide chide 
wild child
will chill
  wills chills
  willing chilling
  willed chilled
Willie Chile 
Willie chilli
  willies chillies 
Willie chilly  
wine chine
  wines chines
wink chink 
  winked chinked 
  winking chinking 
  winks chinks 
wive chive 
  wives chives 
woes chose 
woke choke 
woo chew 
  wooing chewing 
  woos chews 
  wooed chewed
woos choose
wore chaw
wore chore
wow chow 
  wows chows 

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