Minimal Pair /ʧ/ and /t/

as in catch and cat

Below is a list of words that vary only by one having the sound /ʧ/ and the other the sound /t/.

You can use this list to practise the sounds, or as a list of words to be careful in pronouncing.

/t/ is pronounced by putting the tip of your tongue against the top of your mouth just behind your top teeth and pulling it down, making the "tut tut" sound you make when you disapprove of something. The tongue and mouth positions are the same as when you pronounce /d/, but with /t/ the voice is not used and you release more air.

/ʧ/ is pronounced without your tongue moving and with more air released than with /t/. It is similar to the sound of a sneeze, and the air released should be able to move a piece of paper or be felt on your hand five centimetres in front of your mouth. It is most similar to the sound /ʤ/, but again without the voice and with more air released.

Elementary

catch cat

ouch out

watch what

Pre-Intermediate

beach beat

cheese tease

chest test

chew two

child tiled

chip tip

choose twos

chose toes

coach coat

each eat

hatch hat

match mat

starch start

torch taught

Intermediate

bench bent

chair tear

chew too

chill till

chime time

chin tin

chop top

chore tour

churn turn

itch it

much mutt

notch not

peach peat

rich writ

roach wrote

teach teat

touch tut

which wit

Upper-Intermediate

arch art

batch bat

belch belt

bitch bit

chap tap

chart tart

chat tat

cheat teat

cheek teak

cheer tear

chick tick

chore tore

hitch hit

hunch hunt

march mart

patch pat

parch part

pitch pit

porch port

punch punt

Scotch Scot

witch wit

wrench rent

Advanced

beech beet

bitchy bitty

bleach bleat

blotch blot

botch bot

catchy catty

char tar

chide tide

chirps turps

chit tit

choke toke

chubby tubby

chuffed tuft

chug tug

flinch flint

hooch hoot

hutch hut

kitsch kit

lynch lint

mooch moot

perch pert

pouch pout

roach rote

torch tort

twitch twit

Written for EnglishClub by Alex Case

Voiced by Jonathan Taylor