5 exercises on consonant contrasts that change meaning in tech words — code/coat, log/lock, path/pass, sync/sink and more.
Consonant contrasts quick reference
code /kəʊd/ vs coat /kəʊt/ — final /d/ vs /t/
log /lɒɡ/ vs lock /lɒk/ — final /ɡ/ vs /k/
path /pɑːθ/ vs pass /pɑːs/ — final /θ/ vs /s/
sync = sink — both /sɪŋk/ (homophones)
base /beɪs/ vs face /feɪs/ — initial /b/ vs /f/
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
A developer says code but a colleague writes down coat. Which IPA pair correctly describes the difference?
code /kəʊd/ vs coat /kəʊt/ — final /d/ vs /t/:
A classic minimal pair separated only by the final consonant. The vowel /əʊ/ (British) or /oʊ/ (American) is identical; the words differ in voicing of the last sound:
A subtle but reliable cue: in English the vowel before a voiced consonant is slightly longer, so "code" has a marginally longer /əʊ/ than "coat".
Tech relevance:
"push the code" must not become "push the coat"
related: node /nəʊd/ vs note /nəʊt/
load /ləʊd/ vs lote (rare)
Option A reverses which word is voiced; option C is wrong — they are not homophones.
2 / 5
During an incident call, log (a log file) is misheard as lock. What is the phonetic difference?
log /lɒɡ/ vs lock /lɒk/ — final /ɡ/ vs /k/:
The velar pair: /ɡ/ and /k/ are made in the same place (back of the tongue against the soft palate) and differ only in voicing:
/ɡ/ — voiced — log, bug, tag, debug
/k/ — voiceless — lock, buck, tack, mock
This is a high-stakes pair in ops: "check the log" vs "check the lock" (a mutex/database lock) mean very different things.
More velar minimal pairs:
bug /bʌɡ/ vs buck /bʌk/
tag /tæɡ/ vs tack /tæk/
pig /pɪɡ/ vs pick /pɪk/
Tip: put a hand on your throat — you feel vibration for /ɡ/ in "log", silence for /k/ in "lock".
3 / 5
Two words appear in the same sentence: a file path and a unit test that should pass. Which IPA correctly contrasts path and pass in British RP?
path /pɑːθ/ vs pass /pɑːs/ — final /θ/ vs /s/:
In British RP both words use the long "ah" vowel /ɑː/ (the BATH vowel). They differ only in the final fricative:
/θ/ — dental: tongue tip between/behind the teeth — the "th" of think, path, both
/s/ — alveolar: tongue near the ridge behind the teeth — the "s" of pass, miss, base
Learners who lack /θ/ often substitute /s/, making "path" sound like "pass" — confusing in "the file path" vs "the test should pass".
Note on accent: General American uses the short /æ/ here — /pæθ/ and /pæs/ — but the /θ/ vs /s/ contrast is identical. So option B is correct for American vowels but mislabels the consonants as the same, which is the real point.
Related:booth /buːθ/ vs boost (near), math /mæθ/ vs mass /mæs/.
4 / 5
A developer says sync (synchronise) and a listener pictures a kitchen sink. Are these a true minimal pair, and how do they differ?
sync = sink — both /sɪŋk/:
This is a trick within the set: sync and sink are perfect homophones, both /sɪŋk/. The "y" in "sync" (short for "synchronise") is pronounced /ɪ/, and "nc" gives /ŋk/ — exactly like "sink".
So you cannot distinguish them by sound at all; only context disambiguates: "let me sync the branch" vs "the kitchen sink". This makes them a minimal pair by meaning while being identical in pronunciation.
Note the /ŋ/: the "n" before /k/ becomes the velar nasal /ŋ/, not /n/. Saying /sɪnk/ with a plain /n/ sounds non-native.
Other tech homophones:
byte = bite — both /baɪt/
hertz = hurts — both /hɜːts/
main = mane — both /meɪn/ ("the main branch")
5 / 5
In OOP discussion, the base class is misheard as face. Which IPA correctly identifies the contrast — and which other pair shares the same type of difference?
base /beɪs/ vs face /feɪs/ — initial /b/ vs /f/:
Both share the vowel /eɪ/ and final /s/; only the first consonant differs:
/b/ — voiced bilabial stop (lips close fully, then burst) — base, build, byte
These differ in two ways at once (stop vs fricative, and place), so they are easy to keep apart if you articulate clearly.
The paired example — fork vs pork:
fork /fɔːk/ — /f/ fricative — "git fork"
pork /pɔːk/ — /p/ voiceless stop
Here /f/ vs /p/ both involve the lips, so they are more confusable than base/face. Tip: for /f/, you should feel air escaping over your lower lip continuously; for /p/ and /b/, the lips fully block and release the air. Option D wrongly voices the final consonant of "base" (it is /s/, not /z/).