Minimal pair
Two words that differ by only one phoneme and have different meanings. Minimal pairs demonstrate which sounds are phonemically distinct in a language.
Real World
Speech therapists use minimal pairs like 'ship' and 'chip' to help children who confuse /ʃ/ and /tʃ/, training them to hear and produce the distinction that separates two different English phonemes.
Exam Focus
When proving a sound is a phoneme, always provide a minimal pair and state explicitly which single phoneme differs.
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