Minimal Pair initial /k/ and /g/

as in came and game

Below is a list of words that vary only by one beginning with the sound /k/ and the other beginning with the sound /g/.

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

/k/ and /g/ are pronounced with identical mouth positions, but /k/ is pronounced without using the vocal chords and with more air released.

Elementary

came game

card guard

class glass

cold gold

could good

Pre-Intermediate

cave gave

clean glean

cot got

crate great

crease Greece

Intermediate

cap gap

cash gash

Co. go

coast ghost

coat goat

come gum

con gone

course gorse

crab grab

cram gram

creek Greek

crepe grape

crew grew

croup group

crow grow

curly girly

cut gut

K gay

key ghee

kill gill

Upper-Intermediate

cane gain

clad glad

clamour glamour

clue glue

cod god

crane grain

crease grease

creed greed

crime grime

krill grill

Advanced

cab gab

caf gaff

cape gape

clam glam

cob gob

coo goo

cord gored

core gore

cork gawk

corp gawp

cosh gosh

coup goo

coy goy

cramps gramps

crate grate

craven graven

craze graze

cripes gripes

crowned ground

crumble grumble

cuff guff

cull gull

cunning gunning

curd gird

cussed gust

kale gale

kilt gilt

kit git

Alex Case, founder TeflTasticAlex Case is the author of TEFLtastic and the Teaching...: Interactive Classroom Activities series of business and exam skills e-books for teachers. He has been a teacher, teacher trainer, director of studies, and editor in Turkey, Thailand, Spain, Greece, Italy, UK, Korea and now Japan. He has published a book with Macmillan and hundreds of articles, reviews, lesson plans and worksheets with Onestopenglish, Modern English Teacher and many others. In addition to contributing articles and teaching ideas to Tefl.NET, Alex for many years edited Tefl.NET Book Reviews.

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