Consonants /k/ versus /l/, 617 pairs     [cadlad.html]

The /k/ sound is spelled with <c>, <k>, <ck>, <ch> in chord, and the cluster /ks/ is spelled with <x> in six. The /l/ sound is spelled <l> or <ll>. The homograph poll makes pairs with pock and poke, as does slough with scow and scuff.

The contrast is between a voiceless velar stop and a voiced lateral continuant. It does not cause any listening problems.

Interesting pairs include:

anarchist analyst
caiman layman
candid landed
cargo largo
cater later
cockier collier
coral laurel
coward loured
evacuate evaluate
Oscar ostler
pictured pilchard
queued lewd
secular cellular
X else

Taboo word pairs include cock/lock, coo/loo and coon/loon.

The mean density value is 2.7%. The list makes 307 semantic distinctions, a loading of 50%.

 
ache ail  
  aches ails
  aching ailing
  ached ailed
anarchist analyst 
  anarchists analysts 
auk all 
auk awl
baccy bally
bake bail 
  baking bailing 
  bakes bails
  baked bailed
balk ball
  balking balling
barrack barrel
  barracking barrelling
  barracks barrels
beck bell 
bike bile
bookie bully
  bookies bullies
brake braille 
brick brill
cab lab 
  cabs labs
caber labour
  cabers labours
cable label
  cabled labelled
  cables labels
  cabling labelling
cache lash
  cached lashed
  caches lashes
  caching lashing
cad lad
  cads lads
caddie laddie
  caddies laddies
cadre larder
  cadres larders
caiman layman
cake kail
cake lake
  cakes lakes
calf laugh	   
calk call
  calking calling
  calks calls
Calne Larne
cam lam		
  cams lams
cam lamb
  cams lambs
came lame
camp lamp
  camps lamps
candid landed
cane lane
  canes lanes
canned land
Cannock Lanark
cap lap
  capping lapping
  caps laps
  capped lapped
card lard
  carded larded
  carding larding
  cards lards
care lair
  cares lairs
cared laird
cargo largo
  cargoes largos
Carrie Larry
case lace
  cased laced
  cases laces
  casing lacing
cash lash
  cashed lashed
  cashes lashes
  cashing lashing
cassock Kassel 
cast last
  casting lasting
  casts lasts
caste last
  castes lasts
cat lat
catch latch
  catches latches
  catching latching
cater later
cause laws
cave lave
  caved laved
  caves laves
  caving laving
caw law
  caws laws
cawed laud
cawed lord
chalky Chorley 
chick chill
  chicks chills
chord laud
  chords lauds
chord lord
  chords lords  
Co lo
Co low
cob lob
  cobs lobs
cock col
  cocks cols
cock lock  
  cocked locked
  cocks locks
  cocking locking
cocker collar
  cockers collars
cocker choler
  cockers cholers 
cocker locker
  cockers lockers
cockier collier
cock loch
  cocks lochs
cockup lockup
  cockups lockups
cocky collie
coco loco
coda loader
  codas loaders
code load
  coded loaded
  codes loads
  coding loading
codger lodger
  codgers lodgers
cods Lodz 
cog log
  cogs logs
coign loin
  coigns loins
coin loin
  coins loins
coke coal 
  coking coaling 
  cokes coals
coked colt
collie lolly
  collies lollies
Colne loan
col loll
  cols lolls
comb loam
cone loan
  coned loaned
  cones loans
  coning loaning
conger longer
Cons Lens
coo lieu
coo loo
  coos loos
cook look
  cooked looked
  cooks looks
  cooking looking
coon loon
  coons loons
coop loop
  cooped looped
  cooping looping
  coops loops
coot loot
  coots loots
cop lop
  cops lops
  copping lopping
  copped lopped
cope lope
  coped loped
  copes lopes
  coping loping
Copt lopped
coral laurel
  corals laurels
cord laud
  cords lauds
  corded lauded
  cording lauding
cord lord
  cors lords  
core law 
  cores laws
core lor
core lore
cork call
  corks calls
  corking calling
  corked called
corker caller 
  corkers callers 
corn lawn
  corns lawns
corrie lorry
  corries lorries
cost lost
cot lot
  cots lots
coughed loft
cover lover
  covers lovers
coves loaves
coward loured
cowed loud
cower lour
  cowering louring
  cowers lours
  cowered loured
creak creel
  creeks creels
cuff luff
  cuffed luffed
  cuffing luffing
  cuffs luffs
cull lull
  culled lulled
  culling lulling
  culls lulls
cumber lumbar
  cumbered lumbered
  cumbering lumbering
  cumbers lumbers
curl kirk
  curls kirks
deck dell
  decks dells
decked dealt 
Dec dell
decay delay
  decayed delayed
  decaying delaying
  decays delays
Dick dill
dock doll
  docking dolling
  docks dolls
  socked dolled
docker dollar
  dockers dollars
duck dull
  ducking dulling
  ducks dulls
  ducked dulled
eke eel 
eking Ealing 
ethic ethyl
evacuate evaluate
  evacuated evaluated
  evacuates evaluates
  evacuating evaluating
evacuation evaluation
  evacuations evaluations
fake fail 
  faking failing 
  faked failed
  fakes fails
flake flail 
  flaking flailing 
  flakes flails
  flaked flailed
folk foal 
fork fall 
  forks falls
  forking falling 
forked fault 
forks false 
freaky freely
gawk Gaul 
hack Hal 
hake hail 
hake hale
hawk hall 
  hawks halls
hawk haul
  hawks hauls  
  hawking hauling 
  hawked hauled
hawked halt 
heck hell
hick hill
hickory Hilary 
hockey holly
husking hustling
irk earl 
Jake gaol
jockey jolly
  jockeyed jollied
  jockeying jollying
  jockeys jollies
joked jolt
K lay
  K's lays
karma lama
  karmas lamas
Kate late
kava larva
keel Lille 
keen lean
  keened leaned
  keens leans
  keener leaner
  keenest leanest
  keening leaning
  keenness leanness
keg leg
  kegs legs
ken Len
kenned lend
Kenny Lenny
kens lens
Kent Lent
kept leapt
Kettering lettering
key lea
  keys leas
khan larn
  khans larns
kick kill
  kicks kills
  kicked killed
  kicking killing
kick lick
  kicks licks
  kicked licked
  kicking licking
kicked kilt
kicker killer
  kickers killers
kidney Lydney 
kid lid
  kids lids
kilt lilt
  kilts lilts
kind lined
kine line
kinky kingly 
kink link
  kinked linked
  kinking linking
  kinks links
kirk lurk
  kirks lurks
kite light
  kites lights
leak Lille
leek Lille
licked lilt
like lisle
lock loll
  locking lolling
  locked lolled
  locks lolls
luck lull
make mail 
  making mailing 
  makes mails
mark marl
meek meal 
Mickey Millie
mike mile
mock moll
  mocks molls
moke mole
  mokes moles
muck mull
neck knell
  necks knells
neck Nell 
necked knelt 
Newark newel
Nick nil
Oscar ostler
  Oscars ostlers
overcook overlook
  overcooked overlooked
  overcooking overlooking
  overcooks overlooks
pack pal
  packs pals
  packing palling
packer pallor
packet palette
  packets palettes
parka parlour
  parkas parlours
parky parley
peak peal
  peaking pealing
  peaks peals
  peaked pealed
peak peel
  peaking peeling
  peaks peels
  peaked peeled
pique peal
pique peel  
pecked pelt
perk pearl 
  perking pearling 
  perks pearls
perky pearly 
  perkier pearlier 
  perkiest pearliest 
pick pill
  picks pills
picker pillar
  pickers pillars
pictured pilchard
pike pile
  pikes piles
pock poll
poke pole	  
  pokes poles
poke poll
  poking polling
  pokes polls
  poked polled
poker polar
pork pall
pork Paul
pucks pulse
puke pule
  puking puling
  pukes pules
  puked puled
quake quail 
  quaking quailing 
  quaked qualed
  quakes quales
queued lewd 
quiche leash 
  quiches leashes 
quick quill
rake rail 
  raking railing 
  raked railed
  rakes rails
reek reel
  reeking reeling
  reeked reeled 
  reeks reels
Reich rile
retake retail 
  retakes retails
  retaking retailing
revocation revelation 
  revocations revelations 
revoked revolt
rick rill
  ricks rills
sake sale 
scab slab
  scabs slabs
scarves Slavs 
scat slat
scoop sloop
  scoops sloops
scope slope
scot slot
  scots slots
scow slough 
  scows sloughs
scuff slough
  scuffed sloughed
  scuffing sloughing
  scuffs sloughs
scum slum
scummy slummy
  scummier slummier
  scummiest slummiest
scurry slurry
scut slut
  scuts sluts
sec cell
  secs cells
sec sell	
  secs sells
secular	cellular 
seek seal 
  seeks seals
  seeking sealing
seeking ceiling 
seeker sealer 
  seekers sealers 
self-seeking self-sealing 
sex cells
sex sells
sexton Selston 
sexy Selsey 
shack shall
shacked shalt
shake shale
sic sill
sick sill
sicked silt
skate slate
  skated slated
  skates slates
  skating slating
skein slain
skid slid
skied slide
skim slim
  skimmed slimmed
  skimming slimming
  skims slims
skimmer slimmer
skipped slipped
skipper slipper
  skippered slippered
  skippers slippers
skunk slunk
sky sly
snake snail 
soak sole
  soaking soling
  soaked soled
  soaks soles
soak soul
  soaks souls
soaker solar
Soc Sol
spec spell
speck spell
  specked spelt
  specks spells
spook spool
squawk squall 
  squawking squalling 
  squawks squalls
  squawked squalled
squeak squeal
  squeaking squealing
  squeaked squealed
  squeaks squeals
squeaker squealer
  squeakers squealers
stake stale
  staking staling
stalk stall
  stalking stalling
stick still
  sticking stilling
  sticks stills
sticked stilt
sticker stiller
stoke stole
stroke stroll
  stroking strolling
  stroked strolled
  strokes strolls
tacky tally
take tail 
  takes tails
  taking tailing 
taker tailor 
  takers tailors 
talk tall
talker taller
teak teal
Tech tel
tick till
  ticks tills
  ticked tilled
ticked tilt
ticker tiller
  tickers tillers
ticking tilling
tike tile
  tikes tiles
toque toll 
trick trill
  tricking trilling
  tricks tills
  tricked trilled
unkind unlined
vacancy valency		
  vacancies valences
vicar villa
  vicars villas
wake wail 
  waking wailing 
  wakes wails
wake whale 
  waking whaling 
  wakes whales
walk wall 
  walking walling
  walks walls
walks waltz
weak we'll 
whisking whistling 
wick will
  wicks wills
work whirl 
  working whirling 
  works whirls
  worked whirled
X else
York yawl

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