Vowels 10 and 12, /ʌ/ versus /ə/ 4 pairs
[humhm.html]
Since the schwa has to be unstressed while /ʌ/ is likely to be
prominent, only one set of pairs was found in the dictionary, and
h'm is of doubtful status as a word that can enter meaningful
contrasts. It is in any case often spelled hem or hum in
narrative, as in "He hemmed and hawed in embarrassment."
Two other pairs were suggested by Ben Holmberg, upend/append and
discuss/discus, but in both cases there is a stress difference as well as
the vowel.
hum h'm
hummed h'mmed
humming h'mming
hums h'ms
The density figure is too small to be worth calculating.
John Higgins, Shaftesbury, December 2009
updated Chiang Mai, 2024