Consonants /p/ and /v/, 227 pairs     [petvet.html]

There are no problems with spelling since /p/ is always <p> or <pp>, while /v/ is always <v> or <ve> and <f> in the one word of.

These consonants differ both in voicing and in manner of articulation, one being a stop and the other a fricative. However their places of articulation are close, and they can be a problem for some learners, especially when in final clusters, as in grapes/graves. (I have included these pairs even though they may appear to be non minimal; see the note on the main page.)

Interesting pairs include:

apiary aviary
grapple gravel
harpist harvest
pallor valour
pillage village
piper viper
serpent servant
viper viva
The mean density value is 2.2%. The list makes 128 semantic contrasts, giving a semantic loading of 56%.
apiary aviary
  apiaries aviaries
cape cave
  capes caves
carp calve 
  carped calved
  carps calves
  carping calving 
carp carve
  carped carved
  carps carves
  carping carving
cope cove
  copes coves
crepe crave
  crepes craves
cuppa cover
  cuppas covers
gape gave
grape grave
  grapes graves
grapple gravel
  grappled gravelled
  grapples gravels
grippe grieve
grope grove
group groove 
  grouping grooving 
hap have
  happing having
harp halve 
  harping halving 
harpist harvest
  harpists harvests
harpy Harvey 
heap heave
  heaping heaving
help helve
hope hove
hopper hover
  hoppers hovers
lap lav
leap leave
  leaping leaving
  leaps leaves
lip live
  lips lives
Marple marvel
mope mauve 
nape knave 
  napery knavery 
nape nave
Naples navels
nappy navvy
  nappies navvies
op of 
opal oval
  opals ovals
P V
P's V's
pack vac
  packs vacs
pail vale
  pails vales
pail veil
  pails veils
pain vain
pain vein
  pained veined
  pains veins
pain vane
  pains vanes
pale vale
  pales vales
pale veil
  paled veiled
  paling veiling
  pales veils
pallid valid
  pallidly validly
pallor valour
pally valley
palter vaulter
  palters vaulters
pan van
  pans vans
pane vain
pane vane
  panes vanes
pane vein
  panes veins
paper vapour
  papers vapours
parrs vase
pars vase
parse vase
  parses vases
passed vast
past vast
pat vat
  pats vats
pax vacs
PC VC
pea V
  peas V's
peal veal
pease V's
pecks vex
pee V
  pees V's
peel veal
peep peeve
  peeping peeving
peer veer
  peered veered
  peering veering
  peers veers
pelt veld
penally venally
pending vending
penned vend
perjure verger
  perjures vergers
perry very
Persian version
  Persians versions
pest vest
  pests vests
pet vet
  petted vetted
  petting vetting
  pets vets
pew view
  pews views
pi vie
pick Vic
picker vicar
  pickers vicars
pie vie
  pies vies
pied vied
pier veer
  piers veers
pile vile
pillage village
  pillager villager
  pillagers villagers
  pillages villages
pillar villa
  pillars villas
pine vine
  pines vines
piper viper
  pipers vipers
piracies viruses
Pisa visa
pocks vox
pole vole
  poles voles
poll vol
  polls vols
poll vole
  polls voles
Polly volley
poly volley
  polys volleys
pouch vouch
  pouched vouched
  pouches vouches
  pouching vouching
pox vox
purge verge
  purged verged
  purges verges
  purging verging
purse verse
  pursed versed
  purses verses
Pyle vile
pyre via
rape rave
  raping raving
reap reeve
rep rev 
repeal reveal
  repealed revealed
  repealing revealing
  repeals reveals
repp rev
repulsion revulsion
ripe rive
Ripon riven
rope rove
  roping roving
sappy savvy
serpent servant
  serpents servants
shape shave
  shapes shaves
  shaping shaving
shipper shiver
  shippers shivers
sip sieve 
  sipping sieving 
  sips sieves
sleep sleeve
  sleeps sleeves
  sleepless sleeveless
slipper sliver
  slippered slivered
  slippers slivers
spelt svelte
steep Steve 
stripe strive
  stripes strives
tepee TV
  tepees TVs
trope trove
viper viva
  vipers vivas
weep we've 
weep weave
  weeping weaving 
  weeps weaves
wipe wive
  wipes wives
wiping wiving

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